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Consumer Protection
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May 21, 2024
Uniswap Warns SEC There's 'More To Lose' In Potential Suit
The company behind decentralized finance platform Uniswap on Tuesday warned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the regulator "has more to lose than gain" from bringing an enforcement action against it since its proposed case implicates pending rulemaking and its authority to regulate transactions on crypto platforms.
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May 21, 2024
Counties Not 'Persons' In Texas Opioid MDL Appeal
A Texas appeals panel found Tuesday that counties are not considered "persons" under the state's common law and therefore are not subject to the Texas Medical Liability Act's requirement that they serve expert reports to pharmacy defendants in the state's opioid multidistrict litigation.
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May 21, 2024
FTC Chair Khan Says Corporate Concentration Creates Fear
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday that corporate concentration creates fear for many Americans, including small businesses that rely on digital gatekeepers like Google and Amazon.
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May 21, 2024
Circuit Split Could Still Derail FCC Subsidies, High Court Told
Free market groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to review their challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's subsidy programs, saying the Fifth Circuit could create a circuit split "at any time" by rejecting the fee-based system.
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May 21, 2024
Drinking Water Systems At Risk Of Cyberattack, EPA Says
More than 70% of the nation's drinking water systems are not in compliance with federal law requiring them to assess the risks of and develop plans for cybersecurity attacks, which could leave them vulnerable to foreign interference, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.
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May 21, 2024
Make Emergency Missing-Adult Codes Voluntary, FCC Urged
A new missing-adult code that the Federal Communications Commission wants to integrate into the Emergency Alert System should be kept voluntary for existing alert systems, cable providers told the FCC.
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May 21, 2024
Tuna Buyers Seeking $1B In July Price-Fixing Trial
Tuna buyers who are taking StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods to trial on allegations of conspiring to hike the price of the tinned fish will be asking for over $1 billion in damages once all is said and done.
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May 21, 2024
3rd Suit Alleges Panera's 'Charged' Drink Caused Heart Attack
An 18-year-old man sued Panera Bread Co. in Pennsylvania federal court Monday alleging its highly caffeinated "Charged Lemonade" drink caused him to suffer a heart attack, at least the third such suit filed against the franchise over the now-discontinued beverage.
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May 21, 2024
4th Circ. Told Justices' Ruling Dooms Bid To Delay $811M Fine
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision finding the agency's funding structure constitutional to head off a bid by immigrant bond companies accused of abusive bonding practices to delay an $811 million judgment.
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May 21, 2024
9th Circ. Rejects Quick Section 230 Appeal In Casino App MDL
The Ninth Circuit refused to weigh in Tuesday on whether the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 shields Google, Apple and Meta from consolidated multidistrict litigation over allegedly illicit "social casino" game apps on their platforms, finding that deciding the issue on an interlocutory appeal would be a premature, advisory opinion.
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May 21, 2024
Binance User Must Arbitrate Facial Scan BIPA Fight
An Illinois federal judge has sent to arbitration a proposed class action alleging Binance.US' trading platform violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act by scanning and storing users' unique facial geometry as part of its identity-verification process, finding the lead plaintiff hasn't shown she never agreed to arbitration.
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May 21, 2024
F1's Andretti Denial Stokes Collusion Fears On Capitol Hill
Formula One's reluctance to add an American racing team to its championship drew a sideways glance from Capitol Hill on Tuesday, as a group of U.S. senators urged the Biden administration to probe F1's governance board for potential antitrust violations.
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May 21, 2024
BASF Agrees To $316.5M Settlement In PFAS Foam MDL
Attorneys representing public water systems in a South Carolina multidistrict litigation over so-called forever chemicals in drinking water announced Tuesday that they've reached an agreement in principle with defendant BASF Corp., which will pay $316.5 million to resolve the claims.
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May 21, 2024
$93M Lipitor Antitrust Deal Sparks Dispute Over Fee Division
Attorneys representing a class of buyers in antitrust litigation against Pfizer over the cholesterol medication Lipitor are squabbling over how to divide up to $31 million in attorney fees before a New Jersey federal judge even approves the total, according to court documents.
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May 21, 2024
Attys Accused Of Botching NC Suit By Missing Filing Deadline
The parents of two children who died in a car fire are suing their former attorneys in North Carolina federal court for malpractice, alleging they dropped the ball on filing the pair's wrongful death claims against a seat belt manufacturer before the deadline passed.
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May 21, 2024
NJ AG Starts Antitrust Section To Protect 'Fair Competition'
New Jersey will establish an Antitrust Litigation and Competition Enforcement Section, a new, permanent, stand-alone section within the Division of Law, to solidify the state's ability to enforce antitrust laws and ensure fair competition, the state announced Tuesday.
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May 21, 2024
DOJ, VW Ask 9th Circ. To Void Jones Day Docs Release Order
The U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen have told the Ninth Circuit that forcing them to release confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal would have far-reaching, chilling implications for federal criminal prosecutions.
