Consumer Protection

  • October 01, 2025

    Tornado Cash Boss Seeks Acquittal After Partial Mistrial

    Tornado Cash's Roman Storm on Tuesday urged a New York federal court to acquit the cryptocurrency tumbler co-founder of enabling more than $1 billion in money laundering transactions, as questions remain even among government officials about criminal liability for software developers of open-source privacy tech.

  • October 01, 2025

    FTC Halts Fraud Complaints, Spam Call Help Amid Shutdown

    The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that none of its mechanisms for reporting fraud, including identity theft, will be available to consumers while the federal government is shut down, nor will the National Do Not Call Registry be operational for consumers or telemarketers.

  • October 01, 2025

    Accellion Breach Plaintiffs Get Cert. For Narrow Subclasses

    A California federal judge has agreed to allow plaintiffs to proceed with five subclasses in their dispute with Accellion over allegations the company failed to protect against cyberattacks on its file-sharing software, while finding that a lack of "cohesion" doomed their chances to certify a broader negligence class of roughly 5 million breach victims. 

  • October 01, 2025

    Economist Says Google's Ad Tech Fix Enough To Boost Rivals

    Google's expert economics witness urged a Virginia federal judge Wednesday not to break up the search giant's advertising placement technology business, arguing the company's counterproposal would free up rivals without the "market reengineering" threatened by the Justice Department's proposed remedies.

  • October 01, 2025

    Amazon Must Cough Up Return Records In Consumer Suit

    Amazon must hand over certain information about its returns system to a group of consumers who claim that the company wrongfully denied them refunds for products they sent back, a Washington federal judge has determined, calling some of the company's objections "evasive" and "borderline frivolous."

  • October 01, 2025

    Quantum Can't Nix FTC Order Over $5.2B Natural Gas Deal

    Quantum Energy Partners is not going to be allowed out from under a consent order it inked with the Federal Trade Commission that had allowed a $5.2 billion oil and gas deal with EQT Corp. to go through, the agency has announced.

  • October 01, 2025

    HP Ditches Antitrust Suit Over Third-Party Ink, For Now

    HP customers accusing the printer maker of illegally using a firmware update to block them from using third-party ink cartridges in their machines have not outlined a viable antitrust claim to pursue, but they can try again, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.

  • October 01, 2025

    CFPB 'Will Continue Operations' As Gov't Shutdown Hits

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has told its staff to expect business as usual amid the government shutdown that began Wednesday, assuring them that operations, pay and benefits will continue uninterrupted, according to an internal email obtained by Law360.

  • October 01, 2025

    Biz Groups Say They Can Be Amici In 4th Circ. Pollution Suit

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council on Wednesday told the Fourth Circuit they should be allowed to file an amicus brief on behalf of Chemours in a row over PFAS contamination in the Ohio River, saying that there is nothing barring an association from filing in cases where its members are parties.

  • October 01, 2025

    Trump Moves To Elevate FDIC's Hill To Permanent Chair

    President Donald Trump has nominated the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s acting Chairman Travis Hill to lead the deposit insurer on a permanent basis, the White House confirmed Wednesday.

  • October 01, 2025

    EPA Seeks Dismissal Of Flint Bellwethers, Says It's Not Liable

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has defended its timing of using its authority to issue a Safe Drinking Water Act order regarding lead in the city of Flint's water, urging a Michigan federal judge to dismiss claims from bellwether plaintiffs who alleged the agency was negligent in its response to the crisis.

  • October 01, 2025

    NASCAR Exec Says Team Was Warned About LGB Sponsors

    A NASCAR executive told jurors on Wednesday that driver Brandon Brown's team had previously been warned the league would not sign off on any on-track promotion of the "Let's Go Brandon" phrase, but pursued approval of an LGBCoin sponsorship anyway in a manner the executive said was "disingenuous."

  • October 01, 2025

    States Accuse Zillow, Redfin Of Deal To End Competition

    A coalition of states followed their federal counterparts with an antitrust lawsuit in Virginia federal court Wednesday accusing Zillow of paying Redfin more than $100 million to stop competing for the sale of rental housing advertisements on their listing services.

  • October 01, 2025

    OpenAI Blasts X's Suit Over Apple Deal As 'Lawfare' Campaign

    Apple Inc. and OpenAI Inc. have asked a Texas federal court to toss an antitrust case from X targeting a deal to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, with OpenAI saying X's billionaire owner Elon Musk is waging a multipronged "lawfare" campaign against it.

  • October 01, 2025

    FCC Sets Furlough Plan In Motion With Government Shutdown

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff halted most regular operations Wednesday as Congress failed to reach a deal to continue funding agencies after the end of the government's fiscal year.

  • October 01, 2025

    Lack Of Concrete Harm Dooms Bojangles Data Breach Case

    The fast-food chain Bojangles has dodged a proposed class action brought by former employees who claim their personal information was stolen in a data breach after a North Carolina federal judge said they failed to show how they were injured as a result of the hack.

  • October 01, 2025

    Mich. Judge Slashes RICO Claims Against Mortgage Lender

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed the bulk of a proposed class action accusing United Wholesale Mortgage of forcing mortgage brokers to originate loans with UWM instead of shopping around for the best options for borrowers.

