Consumer Protection

  • March 15, 2024

    Realtors Cut $418M Deal, Agree To Make Broker Fee Changes

    The National Association of Realtors said Friday that it has reached a settlement to end claims that its broker commission rules caused home sellers across the country to pay inflated fees, agreeing to pay $418 million over four years and to implement changes to its rules.

  • March 14, 2024

    17 Added To SEC's $300M Suit Alleging Crypto Ponzi Scheme

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday expanded its takedown of an alleged $300 million crypto Ponzi scheme with a suit against 17 individuals for their roles in a business that allegedly targeted Latino investors.

  • March 14, 2024

    Gamers Seek To Block Microsoft From 'Dismantling' Activision

    Gamers who are still challenging Microsoft's now-completed union with gaming titan Activision Blizzard say a California federal court must hand down an order stopping further integration of the two businesses after Microsoft laid off 1,900 people from the gaming company.

  • March 14, 2024

    CFPB To Mull Official 'Standard Setters' In Open Banking Push

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra outlined plans for his agency to start offering formal accreditation for open banking "standard-setting organizations" as it prepares to finalize a landmark new rule on data-sharing between banks and fintech firms.

  • March 14, 2024

    DOJ, FTC Tell Copyright Office To Expand Right To Repair

    Federal law enforcement and trade officials said Thursday that the U.S. Copyright Office should not only retain a policy that gives consumers more leeway to fix things like cars, it should also expand those protections to things like industrial equipment.

  • March 14, 2024

    Buyers Want Goodyear, Michelin Price-Fixing Suits Combined

    Tire buyers who have accused Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone and others of working together to fix the price of replacement tires have asked a New York federal court to consolidate the dozen lawsuits that have piled up against the tire manufacturers.

  • March 14, 2024

    FCC Proposes Adding Emergency Alerts For Missing Adults

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed to require that broadcast and cellphone carriers send out mobile notifications about missing adults, similar to Amber Alerts about missing children, to fix a shortcoming in the nation's public safety alert system.

  • March 14, 2024

    Domino's Hit With BIPA Suit Over AI Voiceprint Collection

    Domino's Pizza customers hit the restaurant chain with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court Wednesday alleging it secretly collects voiceprints through its artificial intelligence ordering system, saying the pizza chain uses the data to enhance the technology and to boost sales.

  • March 14, 2024

    FCC Rolls Out Voluntary 'Cyber Trust Mark' For IoT Devices

    Devices tied to the Internet of Things will soon start displaying a "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" if participating manufacturers earn the Federal Communications Commission's approval.

  • March 14, 2024

    FTC Says Consolidation Endangering Infant-Formula Market

    The Federal Trade Commission has found the country's small number of baby formula manufacturers and the effects of a federal nutrition program contributed to shortages in 2022 and are still making the supply chain vulnerable to disruption.

  • March 14, 2024

    Publisher Must Face Privacy Claims Over Meta Pixel Tool

    An Ohio federal judge has ruled that the publisher of The Toledo Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette can't duck a proposed privacy class action alleging that the newspapers shared the video-viewing history of their website users with Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., without their permission.

  • March 14, 2024

    Judge Applauds Attys' 'Very Awesome' Use Of Google AI Bot

    A California federal judge told counsel Thursday it's "very awesome" that their recently amended putative class action complaint alleging privacy violations against Google used Google's own AI tool to argue that Google Analytics illegally scoops personal data from healthcare providers' websites, but he doubted the viability of other pleadings.

  • March 14, 2024

    FCC Raises Minimum Fixed Broadband Speed To 100/20 Mbps

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday raised the national minimum for broadband speeds to 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads after years of debating how much to increase the standard.

  • March 14, 2024

    Game Developer Seeks Class Cert. In Valve Antitrust Case

    Developer Wolfire Games is asking a Seattle federal judge for class certification in its consolidated antitrust suit against online game seller Valve, saying discovery has brought abundant evidence that the platform uses its most-favored-nation clause to stifle competition and maintain monopoly power.

  • March 14, 2024

    Ford Slammed For Bid To 'Sidestep' Faulty Axle-Bolt Suit

    Two Washington SUV owners suing Ford for allegedly slacking on safety in newer Explorer models have accused the vehicle maker of trying to "sidestep liability" in their proposed class action by pointing to two recalls that didn't address the design flaw at issue.

  • March 14, 2024

    Bankman-Fried Taps New Firm For SEC, CFTC Defense

    Convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has swapped his Cohen & Gresser LLP counsel for attorneys at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoades LLP in his stayed civil cases.

  • March 14, 2024

    Health Co. Says Future Harm Risk Falls Short In Breach Suit

    New Jersey healthcare provider Capital Health System urged a Garden State federal judge on Wednesday to toss a proposed class action seeking damages as a result of a 2023 data breach, arguing that the plaintiffs failed to allege their personal identifying information was actually misused.

  • March 14, 2024

    Courthouse News Sues DC Court Clerk Over Filing Delays

    National litigation news outlet Courthouse News launched a suit in D.C. federal court Wednesday, accusing the capital city's superior court of delaying public access to new civil complaints, often for one to three days, as they are processed by staff.

