Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 25, 2026

    Starbucks Roasts Consumers' Suit Doubting Ethical Sourcing

    Starbucks is urging a Seattle federal judge to throw out a proposed class action accusing the java giant of playing up its "ethical sourcing" commitment despite supply chain labor violations, saying customers cannot sue based on mere disappointment with the company's coffee farm certification standards.

  • March 25, 2026

    Security Co. Wants Out Of Pot Store Raid RICO Suit

    A security company is urging an Illinois federal court to throw out a dispensary's claims that it engaged in racketeering by assisting in an illegal raid by the dispensary's former business partners, saying the complaint fails to allege what it did to further the purported scheme.

  • March 25, 2026

    Mom Tying Abbott Formula To Baby's NEC Takes The Stand

    A plaintiff claiming Abbott Laboratories' preterm baby formula contributed to her infant's development of a serious gut condition told an Illinois jury Wednesday that she wouldn't have allowed her baby to consume the formula had she known it increased the risk of the infection, saying her now-teenage daughter still struggles with medical complications as a result.

  • March 25, 2026

    Ramp Up Router Power Levels, Electronics Biz Tells FCC

    Consumer electronics-makers want the Federal Communications Commission to ramp up allowed power levels for routers as one way to boost Wi-Fi performance in the U.S.

  • March 25, 2026

    Judge Lets NY Cannabis Licensing Challenge Proceed

    Following a recent Second Circuit ruling that the dormant commerce clause applies to marijuana, a New York federal judge Wednesday rejected state cannabis regulators' bid to dismiss a constitutional challenge to their licensure program.

  • March 25, 2026

    Ecolab Trims But Can't Escape Mortality Table Pension Suit

    A Minnesota federal judge trimmed but refused to toss a proposed class action against Ecolab Inc. from retirees who alleged their joint-and-survivor annuity pension benefits were miscalculated, holding that two early retirees who sued lacked standing and that a fiduciary breach claim was time-barred.

  • March 25, 2026

    Idaho Expands Retail Developer Sales Tax Rebate

    Idaho expanded a sales tax rebate to reimburse developers of retail complexes for eligible transportation project expenses under a bill signed by the governor.

  • March 25, 2026

    Md. Tells 4th Circ. Not To Revive Pot Licensing Suit

    Maryland cannabis regulators are urging the Fourth Circuit to leave dismissed a California entrepreneur's suit alleging that its social equity licensing program discriminates against out-of-state operators, saying her complaint fails to establish any real harm.

  • March 24, 2026

    Lowe's Says Ex-Worker's Moonlighting Class Action Falls Flat

    Lowe's urged a Seattle federal judge to reject a putative class action accusing it of wrongfully barring low-wage workers from taking extra jobs elsewhere, arguing in a filing Monday that the named plaintiff in the suit made too much money and admitted never seeing the retailer's policy documents she said prohibited outside work.

  • March 24, 2026

    Nicotine Pouch Maker To Refile FDA Suit In DC After Transfer

    The maker and seller of Zone nicotine pouches on Tuesday dismissed its own lawsuit accusing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of unfairly holding up a market application for its product, promising to refile in D.C. federal court after a Texas federal court transferred it to South Carolina federal court.

  • March 24, 2026

    Wayfair's 30-Day Return Policy Is Misleading, Shopper Says

    Wayfair deploys a misleading 30-day return policy for merchandise sold on its website without conspicuously disclosing at the checkout page that some items are not returnable, leading shoppers to make their purchasing decisions under false impressions, according to a false advertising suit filed Monday in a California state court.

  • March 24, 2026

    Jewish Worker's Time Off Need Got Him Demoted, EEOC Says

    Dolgencorp LLC, the operator of Dollar General stores, violated federal law by demoting a Jewish assistant store manager due to his efforts to secure time off to observe his Sabbath, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday.

  • March 24, 2026

    DoorDash's Zesty AI Food App Copies Rival Zest, Suit Says

    Artificial intelligence-driven food discovery platform Zest Maps Inc. says DoorDash has launched its own AI-powered app called Zesty, which also includes lemon imagery, infringing Zest's name and design and causing consumer confusion, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • March 24, 2026

    Chicago Cannabis Co. Inks $250K Tip Theft Settlement

    Chicago-area budtenders are asking a federal judge to approve a $250,000 deal that would end a proposed class action accusing their employer of unlawfully taking tips meant for them and giving the money to managers and supervisors.

  • March 24, 2026

    4th Circ. Affirms False Ads Verdict Against Chinese Pool Co.

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a jury verdict finding a Chinese pool parts company liable for falsely advertising its products as made in the USA as part of a larger judgment favoring a North Carolina manufacturer that has since ballooned to over $17 million.

