Consumer Protection

  • October 08, 2025

    DOJ Asks For Stay In PVC Antitrust Case Amid Criminal Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice is asking an Illinois federal court to pause discovery in a case accusing polyvinyl chloride pipe manufacturers of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and fix prices while a grand jury investigates the alleged activity.

  • October 08, 2025

    Retirees Can't Show Losses From Pension Deal, Judge Says

    An aerospace materials manufacturer shouldn't face a proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law when it converted $1.5 billion in pension obligations to risky insurance-backed annuities, a Pennsylvania federal judge recommended Tuesday, saying retirees hadn't demonstrated that the transaction diminished their benefits.

  • October 08, 2025

    Landlord Loses Bid To Depose DC In RealPage Case

    A District of Columbia Superior Court judge has rejected a landlord's bid to depose D.C. for the city's rent price-fixing suit against property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords.

  • October 08, 2025

    2 More States Join Growing US Privacy Regulator Consortium

    A bipartisan collective of U.S. regulators that was recently formed to collaborate on the implementation and enforcement of their states' data privacy regimes has swelled to double digits, with the attorneys general of Minnesota and New Hampshire on Wednesday being announced as the group's newest members. 

  • October 07, 2025

    Atty Fee Concerns Sink Health Provider's $2M Privacy Deal

    An Arizona federal judge refused to sign off on a nearly $2 million deal to resolve a proposed class action accusing LifeStance Health Group of illegally sharing website visitors' personal data with Meta, finding the proposed attorney fees to be "disproportionately high" compared to what class members stand to recover.

  • October 07, 2025

    Panel Said Congress Was 'Feckless,' 6th Circ. Told In FCC Row

    The Sixth Circuit should agree to a full court reconsideration of a panel's decision to back the Federal Communications Commission's expanded data breach notifications for telecom carriers, says a conservative legal organization that believes the panel assumed Congress was legislating "fecklessly."

  • October 07, 2025

    Wash. Spam Email Law Is Unconstitutional, Retailers Say

    Beauty retail giant Ulta and home improvement retailer Home Depot argued last week in separate cases that Washington state's Commercial Electronic Mail Act is unconstitutional and preempted by federal law as they seek to shed proposed consumer class actions claiming their promotional emails were misleading.

  • October 07, 2025

    Bausch And Teva Blocked Cheaper IBS Drug, Retailers Say

    A slew of retailers on Tuesday accused Bausch Health Cos. Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals of working together to keep the generic version of an irritable bowel syndrome drug off the market until 2028, forcing the retailers and other purchasers of the drug to pay monopoly prices.

  • October 07, 2025

    Ex-Prisoners Push Back On Bid To Decertify Debit Card Class

    Former prisoners accusing Central Bank of Kansas City of charging excessive fees on prepaid debit cards have pushed back on the bank's effort to undo their certified class, arguing they were subject to a "uniform pattern of conduct" that forced them to accept the cards.

  • October 07, 2025

    Sunbeam Ovens Burn Users, Suit Says

    Sunbeam Products Inc. and its parent company, Newell Brands Inc., were hit Tuesday with a proposed class action in federal court over a recalled countertop oven by a New Yorker claiming the appliance burned her and that the company failed to warn about the risks of injury.

  • October 07, 2025

    Urologist Provider Must Face Data Leak Claims, Panel Says

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has largely revived a proposed class action against a urology provider over a 2021 data breach that allegedly compromised the personal information of more than 79,000 patients, ruling Monday that the clinic could be liable for negligence and breach of contract.

  • October 07, 2025

    Mortgage Giants Shared Data To Fix Rates, Homeowners Say

    A proposed class of homeowners has launched a sweeping class action against Rocket Mortgage, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and more than two dozen other mortgage lenders, accusing them of conspiring through Optimal Blue's pricing software to secretly share sensitive data and fix mortgage rates nationwide, allegedly inflating costs and deepening the U.S. housing affordability crisis.

