Consumer Protection

  • 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.

  • August 21, 2025

    1st Circ. Rejects Flyers' $34M Fee Bid In JetBlue-Spirit Case

    Passengers who launched an antitrust challenge to the since-scrapped JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger are not eligible to collect up to $34 million in legal fees, the First Circuit ruled Thursday, finding that because the deal was blocked in a parallel government case, the passengers are not actually the prevailing parties.

Expert Analysis

  • Midyear Rewind: How Courts Are Reshaping VPPA Standards

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    The first half of 2025 saw a series of cases interpreting the Video Privacy Protection Act as applied to website tracking technologies, including three appellate rulings deepening circuit splits on what qualifies as personally identifiable information and who qualifies as a consumer under the statute, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Tips For Crypto AI Agent Developers Under SEC Watch

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    With agents powered by artificial intelligence increasingly making decisions in the cryptocurrency world, there's a chance the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could use the Investment Advisers Act to regulate this technology in financial services, but there are ways developers can mitigate regulatory risks, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • What's Next For CFPB After 'Big Beautiful' Funding Cuts

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    While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's funding cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are unlikely to have an independent effect in the short run, they could exacerbate the existing issue of wide regulatory fluctuations in successive administrations in the longer run, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • 4 In-Flux Employment Law Issues Banks Should Note

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    Attorneys at Ogletree provide a midyear update on employment law changes that could significantly affect banks and other financial service institutions — including federal diversity equity and inclusion updates, and new and developing state and local artificial intelligence laws.

  • New DOJ Penalty Policy Could Spell Trouble For Cos.

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recently published guidance making victim relief a core condition of coordinated resolution crediting, companies facing parallel investigations must carefully calibrate their negotiation strategies to minimize the risk of duplicative penalties, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Influencer Marketing Partnerships Face Rising Litigation Risk

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    In light of recent class actions claiming that brands and influencers are misleading consumers with deceptive marketing practices — largely premised on the Federal Trade Commission's endorsements guidance — proactive compliance measures are becoming more important, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • 5 Consumer Protection Compliance Issues In NY State Budget

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    Companies that engage with New York consumers should promptly familiarize themselves with new state budget provisions that require finance and retail companies to make certain business practices more transparent and easier for customers to execute, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • High Court Cert Spotlights Varying Tests For Federal Removal

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    A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, a case involving the federal officer removal statute, highlights three other recent circuit court decisions raising federal removal questions, and serves as a reminder that defendants are the masters of removal actions, says Varun Aery at Hollingsworth.

  • Open Banking Is On Ice As CFPB Seeks To Toss Its Own Rule

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    Even as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's efforts to toss its open banking rule play out in Kentucky federal court, it remains statutorily required to effectuate consumer access to data, raising questions about how it would replace the previously finalized standard, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

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    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • 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.

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