  • October 01, 2025

    Va. Biz Group Calls Charter, Cox Tie-Up Good For Consumers

    The Virginia Chamber of Commerce urged the Federal Communications Commission to approve the planned $34.5 billion merger of cable giants Charter and Cox, saying it would be good for consumers as the companies cut costs through scale.

  • October 01, 2025

    Opt-Outs Lacked Clarity About $100M Verizon Deal, Panel Told

    A New Jersey trial court exceeded its authority by validating opt-outs from a $100 million class deal based on signatures transposed from retainer agreements that never mentioned the settlement, counsel for Verizon Wireless told a state appellate panel during oral arguments Wednesday.

  • October 01, 2025

    Software Co. Not Covered For $3M Privacy Fight, Court Says

    Various Travelers units owe no coverage to a software provider that reached a nearly $3 million class action settlement over claims that it violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, a federal court ruled, finding that an exclusion relating to the "access or disclosure" of personal information is applicable.

  • September 30, 2025

    Apple, Google, Meta Get 'Casino Games' MDL Trimmed Again

    A California federal judge on Tuesday again trimmed multidistrict litigation against Apple, Google and Meta platforms over allegedly illicit "social casino games," though he refused to find that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act means they don't have to face the suits.

  • September 30, 2025

    Google Ad Tech Judge Says Court Order Is 'Elephant In Room'

    A Virginia federal judge again wondered Tuesday how far she must go to address Google's advertising placement technology monopolies, asking if a breakup is needed since, no matter what happens, the company will be under a court order banning efforts to put its thumb on the scales of competition.

  • September 30, 2025

    FTC Hits Sendit App Over Kids' Data, Fake Messages

    The operator of the anonymous messaging app Sendit and its top executive have been illegally collecting personal information from children that they're "well aware" were using their service, and tricking users with fake messages and other misleading tactics to entice consumers into buying paid subscriptions, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a California federal lawsuit. 

  • September 30, 2025

    3rd Circ. Parses 'Could' And 'Would' In Lipitor Lawsuit

    A Third Circuit panel questioned Tuesday whether drug wholesalers and health plans had offered enough evidence that Pfizer Inc. and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. conspired to delay generic competition for the cholesterol drug Lipitor, focusing on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would have approved the competitor earlier than November 2011.

  • September 30, 2025

    Amazon Settles $1.2M Lawsuit Over Immersion Heater

    Amazon and a Colorado church's insurer have reached a settlement in the insurer's suit alleging that an immersion heater the church purchased from the e-commerce giant's platform to heat a baptismal font caused a fire amounting to $1.2 million in damages.

Expert Analysis

  • Location Data And Online Tracking Trends To Watch

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    Regulators and class action plaintiffs are increasingly targeting companies' use of online tracking technologies and geolocation data in both privacy enforcement and litigation, so organizations should view compliance as a dynamic, cross-functional responsibility as scrutiny becomes increasingly aggressive and multifaceted, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • DOJ Consumer Branch's End Leaves FDA Litigation Questions

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    With the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Branch set to occur by Sept. 30, companies must carefully monitor how responsibility is reallocated for civil and criminal enforcement cases related to products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Surveying The Changing Overdraft Fee Landscape

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    Despite recent federal moves that undermine consumer overdraft fee protections, last year’s increase in fee charges suggests banks will face continued scrutiny via litigation and state regulation, says Amanda Kurzendoerfer at Bates White.

  • Tracking The Evolving Legal Landscape Of Music Festivals

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    The legal infrastructure behind music festivals is anything but simple, so attorneys advising clients in this space should be prepared for a wide range of legal challenges, including the unexpected risks that come with live events, says Meesha Moulton at Meesha Moulton Law.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • Antitrust Scrutiny Heightens In The Cannabis Industry

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    Two ongoing antitrust cases signal intensified scrutiny of pricing practices, distribution restraints and exclusionary conduct in the cannabis sector, says Robin Crauthers at McCarter & English.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • 2 Circuit Court Rulings Offer A Class Certification Primer

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    Two recent decisions from the Third and Sixth Circuits provide guidance on the rigorous analysis of predominance that courts might require for class certification, and insights into how defendants might oppose or narrow potential class actions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Compliance Is A New Competitive Edge For Mortgage Lenders

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    So far, 2025 has introduced state and federal regulatory turbulence that is pressuring mortgage lenders to reevaluate the balance between competitive and compliant employee and customer recruiting practices, necessitating a compliance recalibration that prioritizes five key strategies, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Privacy Bill Must Be Amended To Protect Small Businesses

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    While a bill recently passed by the California Senate would exempt a company's use of legally compliant website advertising and tracking technologies from the California Invasion of Privacy Act, it must be amended to adequately protect small businesses, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Even As States Step Up, They Can't Fully Fill CFPB's Shoes

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    The Trump administration's efforts to scale down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have prompted calls for state regulators to pick up the slack, but there are also important limitations on states' ability to fill the gap left by a mostly dormant CFPB, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • Unpacking Notable Details From FTC's 'AI Washing' Cases

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    The Federal Trade Commission has brought many cases involving allegedly deceptive artificial intelligence claims over the past couple of years, illustrating overlooked aspects of AI washing generally and a few new types of AI marketing claims that may line up in regulatory crosshairs down the road, says Michael Atleson at DLA Piper.

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