Consumer Protection

  • August 22, 2025

    Kroll Catches Class Suit Over Crypto Bankruptcy Data Breach

    Kroll has been hit with a proposed class action in Texas federal court from an FTX creditor who says the claims and noticing agent should've done more to secure user data and notify claimants of key bankruptcy deadlines after it suffered a data breach that exposed creditors to a bevy of email attacks.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Blocks Meta's MDL Discovery Against State Agencies

    The Ninth Circuit blocked an order requiring California's attorney general and third-party state agencies to respond to Meta's discovery demands in multidistrict litigation concerning the company's allegedly addictive designs, ruling Friday the attorney general isn't deemed to possess or control the state agencies' records and Meta must obtain them through subpoenas.

  • August 22, 2025

    Kratom Co. Says False Ad Addiction Suit Should Be Tossed

    The company behind Kryptic Kratom and K-Chill branded supplements is, once again, urging a California federal court to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it concealed the "opiate-like" addictive nature of its products, arguing that the latest complaint, which now brings RICO claims, is just as weak as the previous ones.

  • August 22, 2025

    Altria Unit Says FDA Stonewalled On Flavored E-Cig Approvals

    A subsidiary of tobacco giant Altria has filed a new lawsuit in Louisiana federal court against U.S. health regulators it alleges unlawfully delayed processing the company's applications to market flavored e-cigarettes for almost three years.

  • August 22, 2025

    Groups Say T-Mobile-UScellular Deal Needed Full FCC Vote

    Three telecom groups are not pleased with the FCC's decision to delegate to an agency bureau the responsibility of approving the license transfers T-Mobile needed to complete its $4.4 billion acquisition of UScellular wireless operations, calling it an "error of law."

  • August 22, 2025

    Valve Says Users Can't Arbitrate After It Axed Gamer Clause

    Valve is urging a Washington federal judge to block around 600 users of its video game platform from pursuing arbitration of consumer protection claims, saying the company nixed an arbitration clause from its subscriber agreement after a plaintiffs' attorney abused the previous terms.  

  • August 22, 2025

    Startup Accelerator Backs Epic In Apple Case At 9th Circ.

    Startup accelerator Y Combinator is backing Epic Games as Apple asks the Ninth Circuit to nix an order blocking it from charging commissions on app purchases made outside its payment system, telling the appeals court Apple "blatantly violated" a previous order.

  • August 22, 2025

    Bank Must Produce Records On Prepaid Debit Card Program

    Former inmates accusing Central Bank of Kansas City of charging excessive fees on prepaid debit cards will be allowed to access certain records maintained by the financial service contractors the bank used to administer the cards, a Washington federal magistrate judge determined.

  • August 22, 2025

    Amazon Doesn't Let Viewers Keep Movies They 'Buy,' Suit Says

    Amazon has been hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court claiming the company deceptively "sells" movies on Amazon Prime Video without disclosing to consumers that its limited digital license to any audiovisual work might be inaccessible down the line.

  • August 22, 2025

    CFTC Seeks Industry Input On White House Crypto Recs

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking crypto stakeholders to share feedback on recommendations in the White House's digital asset report as the agency continues a "crypto sprint" toward their implementation.

  • August 22, 2025

    New York City Clears Waymo To Test Self-Driving Cars

    Waymo LLC received the green light to begin testing its self-driving cars in New York City after scoring a permit Friday that could pave the way for autonomous vehicles to roll out in one of the nation's most heavily congested cities.

  • August 22, 2025

    Apple Users' Attys Near OK On $28.5M Fees For Privacy Deal

    A California federal judge indicated Friday he'll grant final approval to Apple's $95 million settlement with tens of millions of users who claimed its voice-activated software Siri eavesdropped on their conversations without consent, and called the plaintiffs' attorneys' request for a 30% cut amounting to $28.5 million "legally appropriate."

  • August 22, 2025

    CFPB Inks Synapse Deal That Opens Door To Consumer Relief

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has reached a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for Synapse Financial Technologies Inc. that could unlock millions of dollars in relief for consumers whose funds were stranded in the middleware provider's collapse.

