Consumer Protection

  • June 17, 2025

    Firms Fight To Rep End Users In PVC Pipe Antitrust Row

    Several law firms are duking it out for a lead counsel appointment representing a new class of end-user plaintiffs in consolidated litigation accusing PVC pipe companies of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and illegally fix prices, with Pearson Warshaw LLP, Kirby McInerney LLP, Fegan Scott LLC and Levin Sedran & Berman LLP making bids.

  • June 17, 2025

    Google Opposes Advertisers' Ad Tech Class Cert Bid

    Google told a New York federal court that the advertiser seeking to represent a class of more than 2 million members in multidistrict litigation accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital ad technology spent less than $500 on Google Ads during the class period.

  • June 17, 2025

    Squire Patton Hires TikTok Product Privacy Pro In Sydney

    Squire Patton Boggs has added a data protection and regulatory attorney in Sydney, Australia, who previously served as TikTok's product privacy lead in the Asia Pacific region and in emerging markets, the firm has announced.

  • June 17, 2025

    Gemini Says CFTC Enforcement Went 'Trophy-Hunting' In Suit

    The crypto exchange Gemini on Tuesday slammed the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Enforcement Division and the attorneys who pursued a now-settled case against the firm, calling the division "out of control" and accusing its attorneys of engaging in "trophy-hunting lawfare."

  • June 17, 2025

    Meta Can't Nix FTC's Lead Econ Expert From Antitrust Trial

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday refused to exclude testimony by the Federal Trade Commission's lead economics expert during an antitrust trial over Meta's acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram, finding Meta already had the chance to question if he was biased and that it wouldn't improperly influence a jury since it's a bench trial.

  • June 17, 2025

    Burford Blasts Interference Claim In Chicken Price-Fix Case

    The Illinois federal judge handling consolidated price-fixing litigation against the nation's largest chicken producers should throw out the settlement interference counterclaim Tyson lodged alongside its answer in the case because it is no more than a speculation-based "fishing expedition," litigation funder Burford Capital argued.

  • June 17, 2025

    Comerica Says Cardholders Get No Interest On Benefit Cards

    Comerica Bank is not permitted to pay interest to recipients of a federal assistance program it helps administer, the bank argued in a bid to toss class claims from enrollees of the benefits card program who allege that the bank improperly kept interest earned on their accounts.  

  • June 17, 2025

    BowFlex Recall Burdens Buyers Of 3.7M Dumbbells, Suit Says

    A BowFlex buyer is suing the brand's new owner in California federal court, alleging that a recall of defective adjustable dumbbells wrongly leaves out the vast majority of the product's buyers, covering only about 100,000 of the 3.8 million products sold.

  • June 17, 2025

    Former Antitrust Enforcers Launching New Firm

    Former enforcers from the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice launched a new law firm on Tuesday, Simonsen Sussman LLP, to bring cases on behalf of entrepreneurs, small businesses, workers and other victims of anticompetitive practices.

  • June 16, 2025

    Monsanto Fights Plaintiffs' Billion-Dollar Ask In PCB Tort Trial

    Nearly two dozen people who say they were poisoned by Monsanto-made chemicals asked a Washington state jury on Monday for a damages award of $1.1 billion to $3.3 billion, as the company's counsel countered the plaintiffs lack blood testing results and other key evidence to back their "extraordinary" request.

  • June 16, 2025

    DVD Buyers Must Arbitrate Video Privacy Claims, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has found that a putative class action accusing a pair of DVD and video game sellers of unlawfully disclosing online buyers' personal information to Meta belongs in arbitration, finding that while the dispute presents a "close call," the defendants haven't waived their right to compel arbitration. 

  • June 16, 2025

    Paddle.com To Pay FTC $5M Over Tech Support Scam Claims

    Payment processing company Paddle.com Market Ltd. agreed on Monday to pay $5 million to settle a suit brought by the Federal Trade Commission accusing it of assisting and processing payments for tech support scams.

  • June 16, 2025

    Ex-Gree Execs Get 3 Yrs. In Landmark Product Safety Case

    Two former Gree USA Inc. executives were sentenced to approximately three years in prison each by a California federal judge on Monday, after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by failing to report defective humidifiers in landmark criminal convictions under the Consumer Product Safety Act.

  • June 16, 2025

    Bank Groups Will Join In On Fed's Debit-Card Swipe Fee Fight

    Two banking industry groups received a North Dakota federal judge's permission Monday to present the perspective of banks when he holds a key hearing next month to mull a retailer-backed legal challenge to the Federal Reserve's limits on debit-card swipe fees.

  • June 16, 2025

    Maryland, Kalshi Clash Over Sports Contract Oversight

    Maryland regulators and KalshiEx are dueling over whether the trading platform's past battle with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to list its election contracts complicates its current bid to block Maryland regulators from taking action over contracts that allow traders to wager on the outcome of sporting events.

