Consumer Protection

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Slams TCPA Atty Over Filing With 'No Legitimate Basis'

    A North Carolina magistrate judge on Wednesday chastised a Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigant and his attorney for filing a reply to a discovery motion after the court had already ruled on it, striking the reply from the docket and warning that further filings without "a legitimate basis" could lead to sanctions.

  • April 23, 2025

    Yelp's Antitrust Case Against Google Didn't Come Too Late

    A California federal court has refused to toss Yelp's case accusing Google of monopolizing the local search market, despite arguments that it came too late, but trimmed several claims Yelp will have a chance to fix before moving ahead with the long-simmering dispute.

  • April 23, 2025

    FCC Seeks Industry Data In Probing T-Mobile, UScellular Deal

    The Federal Communications Commission has sought data from more than half a dozen telecom and cable companies as it probes T-Mobile's planned $4.4 billion merger with UScellular's wireless operations.

  • April 23, 2025

    NJ AG Sues RealPage, Landlords, Claiming Rent Price 'Cartel'

    RealPage Inc. and 10 of New Jersey's largest landlords are colluding to raise rents in violation of state and federal antitrust and consumer protection laws, forcing Garden State residents to overpay for housing, Attorney General Matt Platkin claimed Wednesday in a federal lawsuit.

  • April 23, 2025

    Bernstein Litowitz Looks To Hire SEC's Ex-Top Crypto Cop

    Investor-side firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP has disclosed in a court filing that it is seeking to hire Jorge Tenreiro, the former head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's crypto enforcement unit as well as the onetime chief of the agency's entire litigation team.

  • April 22, 2025

    FTC's Holyoak Wants 'Predictable' Regulatory Space For AI

    The Federal Trade Commission won't stop policing fraud and deception powered by artificial intelligence, but flexibility is needed to avoid "misguided enforcement actions or excessive regulation" that could stifle innovation and competition in the emerging field, Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Tuesday. 

  • April 22, 2025

    Wyndham Must Face Suit Alleging It Enabled Sex Trafficking

    A New Jersey federal judge Tuesday rejected Wyndham Hotels' bid to escape a woman's lawsuit accusing the company and one of its franchisees of ignoring signs she was trafficked for sex at a Hawthorne Suites in Northern California, finding the woman sufficiently alleged Wyndham was liable for her injuries.

  • April 22, 2025

    ChatGPT Exec Says Google Data Access Could Aid Rival AI

    The head of product for OpenAI's ChatGPT vouched Tuesday for the Justice Department's proposal to force Google to produce search data to rivals, telling a D.C. federal judge the suggested remedy for Google's monopolistic conduct could accelerate development of a tool capable of competing directly with Google search.

  • April 22, 2025

    Feds Say Crypto Exec Spent Investors' $57M On Lamborghinis

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Virginia federal prosecutors have launched parallel cases against the founder of a cryptocurrency trading company, alleging that he misappropriated over $57 million of investor funds after orchestrating a type of multilevel-marketing scheme that brought in about $200 million to the company.

  • April 22, 2025

    Florida Accuses Snap Of Violating New Kids Social Media Law

    Florida's attorney general hit Snap Inc. with a lawsuit in state court on Monday, accusing the social media giant of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by allowing illicit content to run rampant on Snapchat. The office demanded that Snap comply with a new state law banning children under 13 from such platforms.

  • April 22, 2025

    Instagram Founder Says Meta 'Starved' Co. After Acquisition

    During testimony in the Federal Trade Commission's monopoly case against Meta on Tuesday, the founder of Instagram said his company was "starved" after being acquired by Facebook as Mark Zuckerberg grappled with "a lot of emotion" over Instagram siphoning users away from its parent company's flagship platform.

  • April 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Otonomo's Escape Of Calif. Car Tracking Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday unanimously refused to revive a California man's proposed class action accusing autotech company Otonomo Inc. of surreptitiously tracking drivers' movements in violation of California privacy law, finding that a device installed in the man's BMW wasn't an "electronic tracking device" under the relevant state law.