  • August 22, 2025

    Jury Clears Citizens Bank In Customer's Racial Bias Case

    A Detroit federal jury rejected discrimination claims against Citizens Bank brought by a customer who said her check from a lawsuit settlement was flagged for fraud because she is Black.

  • August 22, 2025

    J&J Settles BIPA Suit Over Neutrogena Skin360 App

    A former Johnson & Johnson subsidiary has settled a potential class action claiming it unlawfully stored and collected facial scans of people who used its Neutrogena Skin360 tool in violation of Illinois' biometric privacy statute, prompting a New Jersey federal judge to order the case be terminated in 60 days.

  • August 22, 2025

    House Oversight Chair Presses DOJ On Chinese Vape Surge

    The Republican head of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is asking the U.S. Department of Justice for an update on how it is combating the import of illicit vape products from China.

  • August 22, 2025

    Under Trump, White Collar Crypto Defense Gets New Playbook

    White collar lawyers are crafting new blueprints for crypto-related civil and criminal defense amid the Trump administration's embrace of the industry and the financial world’s growing acceptance of cryptocurrency as a legitimate asset.

  • August 22, 2025

    Panda Express Meal Caused Arterial Damage, Patron Says

    A Virginia man is suing Panda Express, which calls itself "America's favorite Chinese restaurant," claiming that the chicken with noodles and mushrooms he ate caused him intestinal problems that required surgery and left him with lifelong injuries, according to a suit removed to North Carolina federal court.

  • August 22, 2025

    FTC Can't Pause Order Blocking Media Matters Probe

    A D.C. federal court refused on Friday to pause an order blocking the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into left-leaning watchdog Media Matters for America, saying the group is likely to show the probe over potential collusion in the ad industry was retaliatory.

  • August 22, 2025

    Coinbase Users' Biometric Privacy Suit Paused Amid Appeal

    Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase can pause claims it's facing under Illinois' Biometric Privacy Act as the Seventh Circuit weighs questions about the state law's financial institution exemption provision, a Chicago federal judge has decided.

  • August 22, 2025

    Hometap Can't Escape Mass. AG's Consumer Protection Suit

    A Massachusetts judge has rejected arguments from financial startup Hometap that existing consumer protection and debt collection laws do not apply to its "novel" home equity product, denying the company's motion to dismiss a suit brought by the state's attorney general.

  • August 21, 2025

    Amazon Bags Toss Of Grocery Delivery Fee Disclosure Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday threw out a proposed class action that alleged the Amazon Fresh website waited too late in the checkout process to disclose delivery fees, saying the conditions of use on Amazon.com Inc.'s websites prevented a woman from lodging claims under California law.

  • August 21, 2025

    Google Got App Data Profits After Pledging Privacy, Jury Told

    A computer scientist testifying in a multibillion-dollar privacy lawsuit alleging Google LLC illegally collected data from 98 million cellphone users who had opted out of tracking told a California federal jury Thursday that the tech giant stores information about their app use in a "shadow account" and uses it to sell ads.

  • August 21, 2025

    FTC Warns Tech Cos. To Honor Data Vows In Foreign Dealings

    The head of the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday cautioned Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon and other major tech companies to refrain from weakening data security protections or censoring content in response to pressure from foreign governments, reminding them that reneging on promises they make to U.S. consumers could land them in hot water with the agency.

  • August 21, 2025

    Kanner & Pintaluga Seeks Sanctions Over Accident Data Suit

    Kanner & Pintaluga PA asked a Texas federal court to sanction a Houston couple and their counsel in a proposed class action accusing the firm and since-dismissed Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. of conspiring to share auto crash victims' private information, saying the claims are based on unverified and inadmissible hearsay.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Breaking Down Novel Va. Social Media Law For Minors

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    While a Virginia bill passed in May is notable for setting a one-hour daily limit on minors' use of social media, other provisions create compliance burdens for social media operators and app store providers, and increase privacy and security risks associated with the collection of sensitive information to prove identity, says Jenna Rode at Hunton.

  • 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.

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