Consumer Protection

  • June 04, 2025

    Wells Fargo And Others Get Final OK For $19.5M Privacy Deal

    A class of California small businesses have gotten final approval for their $19.5 million deal settling claims Wells Fargo Bank NA and two other companies improperly recorded them on telemarketing cold calls in violation of the Golden State's Invasion of Privacy Act.

  • June 04, 2025

    Android User Says Meta Secretly Links Browsing To Profiles

    Meta Platforms Inc. secretly exploits an Android communication channel to tie users' browsing information to their Facebook and Instagram profiles, rendering that information completely identifiable and making it easier to target users with advertisements, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • June 04, 2025

    USPTO Says Study Disproves Pharma Patent Thicket Claims

    A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office unit has found that pharmaceutical patent thickets are rare after investigating arguments about their effect on drug pricing, the division's leader said Wednesday as part of a discussion on large patent families.

  • June 04, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: TikTok Tussle And Merger Melee

    Spring has sprung momentous decisions and quiet resolutions in some of the North Carolina Business Court's top cases, from clearing for trial the attorney general's suit over a hospital's post-merger standard of care to Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP dropping its coverage dispute over a 2022 data breach.

  • June 04, 2025

    SEC Gets $1.1M Win Against Alleged Ga. Crypto Scammer

    A Georgia man is on the hook for over $1.1 million in penalties after failing to defend himself from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations he ran an $800,000 affinity fraud scheme involving a purported cryptocurrency he said was backed by gold and stem cell technology. 

  • June 04, 2025

    Heart Device Maker iRhythm Gets Investor Claims Trimmed

    A California federal judge has trimmed a class action accusing digital healthcare company iRhythm Technologies of making false and misleading statements about its heart-event monitoring device, finding that the suit does not plausibly plead knowledge of wrongdoing for most individual defendants, among other things.

  • June 04, 2025

    FTC Fights Attys Who Want State Bar Input On Ethics Worries

    The Federal Trade Commission doesn't want staff attorneys to be able to seek state bar association guidance if they dispute the legality of an instruction, arguing in a fight with the FTC's union that seeking such guidance would gum up the gears of commission work.

  • June 04, 2025

    FCC Says C-Band Payment Clearinghouse Can Wind Down

    The C-Band Relocation Payment Clearinghouse has received the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission to wind down its operations by the end of the month, after the agency agreed it had done what it was intended to do.

  • June 04, 2025

    Trump Ordered To Explain Why Layoffs Don't Flout Injunction

    A California federal judge ordered the Trump administration Wednesday to explain why preparations for layoffs at the State Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development do not violate an injunction she issued last month, saying she needed more details about the agencies' plans to evaluate their compliance.

  • June 04, 2025

    Novo Nordisk Wants Hospital Sanctioned For Insulin Pen Suit

    Novo Nordisk Inc. has asked a Connecticut federal judge to sanction Griffin Health Services Corp. for suing the pharmaceutical company after settling a separate insulin pen contamination lawsuit, saying the hospital's complaint left out five important facts that could point blame back toward its own staff.

  • June 04, 2025

    House Committee Puts Intoxicating-Hemp Ban In Spending Bill

    A U.S. House of Representatives committee on Wednesday released a spending bill that includes a major change to the statutory definition of hemp and hemp products in its agriculture appropriations that would effectively rewrite national hemp policy if it becomes law.

  • June 04, 2025

    Nationwide Hit With Suit Over Dropped Pet Coverage

    A group of pet owners on Wednesday accused Nationwide of a bait-and-switch after it canceled one pet insurance plan for more than 100,000 pets, telling a Massachusetts federal court that the insurer dropped coverage for pets with old age or significant medical needs despite promising not to.

  • June 04, 2025

    CFPB Resumes $4.2M Redress After Pressure From States

    California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation said Wednesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now making good on a $4.2 million redress plan for former students of a shuttered sales-training firm, following agency delays and subsequent pressure from various states.