  • April 22, 2025

    SEC Won't Renew Case Against Hex Crypto Founder

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won't take a second crack at its fraud case against the founder of the Hex, PulseChain and PulseX crypto projects after a Brooklyn federal judge tossed the suit last month due to a lack of stateside ties.

  • April 22, 2025

    Customer Sues Amazon Over Burns From Heating Pad

    A woman who suffered second-degree burns and an infection after a heating pad bought on Amazon malfunctioned is looking to hold the online retailer responsible in Washington federal court for the product manufactured by a third party.

  • April 22, 2025

    CFPB Waves White Flag In Prepaid Rule Fight With PayPal

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has abandoned its D.C. Circuit defense of a rule that subjected Venmo-style digital wallets to some of the same fee disclosure requirements as reloadable prepaid cards, walking away from an appeal of PayPal's legal challenge to the regulation.

  • April 22, 2025

    Smoke Shop Joins Others Seeking Toss Of Nitrous Death Suit

    Another smoke shop is joining fellow defendants in seeking dismissal of a woman's suit alleging their sale of nitrous oxide canisters led to her sister's death from using them as "whippets," saying she lacks standing to bring her claim.

  • April 22, 2025

    Credit Sesame Users Say Data Breach Leaked Personal Info

    Financial services provider Credit Sesame is facing a proposed class action filed Monday in California federal court by two customers who said their personally identifiable information was compromised in a data hack earlier this month and that the company did not follow common industry standards to protect their sensitive information.

  • April 22, 2025

    23andMe Has Received 'Significant Interest' In Ch. 11 Auction

    Genetic testing company 23andMe has received significant interest in the Chapter 11 auction for its assets, its counsel told a Missouri bankruptcy judge Tuesday at a hearing where it received final approval of a $35 million financing package to fund its bankruptcy case.

  • April 22, 2025

    Kalshi, Crypto.com Fight Md. Regulator On Sports Contracts

    Trading platform KalshiEx LLC and the derivatives platform owned by Crypto.com have each sued Maryland gaming regulators for allegedly preempting federal authority with directives to shut down sports event contracts the agency contends are unregistered wagers.

  • April 22, 2025

    DOJ Wants Time During 9th Circ. Vegas Room Rate Arguments

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked to participate in the Ninth Circuit argument for an appeal from Las Vegas casino-hotel guests accusing the operators of using software to inflate room rates, the first algorithmic price-fixing case to reach an appeals court.

  • April 22, 2025

    DOJ Says Google Ad Tech Win Supports Apple Antitrust Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a New Jersey federal court its recent win against Google in the ad tech monopolization case supports allowing claims that Apple monopolizes smartphone markets to proceed.

  • April 22, 2025

    Montana Farmers Union Asks To Join Tribe's Anti-Tariff Suit

    The Montana Farmers Union wants to be included in a suit filed by members of the Blackfeet Nation challenging President Trump's tariffs on imports from Canada and abroad, arguing that the duties under scrutiny hurt the state's farmers the same way they hurt tribal members.

  • April 22, 2025

    Grindr Closer To Arbitrating Suit By 'Outed' Catholic Priest

    A California judge said Tuesday he may send to arbitration a suit filed against Grindr for allegedly selling a Catholic priest's sensitive personal information and causing him to lose a coveted position in the church, saying the argument that the app cannot prove he agreed to the arbitration agreement falls short.

  • April 22, 2025

    FCC Clears Remaining Roadblocks For Smart Car Tech

    There won't be any more need for waivers of technical rules to kickstart smart car technology in the 5.9 gigahertz spectrum band now that recent regulations have paved the way for the advancement, the Federal Communications Commission said.

  • April 22, 2025

    Dunkin' Unit Beats Disability Bias Suit Over Nondairy Milk Fees

    A California federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from lactose-intolerant customers accusing a Dunkin' Donuts unit and its franchisees of disability discrimination for charging extra for nondairy milk, ruling Monday that because the surcharge applied to all customers it didn't violate the Americans with Disabilities Act or a state law against discrimination.