  • March 14, 2024

    Italy Fines TikTok €10M For Harmful Content

    Italy's antitrust authority fined TikTok €10 million ($11 million) on Thursday for failing to protect children from potentially dangerous content on the platform.

  • March 14, 2024

    Whirlpool Can't Toss Defect Suit Over Ice Buildup In Fridges

    A California federal judge has declined to throw out a putative class action claiming Whirlpool hid a defect in its refrigerators that led to cooling failures due to frost buildup, finding the suit sufficiently alleged Whirlpool knew of the problem since it issued technical service pointers noting customers could possibly experience buildup.

  • March 14, 2024

    Trial Challenging NC Abortion Restrictions Pushed To July

    A July trial date has been set in a closely watched constitutional challenge seeking to dismantle a state law that restricts access to abortions in North Carolina after 12 weeks, marking a pushback from the court's earlier projected spring timetable for the trial.

  • March 13, 2024

    Amazon Ducks Consumers' 'Buy Box'-Shipping Antitrust Suit

    Amazon.com is facing one less consumer antitrust suit after a Seattle federal judge said Wednesday that Prime members failed to define the relevant market or explain how they were harmed by policies tying placement of the "Buy Box" feature with sellers paying for its shipping services and cannot fix the shortcomings of their complaint.

  • March 13, 2024

    Epic Says Apple Is 'Blatantly' Violating App Store Order

    Epic Games told a California federal court on Wednesday that Apple is "blatantly" violating an order issued under state law barring anti-steering rules in the App Store by imposing new fees and restrictions that make linking to outside payment methods effectively impossible.

  • March 13, 2024

    Google, Apple Beat Video Data Retention Fight At 9th Circ.

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to revive allegations that Google and Apple violated state privacy laws in New York and Minnesota by retaining data about consumers' streaming video rentals, finding that the state statutes don't create a private right of action for the purported data-retention violations.

  • March 13, 2024

    Robinhood Says Investors Shouldn't Get Discovery Extension

    Trading platform Robinhood has told a Florida federal court that it should not be required to produce documents requested by investors in their "eleventh hour" motion to extend discovery in a suit alleging investors were damaged when Robinhood suspended purchases of so-called meme stocks to avoid a purported liquidity problem.

Expert Analysis

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • How Echoing Techniques Can Derail Witnesses At Deposition

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    Before depositions, defense attorneys must prepare witnesses to recognize covert echoing techniques that may be used by opposing counsel to lower their defenses and elicit sensitive information — potentially leading to nuclear settlements and verdicts, say Bill Kanasky and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Regulatory Trends Offer 4 Lessons For Debt Relief Providers

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    A string of enforcement actions, including a New York lawsuit filed last month by seven states and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, underscore the regulatory scrutiny that debt relief and credit repair companies face and offer important lessons on telemarketing and deceptive practices compliance, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections

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    A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.

  • Bracing Cos. For Calif. Privacy Agency's Restored Authority

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    A recent California state appeals court decision greenlights the California Privacy Protection Agency's enforcement of certain consumer privacy regulations, which may speed up compliance requirements, so businesses considering use of artificial intelligence, for instance, may want to reassess their handling of privacy notices and opt-out requests, say Kevin Angle and Matthew Cin at Ropes & Gray.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • Basics Of Bank Regulators' Push For Discount Window Use

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    As the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency emphasize short-term liquidity risk management as central to preventing spring 2023-style bank collapses, banks should carefully tune into regulators’ remarks encouraging use of the Fed’s discount window, which some policymakers identify as a key component in the evolution of liquidity regulation and backstop lending, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • 2 Emerging Defenses For Website Tracking Class Actions

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    Putative class actions premised on state wiretapping statutes that bar website activity tracking continue to be on the rise, but they are increasingly being dismissed on two procedural grounds, says Sheri Pan at ZwillGen.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Communication Is Key As CFPB Updates Appeals Process

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    Though a recently updated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule expands financial institutions' abilities to appeal supervisory decisions, creating strong relationships and open communication channels with CFPB examiners may help resolve disputes faster than the more cumbersome formal process, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Considerations For Disclosing AI Use In SEC Filings

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    Recent remarks from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler should be heard as a clarion call for public companies to disclose artificial intelligence use, with four takeaways on what companies should disclose, says Richard Hong at Morrison Cohen.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Setting The Stage For High Court BofA Escrow Interest Case

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    Dori Bailey and Curtis Johnson at Bond Schoeneck examine relevant legislation and case law dating back 200 years ahead of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in Cantero v. Bank of America, the outcome of which will determine whether state laws governing mortgage escrow accounts can be enforced against national banks.

  • What To Know About OCC Proposals For Bank Merger Review

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's proposed changes to the agency's bank merger review process could exacerbate industry concerns with long and unpredictable processing periods because the proposal is ambiguous with respect to how the OCC will view certain transactions, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Using Arbitration And Class Waivers As Privacy Suit Tools

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    Amid a surge in data breach class actions over the last few years, several federal court decisions indicate that arbitration clauses and class action waiver provisions can be possible alternatives to public court battles and potentially reduce the costs of privacy litigation, say Mark Olthoff and Courtney Klaus at Polsinelli.

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