  • June 16, 2025

    Consolidated SVB Class Action Survives 3 Dismissal Bids

    A California federal judge has rejected three bids to dismiss a proposed shareholder class action against Silicon Valley Bank's brass, underwriters and auditor stemming from the bank's 2023 failure, finding the plaintiffs' "well-pleaded" allegations can continue.

  • June 16, 2025

    FCC Defends Prison Phone Rate Caps At 1st Circ.

    The Federal Communications Commission has agreed to push the deadline for its prison phone rate caps back by one year for a company that has argued it needs more time, but it's still standing by the need for those caps at the First Circuit.

  • June 16, 2025

    VPN Co. Charges Monthly Fee Without Consent, Suit Says

    A company that sells virtual private networks and is owned by an Israeli billionaire has been slapped with a lawsuit accusing it of enrolling customers in automatic subscriptions without their permission.

  • June 16, 2025

    VoIP Providers Want FCC To Preempt Calif. 'Overreach'

    Internet voice call providers are asking the Federal Communications Commission to preempt California from enforcing new rules that the providers consider "overreach" in regulating the businesses.

  • June 16, 2025

    Apple Can't Duck Renewed ICloud Monopoly Suit

    A California federal judge refused Monday to dismiss a proposed class action accusing Apple of maintaining a monopoly by keeping "full-service" cloud storage functionality limited to its own iCloud service while barring third-party cloud storage from accessing all files on iPhones and iPads.

  • June 16, 2025

    Cannabis Regulators Association Names New Board Members

    The Cannabis Regulators Association, an international organization of government officials who oversee marijuana and hemp policy, on Monday announced its new executive board.

  • June 16, 2025

    Pitt Can't Sell VIP Seats While Ticket Holder Seeks Injunction

    A Pennsylvania state court judge enacted an emergency injunction Monday for a longtime University of Pittsburgh basketball season ticket holder, preventing the school from placing his courtside seats back into the ticket pool.

  • June 16, 2025

    Lowe's Faces Worker Class Claims Over Tobacco Surcharge

    Lowe's overcharges its employees for health insurance if they are tobacco users in violation of federal benefits law, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in North Carolina federal court.

  • June 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Reverses False Ad Verdict Against ThermoLife

    The Federal Circuit on Monday reversed a Florida federal court's decision that ThermoLife falsely promoted amino acid products used in supplements and engaged in unfair competition, but backed a sanctions award over a licensing agreement issue.

  • June 16, 2025

    China Mobile Won't Give Up Info In Federal Probe, FCC Says

    China Mobile has failed to fully cooperate with an investigation of whether the company is violating restrictions on its U.S. operations and could soon be fined more than $25,000 per day if the situation continues, the Federal Communications Commission said Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • How Banks Can Manage Risk As AI Adoption Expands

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    Following new, supportive comments from financial regulatory leaders about the use of artificial intelligence in the industry, banks may move toward wider, less-tentative adoption of the technology, but will also need to deploy important risk management measures, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Rebuttal

    Mass Arbitration Reform Must Focus On Justice

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that mass arbitration reform is needed to alleviate companies’ financial and administrative burdens, but any such reform must deliver real justice, not just cost savings for the powerful, says Eduard Korsinsky at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

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    Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript

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    With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • Planning For Open Banking Despite CFPB Uncertainty

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    Though pending litigation or new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leadership may reshape the Biden-era regulation governing access to consumer financial data, companies can use this uncertain period to take practical steps toward an open banking strategy that will work regardless of the rule’s ultimate form, says Adam Maarec at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Crunching The Numbers Of Trump SEC's 1st 100 Days

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    During the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought significantly fewer stand-alone enforcement actions than at the beginning of the Biden and the first Trump administrations, with every one of the federal court complaints including allegations of fraudulent conduct, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Charging A Separate Tariff Fee May Backfire For Retailers

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    In the wake of the Trump administration's newly imposed tariffs, retailers facing significant supply chain cost increases may be considering adding a tariff fee to offset these costs, but doing so risks violating state drip pricing bans, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • 3 Change Management Tools To Boost Compliance Efforts

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    As companies grapple with rapidly changing regulations and expectations, leaders charged with implementing their organizations’ compliance programs should look to change management principles to make the process less costly and more effective, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • FDIC Rules Rollback Foretells More Pro-Industry Changes

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s March withdrawal of Biden-era proposals to tighten brokered deposit rules and impose new corporate governance standards shows that acting chair Travis Hill’s commitment to reviewing regulations that may restrict growth and innovation for financial institution and fintech companies is unlikely to flag soon, say attorneys at Cooley.

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