Consumer Protection

  • February 27, 2026

    Social Media Trial Judge Threatens Media With Gag Order

    The judge overseeing the landmark bellwether trial accusing major social media platforms of harming children's mental health lashed out at the media Friday morning, threatening to issue a gag order because she believed an outlet violated her orders to stay away from jurors in the hallway. 

  • February 27, 2026

    Alabama ISP Wants To Pay Less For Rural Program Default

    An Alabama telecom that won't be able to bring internet to five of the 26 rural census block groups it signed up for is hoping the Federal Communications Commission will allow it into a program that will give it time to pay back what it owes.

  • February 27, 2026

    'Lack Of Adversity' Stops Court From Ending Biden SAVE Plan

    A Missouri federal judge dismissed a coalition of Republican-led states' lawsuit challenging a Biden-era student debt relief plan, saying Friday he can't end the plan like the Trump administration wanted given the "apparent lack of adversity" in the suit between the states and the administration.

  • February 27, 2026

    PetMed, Elanco, Tractor Supply Settle Flea & Tick Med Claims

    PetMed Express, Tractor Supply Co. and Elanco Animal Health are the latest to settle with consumers in a case accusing Elanco of paying pet supply retailers not to stock generic versions of its Advantix topical flea and tick prevention drug, according to several orders filed in Indiana federal court.

  • February 27, 2026

    5th Circ. Strikes Down FCC's Written Consent Robocall Rule

    Telemarketers don't need written consent to pelt people with prerecorded calls, according to the Fifth Circuit, which has swept away more than a decade of Federal Communications Commission precedent with a ruling that finds verbal prior consent to be enough.

  • February 27, 2026

    REIT Execs Hurt Investors With Dividend 'Reset,' Suit Says

    Real estate investment trust Franklin BSP Realty Trust Inc. is facing a proposed investor class action in New York federal court alleging it concealed the possibility that it would cut its quarterly dividend payouts, hurting investors when it announced a dividend "reset" and its share price subsequently fell.

  • February 27, 2026

    Morgan Stanley Joins Ranks Of OCC Crypto Bank Hopefuls

    Morgan Stanley has applied with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to launch a new crypto-focused national bank, adding its name to a growing list of institutions pursuing federal trust charters for digital asset businesses.

  • February 27, 2026

    TD Bank Escapes $3-Fee Suit, NY Law Ruled Unconstitutional

    A New York federal judge on Friday dismissed, with prejudice, a suit alleging that TD Bank was illegally charging customers a $3 fee to receive monthly paper statements for their checking accounts, finding that the underlying statute on which the suit was based is unconstitutional.

  • February 27, 2026

    OCC Finalizes Rule Confirming Trust Charter's Broader Scope

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday finalized a rule amending its chartering regulations to make clear that national trust banks can go beyond managing assets for others, a tweak that could benefit fintech firms seeking charters and could draw the ire of banking groups.

  • February 27, 2026

    FCC Staff Gives Go-Ahead To $34B Charter, Cox Tie-Up

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff on Friday cleared the $34.5 billion combination of cable giants Cox and Charter, approving the license transfers needed to merge into a broadband, mobile and video distribution behemoth.

  • February 27, 2026

    FCC Commish Sees Ditching Copper Lines As Security Need

    A member of the Federal Communications Commission says the impending retirement of most legacy copper networks in the U.S. should be viewed through a national security lens, not just as an industry modernization.

  • February 27, 2026

    Altria-Juul Judge Details Class Cert. Decision In Antitrust Row

    "Common, predominant questions abound" as to whether e-cigarette company Juul and tobacco giant Altria schemed to have Altria exit the e-cigarette market, a California federal judge has said in explaining why he granted class certification to classes of purchasers in antitrust litigation over Altria's past investment in Juul.

  • February 27, 2026

    Teens Worth $270 Each To Facebook, NM Jury Hears

    A marketing professor testified Friday in the New Mexico attorney general's social media mental health trial against Meta that the company calculated young teens' value to Facebook at $270 apiece and created "personas" of users as young as 9 to understand how to better "leverage" them.

  • February 27, 2026

    Geofence Warrants Harm 'Privacies Of Life,' Amici Tell Justices

    Geofence warrants violate Fourth Amendment protections against government surveillance by being imprecise and overbroad in the information they obtain, civil rights and public interest groups argued Friday, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the warrants' use.

  • February 27, 2026

    Judge Expands Block On SNAP Cuts Over Data Demand

    A California federal judge has broadened an injunction barring the U.S. Department of Agriculture from cutting off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding to 21 states and the District of Columbia, finding the states are likely to succeed in challenging the department's renewed demand for sensitive program data as unlawful.

  • February 27, 2026

    Keep DraftKings Suit In State Court, Baltimore Tells 4th Circ.

    Maryland courts should decide whether DraftKings and FanDuel use deceptive and exploitative practices on local residents, attorneys for the city of Baltimore told the Fourth Circuit, saying that the state's power to enforce its consumer protection laws must be upheld.

  • February 27, 2026

    DraftKings Denied 7th Circ. Appeal In Sports Betting Ad Suit

    An Illinois federal judge rejected DraftKings' bid to certify a question to the Seventh Circuit about whether a mobile app can be a "product" under Illinois product liability law, after he refused last year to dismiss most claims in a proposed class action claiming the company's advertisements fuel gambling addiction.

  • February 27, 2026

    Credit Bureaus Fight Bid To Add Plaintiffs, Claims To Suit

    Medical providers and a collection agency in a proposed class action accusing Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of conspiring to exclude less than $500 in medical debt from consumer credit reports lack good cause to again amend their complaint, the credit reporting agencies told a federal court. 

