Consumer Protection

  • June 12, 2024

    Something Fishy With Conagra's '100% Whole Fish,' Suit Says

    Customers alleged in Illinois federal court Tuesday that Conagra misled them by marketing its popular Van de Kamp's and Mrs. Paul's frozen fish products as "100% whole fish," despite artificially adding weight to those fish with an industrial filler and extra water.

  • June 12, 2024

    Mobile Game Maker Ruled Liable For Illegal Gambling In Wash.

    Two of High 5 Games' mobile apps are illegal gambling games, a Washington federal judge has ruled in an order that said the "virtual coins" used by players were things of value under Washington law, even though they are sometimes free and can't be cashed in for real money.

  • June 12, 2024

    Miss. Social Media Age Law Faces Free-Speech Challenge

    Mississippi is the latest state to enact a law that requires social media companies to verify the age of all users, but a challenge seeking to block that law from taking effect is already on the docket in federal court with a preliminary injunction hearing slated for this month.

  • June 12, 2024

    Judge Won't Trim $18M Shareholder Settlement Coverage Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge declined to toss certain bad faith allegations against an insurer accused of wrongfully denying coverage for an $18 million settlement between an asset management company and a group of shareholders, adopting a magistrate judge's recommendation that the company sufficiently alleged its claim of bad faith.

  • June 12, 2024

    Okta, Investors Reach $60M Deal In Cyberattack Coverup Suit

    Okta Inc. investors have asked a California federal judge to give the first OK to a $60 million settlement reached in a suit alleging the software company misled the certified class about a 2022 cyberattack.

  • June 12, 2024

    'Natural' Toothpaste Brand Loaded With PFAS, Moms Say

    Natural toothpaste company RiseWell LLC falsely advertised its kids toothpaste as "natural" and "safe to swallow," two mothers alleged Tuesday in a proposed class action, saying a U.S. Department of Defense-certified laboratory test found 750 times more "forever chemicals" in the toothpaste than researchers found in heavily tainted kale.

  • June 12, 2024

    Faulty Sig Sauer Pistol 'Betrayed' Ga. Gun Owner, Jury Told

    A life-altering injury that occurred when a man's Sig Sauer pistol accidentally fired into his leg could have been prevented had the company bothered to install a $5 safety feature in the trigger of its flagship​​ P320, counsel for the man told a Georgia federal jury Wednesday.

  • June 12, 2024

    FTC Asks 4th Circ. To Pause Novant Hospital Purchase

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked the Fourth Circuit to pause Novant Health's purchase of a North Carolina hospital while enforcers appeal an order from the lower court that refused to put the deal on hold for the commission's in-house merger challenge.

  • June 12, 2024

    Lawmakers Reach Deal With DOD On Spectrum Sharing

    A Senate committee said late Tuesday that lawmakers reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense that will allow legislation for new sales of commercial spectrum licenses to move forward.

  • June 12, 2024

    Transit Insurer Seeks To Limit Loss From $60M No-Fault Scam

    A taxi and livery insurer told a Brooklyn federal judge Wednesday that it is pursuing settlement in its effort to recoup $3.2 million lost in a massive, $60 million no-fault scam led by a former clinic operator now headed for prison.

  • June 12, 2024

    Terraform To Settle With SEC For $4.5B After Fraud Trial

    Crypto firm Terraform Labs has agreed to a $4.47 billion settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after a Manhattan jury found the firm and its founder Do Kwon liable for fraud in April.

  • June 12, 2024

    Ashley Furniture Faces Data Breach Suit Over 2023 Hack

    Ashley Furniture customers hit the home furnishing retailer with a proposed class action in Texas federal court Monday, accusing the company of negligence over its failure to safeguard their personal information — which was compromised during a cyberattack a year ago — and of waiting months to notify them.

  • June 12, 2024

    NJ Judicial Privacy Law Hit With Constitutional Challenge

    Companies accused of violating Daniel's Law hit back in New Jersey federal court this week, calling the judicial data privacy protection measure unconstitutionally vague, harsh and riddled with loopholes, and arguing it is being "cynically" misused by the plaintiff, a data privacy company.

  • June 12, 2024

    Pool Co. Hits Ch. 11 After 'Crippling' $16M False Ads Verdict

    The American arm of a Chinese swimming pool products manufacturer has declared bankruptcy after it was slapped with a $16 million false advertising and unfair business practices judgment in North Carolina that the company previously warned would put it out of business.

  • June 11, 2024

    Pa. Health System Shakes Meta Data Sharing Row For Now

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has tossed a putative class action accusing a nonprofit health system of unlawfully sharing information about website visitors' activities with Meta Platforms Inc., finding that the plaintiff had failed to adequately detail what protected health data had been disclosed. 