  • October 07, 2025

    Cabinetry Co. Refiles $3.6B Merger To Give FTC More Time

    Kitchen cabinet and vanity manufacturer American Woodmark Corp. has withdrawn and refiled its intent to merge with MasterBrand in a $3.6 billion deal in order to give the Federal Trade Commission more time to scrutinize the deal for competition concerns.

  • October 07, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says State Lawmakers Mostly Immune From TCPA

    State legislators in certain instances can make robocalls if they want, the Third Circuit has declared after finding that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's ban on automated and prerecorded texts and calls without consent doesn't apply to them.

  • October 07, 2025

    1st Circ. Left In Limbo Over FCC's Prison Phone Rate Caps

    First Circuit judges Tuesday questioned the Federal Communications Commission's turnabout in defense of its Biden-era prison phone rate caps and were unsure how to construct a legal ruling with the FCC poised to vote on a policy makeover within weeks.

  • October 07, 2025

    FAA Drone Rule Draws Over 1M Comments As Public Weighs In

    Complex safety certification, technological and other security requirements are among the issues that U.S. regulators must still iron out before a long-awaited new rule allowing drones to fly beyond the sight line of their operators can truly take off, according to drone companies, aviation and other industry groups.

  • October 07, 2025

    Chanel, The RealReal Fail To Reach Settlement In TM Feud

    Fashion house Chanel and used-items retailer The RealReal Inc. have told a Manhattan federal judge they haven't been able to reach a settlement on Chanel's claims of trademark infringement despite, as The RealReal's attorneys put it, significant efforts being expended to try to reach a compromise.

  • October 07, 2025

    Graco Can't Nix Warranty Claims Over Car Booster Seat Safety

    A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday refused to nix warranty breach claims in a consolidated action alleging Graco misrepresented that its car booster seats would protect occupants in side-impact collisions, ruling a reasonable jury could find Graco's labeling is material and misleading to consumers.

  • October 07, 2025

    Amazon Supplement Buyers Seek Spoliation Penalties

    Consumers in a proposed class action accusing Amazon of peddling dietary supplements without making federally required disclosures urged a Washington federal judge on Tuesday to punish the e-commerce giant for allegedly failing to preserve product detail webpages they say are key to the litigation. 

  • October 07, 2025

    Apple Seeks To Toss IPhone, Watch Buyers' Antitrust Suits

    Apple has asked a New Jersey federal court to toss multidistrict antitrust litigation brought by iPhone and Apple Watch buyers, arguing that while they "try in vain to invent" theories about how Apple charges monopoly prices the inflation-adjusted price of the latest iPhone is nearly the same as the first model.

  • October 07, 2025

    Duke Gas Rate Increase Was Improper, Ohio High Court Hears

    Duke Energy's Ohio utility shouldn't be allowed to collect $17 million from ratepayers to cover now-shuttered underground caverns used to store propane, the state's utility consumer advocate told the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday.

  • October 07, 2025

    Zillow Can See Anywhere Deal Docs In Compass Antitrust Suit

    A New York federal judge partially approved real estate listings company Zillow Inc.'s discovery motion in brokerage Compass Inc.'s antitrust suit over Zillow's listings policy, ruling that Compass must provide Zillow with specific documents related to its $1.6 billion all-stock acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate Inc.

  • October 07, 2025

    ​​​​​​​California Aims To Sink DOJ's 'Egg Prices' Animal Law Case

    California, state egg farmers and animal rights groups are asking a federal court to dismiss the U.S. government's lawsuit that seeks to eliminate animal welfare laws that it alleges have contributed to a rise in egg prices.

  • October 07, 2025

    Vape Cos. And Sellers Urge 4th Circ. To Block NC Regulation

    A group of vaping interests is defending its bid to block enforcement of a new North Carolina law regulating the sale of e-cigarettes, saying the state is wrong to argue that the law is not preempted by federal law.

  • October 07, 2025

    NASCAR Wins Fight With LGBCoin Over Racing Deal Approval

    A Miami jury returned a defense verdict late Monday in favor of NASCAR in a $76 million suit by the LetsGoBrandon.com Foundation accusing the league of destroying the value of its cryptocurrency LGBCoin after it revoked approval of sponsorship of a racing team.

Expert Analysis

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 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.

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