  • March 24, 2026

    Wash. Store Owner, Insurer Say Tool Co. Owes $8.7M For Fire

    A defective Stanley Black & Decker Inc. battery pack caused a fire that destroyed a Washington Ace Hardware store, the store owner and its insurer said Tuesday in a suit against the toolmaker in Washington federal court, seeking to recover more than $8.7 million in damages.

  • March 24, 2026

    ITC Opens More Infringement Probes Into New IP Matters

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has launched more infringement investigations over patents and other intellectual property that have not been in dispute there before, a trend attorneys say could be tied to a decision broadening who can get imports blocked as well as changes at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that limit patent challenges.

  • March 24, 2026

    Justices Asked To Revisit 9th Circ.'s Walmart Copyright Ruling

    A sculptural lamp designer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a split Ninth Circuit decision that overturned part of a copyright jury verdict against Walmart, arguing that the appellate court improperly reweighed trial evidence after the retailer failed to appeal the denial of its post-verdict motion for judgment as a matter of law.

  • March 24, 2026

    Court Rules Insurers Not Liable For Nitrous Oxide Injuries

    A Louisiana federal judge has released two insurance companies from having to defend a nitrous oxide seller in a personal injury suit after the court found that injuries stemming from the use of psychotropic substances were excluded from coverage.

  • March 24, 2026

    Zillow Wants Out Of Proposed Monopoly Class Action

    Zillow Group Inc. urged a Washington federal court to dismiss a proposed class action alleging real estate agents were forced to promote its loan business in exchange for client referrals, arguing the agents failed to name which market was impacted by the alleged conduct.

  • March 24, 2026

    EU, Australia Reach Major Free Trade Deal, Cut Tariffs

    The European Union and Australia on Tuesday agreed to terms of a free trade deal that would nearly zero out tariffs on trade between them following eight years of negotiations.

  • March 24, 2026

    Nike Awarded $11M In TM Trial Against Influencer, Retailer

    A Central District of California federal jury has found that a social media influencer and his streetwear brand should pay a total of $11 million for selling knockoff Nike products and infringing its trademarks.

  • March 23, 2026

    Fertilizer Makers Hit With Proposed Price-Fixing Class Action

    A Missouri farm Monday filed a proposed class action accusing fertilizer companies of conspiring to fix the prices of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium products, adding to growing scrutiny of the fertilizer market.

  • March 23, 2026

    Wash. OKs Cash Transaction Rounding Rules As Penny Fades

    Washington adopted a law on Monday allowing cash retail transactions to be rounded to the nearest nickel increment, providing clarity for Evergreen State merchants in the wake of the federal government's decision to stop making pennies last year.

  • March 23, 2026

    Hemp Co. Pans 'Scattershot' Counterclaims In Soured Biz Deal

    A North Carolina industrial hemp distributor has urged a federal judge to toss counterclaims lobbed against it from a state lawmaker's CBD company, alleging that all the fraud claims are too "wide-ranging" and "scatter-shot" to pass muster.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

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    Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

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    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Privacy Lessons From FTC Settlement With Chinese Toymaker

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    In U.S. v. Apitor Technology, the Federal Trade Commission recently settled with a Chinese toy manufacturer that shared children's physical location with a third-party app provider, but the privacy lessons from the settlement extend beyond companies focusing on children's products, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • TikTok Divestiture Deal Revolves Around IP Considerations

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    The divestiture deal between the U.S. and China to resolve a security dispute over TikTok's U.S. operations is seen as a diplomatic breakthrough, but its success hinges on the treatment of intellectual property and may set a precedent in the global contest over digital sovereignty and IP control, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • AG Watch: Illinois A Key Player In State-Level Enforcement

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    Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has systematically strengthened his office to fill federal enforcement gaps, oppose Trump administration mandates and advance state policy objectives, particularly by aggressively pursuing labor-related issues, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • How A 9th Circ. False Ad Ruling Could Shift Class Certification

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    The Ninth Circuit's July decision in Noohi v. Johnson & Johnson, holding that unexecuted damages models may suffice for purposes of class certification, has the potential to create judicial inefficiencies and crippling uncertainties for class action defendants, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Strategies For Merchants As Payment Processing Costs Rise

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    As current economic pressures and rising card processing costs threaten to decrease margins for businesses, retail merchants should consider restructuring how payments are made and who processes them within the evolving legal framework, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • What To Know About Interim Licenses In Global FRAND Cases

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    Recent U.K. court decisions have shaped a framework for interim licenses in global standard-essential patent disputes, under which parties can benefit from operating on temporary terms while a court determines the final fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms — but the future of this developing remedy is in doubt, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Compliance Tips Amid Rising FTC Scrutiny Of Minors' Privacy

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    The Federal Trade Commission has recently rolled out multiple enforcement actions related to children's privacy, highlighting a renewed focus on federal regulation of minors' personal information and the evolving challenges of establishing effective, privacy-protective age assurance solutions, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

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