Consumer Protection

  • August 21, 2025

    CFPB Calls For Input On Open-Banking Fees, Access Issues

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking a first step toward reopening its Biden-era open-banking rule, issuing a fresh call for comment on key sticking points that have divided banks and fintech firms and become a focus of industry litigation.

  • August 21, 2025

    GTCR Deal A 'Smokescreen' For Coatings Merger, FTC Says

    GTCR BC Holdings LLC's $627 million bid to buy the nation's largest medical device coatings company is a blatant attempt to overwhelmingly dominate an already highly concentrated market, and the "smokescreen" of a partial divestiture shouldn't convince anyone otherwise, the Federal Trade Commission told an Illinois federal judge Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    OnlyFans Flags Bogus Citations In RICO Fraud Suit

    Attorneys for a proposed class of OnlyFans subscribers alleging racketeering by the company notified a California federal judge Thursday that they would be seeking permission to fix earlier filings found to have errors created by artificial intelligence, days after the web platform's parent company notified the court of the citation errors.

  • August 21, 2025

    Roblox Hit With New Accusations Of Child Safety Shortfalls

    The Roblox Corp. prioritized growth and profits over child safety, opening the door to sexual exploitation, a North Carolina mother claimed in the latest complaint the tech giant faces over alleged safety shortfalls. 

  • August 21, 2025

    CVS, Drugmakers Illegally Inflated Insulin Prices, City Claims

    Drugmakers Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis US LLC, pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx, and others have been hit with civil racketeering and state unfair trade practices law claims by the city of Torrington, Connecticut, over an alleged scheme to inflate insulin prices.

  • August 21, 2025

    Epic Says Google Can't Dodge App Store Trade Libel Claims

    Video game and software developer Epic Games Inc. has told a California federal court that Google LLC can't eschew remaining state law claims in a trade libel suit because the alleged harms are new, not resurrected from claims in a separate case.

  • August 21, 2025

    NHTSA Looking Into Tesla Crash Report Tardiness

    Tesla Inc. must explain why many crashes involving its advanced driver-assistance systems or self-driving vehicles are not being timely reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a notice filed by federal regulators who are now investigating the company's compliance.

  • August 21, 2025

    Judge OKs Deal To End Misrepresented Pickleball Paddle Suit

    A Florida federal judge on Wednesday approved a settlement resolving a class action accusing a pickleball paddle manufacturer of deceptively marketing its products as certified by the sport's governing body that will pay out up to $300 to each class member.

  • August 21, 2025

    Ill. AG 'Deputized' Firms To Go After Power Cos., Suit Says

    Two retail power suppliers have asked a federal judge to block enforcement actions taken by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, claiming his office has unconstitutionally deputized plaintiffs law firms to pursue consumer fraud enforcement cases against the industry.

  • August 21, 2025

    FCC Seeks Feedback Before Ditching Truth-In-Billing Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission is officially asking for opinions on whether the agency's slamming and truth-in-billing rules are outdated and, if so, where they should be cut, after voting earlier this month to propose eliminating some of them.

  • August 21, 2025

    EPA Denies 'Sitting On Its Hands' On Pesticide Ban Request

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to reject green groups' effort to force it to respond to their petition to ban organophosphate pesticides, saying it "has not unreasonably delayed action."

  • August 21, 2025

    FCC Dings NC FM Station For Unapproved Transfer Of Control

    The owners of a low-power Catholic FM station in North Carolina are entering into a consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission over allegations that its owners effectively gave control to another entity without authorization, agreeing to pay $2,000 and implement a comprehensive compliance plan.

  • August 21, 2025

    OCC Ends Action Over Anchorage Digital's AML Program

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency lifted a consent order against Anchorage Digital Bank on Thursday, marking the resolution of a 2022 action that accused the crypto bank of deficiencies in its anti-money laundering compliance program.

  • August 20, 2025

    Musk Can't Yet Ditch Ariz. Voter's Suit Over $1M Giveaway

    A Texas federal judge on Wednesday refused to toss an Arizona voter's proposed class action claiming that Elon Musk's $1 million giveaway to swing state voters was deceptively marketed as a random lottery, ruling that the voter has plausibly alleged that she was defrauded.

  • August 20, 2025

    Credit Union, Customers Notch Deal In Data Breach Suit

    OE Federal Credit Union and a proposed class of current and former customers revealed Wednesday that they have reached a deal to resolve litigation over a 2023 cyberattack, a day after the federal judge overseeing the case refused to cut negligence, California Consumer Privacy Act and several other claims from the dispute. 

  • August 20, 2025

    Supersede California's Voice Over IP Rules, FCC Urged

    California's new regulatory regime for internet voice call providers is a "power grab" and the Federal Communications Commission should make clear that its rules preempt those of the Golden State, a free market think tank is telling the agency.