  • February 27, 2026

    Santander Sued In Pa. Over Alleged 'Pay-To-Pay' Loan Fees

    Santander Consumer USA Inc. has been sued for charging and collecting allegedly illegal "pay-to-pay" fees from Pennsylvania residents who financed a car through the Texas-based auto-lending business.

  • February 27, 2026

    Bitcoin ATM Scam Suit Will Go To Arbitration, Ind. Judge Rules

    A retiree's proposed class action claiming that Bitcoin Depot Inc. facilitates fraud schemes that target the elderly belongs in arbitration, an Indiana federal judge has ruled after finding the retiree agreed to the company's terms, which include an arbitration clause, each time he used one of their ATMs.

  • February 27, 2026

    Calif. Mass Tort Firm Drops Suit Against ABS Fee-Sharing Ban

    A California mass torts firm seeking to overturn the state's law banning alternative business structure fee sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonattorneys dropped its suit Thursday, three months after filing it.

  • February 27, 2026

    Freight Brokers Fear Liability Pileup In Pivotal Top Court Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on whether freight brokers might also be liable for roadway crashes that have killed or injured people, in a case that could reshape liability standards in a commercial trucking industry unnerved by supersized verdicts against carriers and drivers.

  • February 27, 2026

    Amazon Ruling May Shift E-Commerce Litigation, Attys Say

    The Washington State Supreme Court signaled a willingness to hold online platforms accountable for societal harm and took a progressive stance on mental health in a recent decision reinstating lawsuits against Amazon over the suicides of teens who died by ingesting sodium nitrite purchased on the platform, legal experts say.

  • February 27, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Drug User Gun Possession

    The U.S. Supreme Court will close out its February oral argument session by hearing its newest Second Amendment case over a federal law that prohibits drug users from possessing firearms, as well as a dispute over whether motor carrier brokers can be held liable for truck crashes under state law.

  • February 27, 2026

    DOL Extends Comment Window On PBM Transparency Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor said Friday that the public will be given more time to comment on a new proposed rule that would require pharmacy benefit managers to disclose how much money they've received while serving as intermediaries between drugmakers, pharmacies and insurers.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Viewing The Merger Landscape Through An HPE-Juniper Lens

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    If considerations beyond antitrust law were taken into account to determine whether Section 7 of the Clayton Act was violated in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks deal, then legal practitioners advocating deal clearance may now have to argue that deals should be justified by considerations not set forth in the merger guidelines, says Matthew Cantor of Shinder Cantor.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Privacy Ruling Shows How CIPA Conflicts With Modern Tech

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    A California federal court's recent holding in Doe v. Eating Recovery Center that Meta is not liable for reading, or attempting to read, the pixel-related transmission while in transit reflects a mismatch between the California Invasion of Privacy Act's 1967 origins and modern encrypted, browser‑driven communications, says David Wheeler at Neal Gerber.

  • Rescheduling Cannabis Marks New Tax Era For Operators

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    As the attorney general takes steps to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, operators and advisers should prepare by considering the significant changes this will bring from tax, state, industry and market perspectives, says Michael Harlow at CohnReznick.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • OCC Rulemaking May Clear Haze Around Trust Banks' Scope

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    A recent Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposal at last eliminates uncertainty around whether national trust banks can engage in nonfiduciary activities, but it does not address which activities are permissible or whether a minimum amount of fiduciary activity is required, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • False Ad Suit Shows Need For Clear, Conspicuous Disclosure

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent false advertising decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Corpay reiterated the FTC's guidance imploring advertisers to ensure that any disclosures are clear and conspicuous to consumers, providing companies with numerous lessons about truthful advertising and highlighting some common disclosure pitfalls to avoid, says Michael Justus at Carlton Fields.

  • How Generative AI Cos. Can Navigate Product Liability Claims

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    Increasingly, plaintiffs are aggregating disputes over generative artificial intelligence and pursuing them through mass-tort-style proceedings, borrowing tactics from litigation involving social media, pharmaceuticals and other consumer-facing products — but there are approaches that AI companies can use to narrow claims and manage long-term exposure, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: MDL Year In Review

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    2025 was a roller coaster for the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, with the panel canceling one hearing session due to the absence of new MDL petitions, yet also issuing rulings on more new MDL petitions than in 2024 — making it clear that MDLs are still thriving, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.

  • Digital Assets May Be In For A Growth Spurt In 2026

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    All signs point to an acceleration in digital asset product and service innovation throughout 2026, and while questions of first impression still need to be addressed, some legal issues will be clarified, spurring developments namely on the tokenization and stablecoin fronts, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • What Businesses Offering AI Should Expect From The FTC

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    The Federal Trade Commission's move to reopen and set aside an administrative order against Rytr shows that the FTC is serious about executing on the administration's Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, and won't stand in the way of businesses offering AI products with pro-consumer, legitimate uses, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Lessons From EdTech Provider's Data Breach Settlements

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    Education technology company Illuminate Education's recent settlements with three states and the Federal Trade Commission over state privacy law claims following a student data breach are some of the first of their kind, suggesting a shift in enforcement focus to how companies handle student data and highlighting the potential for coordinated enforcement actions, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Pennsylvania

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    Last quarter in Pennsylvania, a Superior Court ruling underscored the centrality of careful policy drafting and judicial scrutiny of exclusionary language, and another provided practical guidance on the calculation of attorney fees and interest in bad faith cases, while a proposed bill endeavored to cover insurance gaps for homeowners, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.

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