Expert Analysis

  • Citibank Wire Transfer Ruling Creates New Liability For Banks

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in New York v. Citibank, affirming the Electronic Fund Transfer Act's consumer protections cover wire transfers allegedly initiated by scammers who infiltrated Citibank customers' online accounts, creates new liability for sending financial institutions and upends decades-old regulatory guidance, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • 4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI

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    Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.

  • 11th Circ. TCPA Ruling Signals Erosion Of Judicial Deference

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    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently came to the rescue of the lead generation industry, striking down new regulations that were set to go into effect on Jan. 27, a decision consistent with federal courts' recent willingness to review administrative decisions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Southern Calif. Fires Can Affect National, Local Pricing

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    The fire-related California state of emergency declared last month in Los Angeles and Ventura counties triggered laws around price-gouging and pricing restrictions that affect not just individuals and businesses in the state, but also nationwide, meaning sellers should be mindful of how price changes are discussed and rolled out, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Inside The Uncertainty Surrounding CFPB's Overdraft Rule

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of overdraft fee regulation hangs in limbo as the industry watches to see whether new leadership will repeal the rule, allow it to stay in place, or wait for congressional action or the courts to drive its demise, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • How Private Securities Suits Complement SEC Enforcement

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    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement is vital to the healthy functioning of markets, but government enforcement alone is not enough to ensure meaningful monetary recoveries for investor losses due to securities law violations, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz.

  • The Case For Compliance During The Trump Administration

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    Given the Trump administration’s shifting white collar enforcement priorities, C-suite executives may have the natural instinct to pare back compliance initiatives, but there are several good reasons for companies to at least stay the course on their compliance programs, if not enhance them, say attorneys at Riley Safer.

  • Opinion

    Despite Noble Intentions, Va. Usury Bill Is Bad For Consumers

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    A Virginia bill purportedly aimed at eradicating predatory online bank lending actually does nothing to achieve that goal, and instead would limit credit opportunities for state residents, says Catherine Brennan at Hudson Cook.

  • Opinion

    Undoing An American Ideal Of Fairness

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    President Donald Trump’s orders attacking birthright citizenship, civil rights education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs threaten hard-won constitutional civil rights protections and decades of efforts to undo bias in the law — undermining what Chief Justice Earl Warren called "our American ideal of fairness," says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's Visa Suit Shows Pitfalls Of Regulating Innovative Tech

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    A policy of allowing free-market mechanisms to operate without undue interference remains the most effective way to foster innovation, and the U.S. Department of Justice's 2024 case against Visa illustrates the drawbacks of regulating innovative technology, says attorney Thomas Willcox.

  • How Ill. Ruling Could Influence Future Data Breach Cases

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    The Illinois Supreme Court's recent decision in Petta v. Christie Business Holding, which was based solely on standing, establishes an important benchmark for the viability of Illinois-based lawsuits arising out of data security incidents that defendants can cite in future cases, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • CFPB Small Biz Study Brings Fair Lending Considerations

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report highlighting potential racial discrimination in small business lending may not result in more aggressive enforcement under the Trump administration — but lenders can expect state regulators, private plaintiffs and advocacy groups to step up their own efforts, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Expect To Feel Aftershocks Of Chopra's CFPB Shake-Up

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    Publications released by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau personnel in the last days of the Biden administration outline former Director Rohit Chopra's long-term vision for aggressive state-level enforcement of federal consumer financial laws, opening the doors for states to launch investigations and pursue actions, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.

  • Corp. Transparency Act's Future Under Treasury's Bessent

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    The Corporate Transparency Act’s ultimate fate faced uncertain terms at the end of 2024, but new U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statements and actions so far demonstrate that he does not intend to ignore the law, though he may attempt to make modifications, say attorneys at Taylor English.

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