  • August 20, 2025

    United, Delta Flyers Sue Over Windowless 'Window' Seat Fees

    United and Delta on Tuesday were hit with a pair of proposed breach of contract class actions in California and New York federal courts by customers who accused the airlines of charging premium fees for windowless seats that are misleadingly advertised as having windows. 

  • August 20, 2025

    Google Duped App Users With 'Fake' Privacy Button, Jury Told

    A lead plaintiff in a multibillion-dollar privacy lawsuit alleging Google illegally collected data from 98 million cell phone users told a California federal jury Wednesday that the tech giant is "misleading" consumers with a "fake button" purporting to allow users to opt out of tracking.

  • August 20, 2025

    Visa Deal Does Not Bar Other Swipe Fee Claims, Judge Rules

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Visa cannot enforce a $5.54 billion settlement in long-running multidistrict antitrust litigation against a class of Visa debit cardholders in a separate, similar suit, finding that the deal does not cover their claims, and therefore the claims can't be released.

  • August 20, 2025

    GOP Sens. See Path To Crypto Market Structure Law This Year

    Republican lawmakers and regulators this week previewed plans to finish cryptocurrency market structure legislation before year's end and continue reducing scrutiny from banking regulators during a multiday event that brought officials and industry participants together in Wyoming.

  • August 20, 2025

    TikTok Profits From Addicting Children, Minnesota Says

    TikTok Inc. knowingly designed its social media platform to be addictive to children, according to a state court lawsuit filed by Minnesota, which also accuses the company of operating an unlicensed virtual currency system that facilitates financial and sexual exploitation of minors.

  • August 20, 2025

    Civil Rights Org. Urges FCC Not To Ditch Nat'l Ownership Cap

    A civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton said it would be a bad idea for the Federal Communications Commission to strip away ownership regulations that cap how many television stations any one company can own.

  • August 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Told Apple, Google CEO Meeting Aids Antitrust Claim

    A California crane operator training school's attorney told a Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday that a lower court erred in dismissing his client's suit alleging an antitrust conspiracy between Apple and Google because a meeting between the companies' CEOs should have been taken into consideration as supporting the claim.

  • August 20, 2025

    Character.AI Founder Seeks Exit From Teen's Suicide Suit

    The co-founder of Character.AI has asked a Florida federal judge to toss certain claims in a suit alleging a teen's suicide was caused by a negligently designed artificial intelligence chatbot, saying he can't be sued individually in Florida because he's never done any business in the state.

  • August 20, 2025

    FTC Sues LA Fitness Over Difficult Gym Cancellation Policies

    The Federal Trade Commission sued gym chain LA Fitness in California federal court Wednesday, alleging it employs burdensome cancellation practices, such as requiring customers to come to the gym in-person to cancel memberships or send cancellation forms through registered or certified mail. 

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • DOJ Crypto Enforcement Is Shifting To Target Willfulness

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    Three pending criminal prosecutions could be an indication of how the U.S. Department of Justice's recent digital assets memo is shaping enforcement of the area, and show a growing focus on executives who knowingly allow their platforms to be used for criminal conduct involving sanctions offenses, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How NJ's Proposed Privacy Rules Could Reshape AI Data Use

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    Although not revolutionary, New Jersey's proposed privacy rules would create obligations around the management and processing of consumer personal data that will require careful planning before they can be successfully implemented, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Business Takeaways Following CCPA Enforcement Actions

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    Advisories and recent enforcement activity by the California Privacy Protection Agency against Honda and Todd Snyder underscore the agency's enforcement interest in the intersection of data minimization and consumer rights, and could make it more challenging for a business to provide a streamlined consumer rights process, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Compliance Lessons From 1st-Ever Product Safety Sentences

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    A California federal judge’s recent sentencing of two former Gree USA executives in a landmark Consumer Product Safety Act case serves as a reminder of the federal government’s willingness to pursue criminal prosecution of individuals who fail to report safety hazards, as well as companies’ need to strengthen their reporting and compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • Feds' Shift On Reputational Risk Raises Questions For Banks

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    While banking regulators' recent retreat from reputational risk narrows the scope of federal oversight in some respects, it also raises practical questions about consistency, reputational management and the evolving political landscape surrounding financial services, say attorneys at Smith Anderson.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • FTC Staff Cuts Unlikely To Curb Antitrust Enforcement Agenda

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    While Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson's recent commitment to reducing agency staff may seem at odds with the Trump administration's commitment to antitrust enforcement, a closer analysis shows that such reductions have little chance of derailing the president's efforts, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

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    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Yacht Broker Case Highlights Industry Groups' Antitrust Risk

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    The Eleventh Circuit recently revived class claims against the International Yacht Brokers Association, signaling that commission-driven industries beyond real estate are vulnerable to antitrust challenges after the National Association of Realtors settled similar allegations last year, says Miles Santiago at the Southern University Law Center and Alex Hebert at Southern Compass.

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