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May 21, 2024
Altria Unit Fights Bids To Toss Illegal Vape Sale Suit
Altria Group Inc. subsidiary NJOY LLC is fighting a pair of bids to dismiss its suit seeking to block illegal sales of flavored vapes, saying it has shown both how it has been harmed by their sale and how preventing the sales would redress its injuries.
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May 21, 2024
Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023
The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.
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May 21, 2024
The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms
The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.
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May 21, 2024
FCC Aims To Shut Down Scam Robocall Campaign
The Federal Communications Commission is telling a Chicago-based voice service provider to immediately stop originating millions of illegal robocalls marketing purported debt consolidation or face sanctions.
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May 20, 2024
Kraft Hit With False Ad Suit Over Citric Acid In Mac & Cheese
The Kraft Heinz Food Co. was hit with a proposed class action by a customer who alleges that the company falsely labels its Kraft Mac & Cheese products as containing no preservatives despite citric acid being part of the ingredients list.
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May 20, 2024
Bungie Takes Aim At Cheat Code Sellers In Copyright Trial
Video game studio Bungie kicked off a Seattle copyright trial on Monday by telling federal jurors a group of cheat code sellers deleted financial records and other data and even fabricated a fake press release about the sale of their website to throw Bungie and its attorneys off their scent.
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May 20, 2024
Snap Hit With Wrongful Death Suit Over 13-Year-Old's Suicide
The mother of a 13-year-old boy hit Snapchat's parent company Snap Inc. with a wrongful death suit in South Carolina federal court on Friday, alleging that her son died by suicide after a predator extorted him by posing under a fake name on the social media company's platform.
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May 20, 2024
Colo. Gov. Voices 'Reservations' In Signing AI Bias Bill
Colorado's governor has approved the nation's first framework to clamp down on algorithmic discrimination in certain artificial intelligence technologies, although he expressed several "reservations" about the measure that he urged the Legislature to address before the law takes effect in 2026.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
The SEC Is Engaging In Regulation By Destruction
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent use of regulation by enforcement against digital assets indicates it's more interested in causing harm to crypto companies than providing guidance to the markets or protecting investors, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Series
NJ Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Early 2024 developments in New Jersey financial regulations include new bills that propose regulating some cryptocurrency as securities and protecting banks that serve the cannabis industry, as well as the signing of a data privacy law that could change banks’ responsibility to vet vendors and borrowers, say attorneys at Chiesa Shahinian.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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ShapeShift Fine Epitomizes SEC's Crypto Policy, And Its Flaws
A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission order imposing a fine on former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift for failing to register as a securities dealer showcases the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement approach, but the dissent by two commissioners raises valid concerns that the agency's embrace of ambiguity over clarity risks hampering the growth of the crypto economy, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Antitrust Ruling Shows Limits Of US Law's Global Reach
Antitrust plaintiffs often cite the legislative history of the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act to support application of U.S. antitrust law to alleged injuries abroad, but as a California federal court recognized recently in Figaro v. Apple, the cited history does no such thing, say Daniel Swanson and Eli Lazarus at Gibson Dunn.
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Overdraft Opt-In Practices Hold Risks For Banks
A recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau action against Atlantic Union Bank regarding overdraft opt-in sales practices highlights compliance risks that financial institutions must be aware of, especially when enrolling customers by phone, says Kristen Larson at Ballard Spahr.
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Opinion
Intoxicating Hemp Products: It's High Time For Clarity
Thanks to ambiguity in the 2018 Farm Bill, intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products are largely unregulated and are widely available without restrictions on who can buy the products, and although there are several possible solutions, voluntary industry action by good actors is the best option, say Andrew Kline and Tommy Tobin at Perkins Coie.
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Calif. High Court Ruling Has Lessons For Waiving Jury Trials
The California Supreme Court’s recent decision in TriCoast Builders v. Fonnegra, denying relief to a contractor that had waived its right to a jury trial, shows that litigants should always post jury fees as soon as possible, and seek writ review if the court denies relief from a waiver, say Steven Fleischman and Nicolas Sonnenburg at Horvitz & Levy.
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HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Take AG James' Suit Over Enviro Claims As A Warning
New York Attorney General Letitia James' recent suit against JBS USA Food Co. over allegedly misleading claims about its goal to reach net zero by 2040 indicates that challenges to green claims are likely to continue, and that companies should think twice about ignoring National Advertising Division recommendations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: Benefits Of MDL Transfers
A recent order from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation highlights a critical part of the panel's work — moving cases into an existing MDL — and serves as a reminder that common arguments against such transfers don't outweigh the benefits of coordinating discovery and utilizing lead counsel, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.
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How Experian, Apple Aid CFPB's 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Goals
Experian’s recent voluntary addition of Apple's “buy now, pay later” loans to consumer credit reports makes now a useful occasion to reflect on past Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls for wider transparency around these products, and to analyze how its stated priorities for regulating them may shape coming bureau guidance and rules, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Ready Or Not, Big Tech Should Expect CFPB Surveillance
In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed plan to supervise large companies providing the vast majority of digital money transfers, not only will Big Tech have to prepare for regulation previously reserved for traditional banks, but the CFPB will also likely face some difficult decisions and obstacles, says Meredith Osborn at Arnold & Porter.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.