  • June 11, 2024

    Tyco's $750M PFAS Deal In Foam Co. MDL Gets Initial OK

    A South Carolina federal judge gave his blessing Tuesday to the $750 million settlement Johnson Controls International PLC subsidiary Tyco Fire Products LP entered to resolve public water systems' federal claims that some forever chemicals they detected in their supplies came from firefighting foam it made.

  • June 11, 2024

    2nd Circ. Cites Macquarie In Booting Suit Over Go-Private Deal

    The Second Circuit refused to revive a proposed class action accusing a real estate services provider of artificially depressing share prices, applying apparently for the first time the U.S. Supreme Court's Macquarie decision on alleged failures to disclose certain information.

  • June 11, 2024

    Listing Co. Urges Court To Ignore DOJ's Broker Deal Issues

    A multiple listing service that has struck a $3 million settlement over broker commission rules told a Massachusetts federal court the changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice go far beyond what's required and would create an antitrust problem in the real estate industry.

  • June 11, 2024

    Prison Phone Cos. Want To Factor Security Cost Into Rates

    Prison phone call providers need to be allowed to factor the cost of safety and security features into the rates that they charge incarcerated people to contact their loved ones, a trio of companies has told the Federal Communications Commission.

  • June 11, 2024

    NFL Balks At Delays, Amendments To Mobile App Privacy Suit

    A proposed class action alleging that the NFL failed to protect data on its mobile app should not be allowed to replace the lead plaintiff, especially after he has exhibited a "lack of diligence and delay" during the suit, the league told a Rhode Island federal judge Tuesday.

  • June 11, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge On Theranos Appeal: 'Good Story' For Holmes

    Two Ninth Circuit judges on a three-judge panel expressed concerns Tuesday that the district judge presiding over convicted former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' criminal trial erred by allowing a layperson witness to offer expert testimony at trial, with one judge saying, "There's a pretty good story here for Ms. Holmes."

  • June 11, 2024

    Granulated Sugar Price-Fixing Cases Centralized In Minn.

    A collection of price-fixing suits against some of the country's biggest refined sugar manufacturers is being consolidated in Minnesota federal court, with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation choosing the venue over federal courts in New York.

  • June 11, 2024

    HashiCorp Hit With Investor Suit Over $6.4B Sale To IBM

    Software company HashiCorp Inc. and its board members face an investor suit seeking to halt an upcoming shareholder vote on a proposed $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp by tech giant IBM, alleging the deal would unfairly benefit company insiders and hasn't been properly detailed in required filings.

  • June 11, 2024

    Southwest Ditches 2022 Holiday Mayhem Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a group of Southwest Airlines customers' proposed breach of contract class action stemming from massive flight cancellations during the airline's December 2022 holiday-week meltdown but gave the plaintiffs another shot to bolster their claims.

  • June 11, 2024

    4 More States Join DOJ's Antitrust Suit Against Apple

    The attorneys general of Washington, Massachusetts, Nevada and Indiana on Tuesday became the latest to join the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit in New Jersey federal court claiming Apple is monopolizing the smartphone market.

Expert Analysis

  • 'Food As Health' Serves Up Fresh Legal Considerations

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    The growth of food as medicine presents a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations and nontraditional healthcare players to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, though these innovative programs also bring compliance considerations that must be carefully navigated, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law

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    The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Series

    In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist

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    Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling

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    As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs

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    The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.

  • FTC Focus: Exploring The Meaning Of Orange Book Letters

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced an expansion of its campaign to promote competition by targeting pharmaceutical manufacturers' improper Orange Book patent listings, but there is a question of whether and how this helps generic entrants, say Colin Kass and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.

  • 3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up

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    Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews

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    Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.

  • How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban

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    As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.

  • New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • CFPB's Expanding Scope Evident In Coding Bootcamp Fine

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent penalty against a for-profit coding bootcamp that misrepresented its tuition financing plans is a sign that the bureau is seeking to wield its supervisory and enforcement powers in more industries that offer consumer financing, say Jason McElroy and Brandon Sherman at Saul Ewing.

  • Fintech Compliance Amid Regulatory Focus On Sensitive Data

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent, expansive pursuit of financial services companies using sensitive personal information signals a move into the Federal Trade Commission's territory, and the path forward for fintech and financial service providers involves a balance between innovation and compliance, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • 4 Arbitration Takeaways From High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's May 23 decision in Coinbase v. Suski, which provides clarity to parties faced with successive contracts containing conflicting dispute resolution provisions, has four practical impacts for contracting parties to consider, say Charles Schoenwetter and Eric Olson at Bowman and Brooke.

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