  • June 04, 2025

    DOJ Won't Have To Give Agri Stats Specific Data Fields

    A Minnesota federal court refused to force the U.S. Department of Justice to identify specific data fields in industry reports produced by Agri Stats that allegedly allow meat processors to share sensitive information, finding the case is not centered on individual data points.

  • June 04, 2025

    Calif. Assembly Passes Internet Price Cap, Moving To Senate

    The California State Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that would mandate a low-cost option capping the price of high-speed internet service for low-income families at $15.

  • June 04, 2025

    FTC Can't Exclude TikTok Blackout From Meta Case

    Meta Platforms can point to TikTok briefly going dark at the beginning of 2025 as it tries to fend off claims that it is monopolizing the social media market, after a D.C. federal judge refused to let the Federal Trade Commission lock the case to evidence from the year 2023.

  • June 04, 2025

    FCC Hopes To Junk 'Dead Wood' In Cable Regs, Chair Says

    The Federal Communications Commission wants to eliminate 77 regulations affecting the cable industry that the FCC's Republican chief says are outdated.

  • June 04, 2025

    MoneyLion Says CFPB Can't Duck Fed Funding Issue

    Online lending platform MoneyLion has doubled down on its bid for dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, telling a New York federal judge that new reasoning from the U.S. Supreme Court confirms the agency is improperly funded and that it is not improper to file successive dismissal motions as the CFPB has contended.

  • June 04, 2025

    Lawmakers Say Recent Rocket Mortgage Deals Need Scrutiny

    A group of lawmakers is calling on antitrust enforcers to scrutinize online mortgage giant Rocket's recent deals for real estate brokerage website Redfin and mortgage company Mr. Cooper over concerns that Rocket is trying to dominate the entire homebuying process.

  • June 04, 2025

    Apple Can Shield Info In NJ TikTok Addiction Suit

    A New Jersey state court will allow Apple Inc. to inject itself into the state attorney general's high-profile lawsuit accusing TikTok of designing features that harm and cause addiction in children, allowing the manufacturer of the iPhone to argue, away from public view, that certain content in the lawsuit should be redacted.

  • June 04, 2025

    Judge Won't Block Amazon From Talking To Depo Witnesses

    A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Federal Trade Commission's bid, in its antitrust case against Amazon, seeking to block lawyers representing the e-commerce giant from conferring with witnesses during breaks in their depositions.

  • June 04, 2025

    Vape Cos. Urge 5th Circ. To Toss FDA Vape Marketing Rule

    A group of small e-cigarette companies is asking the Fifth Circuit to revive their suit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rule for premarket authorization of new tobacco products, saying the FDA failed to account for how the rule would affect small businesses.

  • June 13, 2016

    DraftKings Can't Escape Automated Text Message Class Suit

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday kept alive a putative class action over an alleged automated promotional text message sent by daily fantasy sports giant DraftKings but tossed a claim that the message stole data from recipients, finding that the loss of value for a single text message is too small.

  • June 04, 2025

    FCC Republican Says He's Leaving Agency This Week

    Nathan Simington, one of only two Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission, said Wednesday he will leave the agency at the end of this week.

  • June 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Weighs Constitutionality Of Banking In-House Courts

    A Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday heard a trio of cases contesting federal banking regulators' use of in-house proceedings to impose penalties, signaling interest in potential jurisdictional bars to such challenges but offering few clear clues about how it might rule.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect From The New FCC Chair

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    As a vocal critic of the Federal Communications Commission's recent priorities, newly appointed chair Brendan Carr has described a vision for the agency that would bring significant changes to telecommunication regulation and Telephone Consumer Protection Act enforcement in the U.S., say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Comparing 2 Pending Bills To Regulate Stablecoins

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    Alexandra Steinberg Barrage at Troutman analyzes the key similarities and differences between two payment stablecoin proposals currently pending in Congress — the STABLE and GENIUS acts — as both chambers are forming a working group to deliver a clear regulatory framework for digital assets and bipartisan agreement appears within reach.

  • 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.

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