Retail & E-Commerce

  • April 04, 2025

    Off The Bench: City Sues Sportsbooks, Ex-NFLer Battles TMZ

    In this week's Off The Bench, Baltimore joins the fight against promotional tactics by DraftKings and FanDuel, Terrell Owens tries to protect a catchphrase in a trademark suit, and a trial over a child's injuries at a golf facility draws closer.

  • April 03, 2025

    Wash. Justices To Hear Amazon Chemical Suicide Suits

    The Washington Supreme Court will review whether Amazon can be sued under the state's product liability law for the online sale of a chemical that four people used to kill themselves, in cases brought by family members that were dismissed by a lower appellate court.

  • April 03, 2025

    Bigelow CEO Denies Deliberately Misleading Tea Buyers

    The CEO of R.C. Bigelow repeatedly denied from a California federal court witness stand Thursday that her company deliberately misled consumers by labeling its teas as "manufactured in the USA 100%," saying that the phrase — which a judge has already found to be false — was well-intentioned.

  • April 03, 2025

    CFPB Says It Will Reopen Small-Biz Lending Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that it will reopen its Biden-era rule requiring financial institutions to report data on their small business lending activity, the latest policy pivot for the agency under its new Trump-appointed leadership.

  • April 03, 2025

    Samsung Can't Yet Beat Epic's Claim It Colluded With Google

    A California federal judge denied Samsung's bid to end Epic Games' suit claiming it colluded with Google to skirt an impending injunction forcing Google to allow competition with its Play Store, saying Thursday the allegations are plausibly stated so "this is not time to put an end to the case."

  • April 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts SuperValu's Bid To Lower $22.5M Pension Bill

    The Seventh Circuit appeared Thursday to lean against a grocery store's effort to lower its $22.5 million union pension bill, with multiple judges challenging the employer's argument that stores sold months before a complete fund withdrawal should be excluded from its annual payment calculation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Amazon, Biotech Net $1.9M Win Against Fake Supplement Sellers

    A Washington federal judge has awarded biotechnology company Quincy Biosciences and Amazon a combined total of $1,895,375.40 in default judgments against several individuals who hawked counterfeit Prevagen brain health products through Amazon's marketplace, after the sellers failed to appear or participate in the case.

  • April 03, 2025

    Kroger, Albertsons Argue Colo. No-Poach Suit Is Preempted

    Kroger Co. and Albertsons urged a Colorado federal judge to toss a worker's proposed class action claiming the grocers violated state antitrust law with a no-poach agreement, arguing Thursday that the claims are exclusively governed by federal labor law.

  • April 03, 2025

    Benesch Escapes Claims It Fumbled Ex-Client's IP Theft Probe

    An Illinois federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from a woman who alleged that a firm she hired botched a potential trade secrets case involving a spill-proof children's lid she claims she created, saying the plaintiff failed to show that Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP permanently damaged her ability to pursue her underlying legal claims.

  • April 03, 2025

    Franchise Group, Lenders Clash Over Control Of Ch. 11 Case

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Thursday she would soon decide whether retail-chain owner Franchise Group Inc. can keep exclusive control over its efforts to confirm a reorganization deal, as a group of lenders that considers the debtor's Chapter 11 plan "unconfirmable" works to intervene in the process.

  • April 03, 2025

    Google, Apple Staff Must Testify In Meta Antitrust Case

    A D.C. federal judge said current and former employees of Google, Apple, TikTok, X Corp., Snap and other tech companies must testify at the Federal Trade Commission's upcoming antitrust trial against Meta Platforms Inc.

  • April 03, 2025

    Online Alcohol Shop, Distributor Near Deal In Antitrust Fight

    Online marketplace Provi and major wine distributor Southern Glazer's Wine have struck a deal in principle to resolve their dispute in an antitrust suit claiming the distributor conspired to stifle competition, according to a notice they have filed in Illinois federal court.

  • April 03, 2025

    Baltimore Sues 'Exploitative' Online Sports Betting Giants

    The city of Baltimore, in what appears to be a groundbreaking action for a municipality, on Thursday became the latest entity to sue sportsbooks DraftKings and FanDuel for alleged deceptive practices to entice potential bettors.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ex Jushi Exec Says Pot Co. Fired Him For Whistleblowing

    The former chief operating officer for Jushi Holdings Inc. is suing the cannabis company, saying he was wrongly terminated after working to ensure the company's facilities met safety and compliance standards.

  • April 03, 2025

    Rent-A-Center Faces PAGA Suit Over Unpaid OT Claims

    A rent-to-own company and several alter-ego companies pressured employees to meet productivity quotas despite being understaffed and discouraged them from recording off-the-clock work, a worker alleged in a suit brought under California's Private Attorneys General Act in state court.

  • April 03, 2025

    Amazon Bids For TikTok As US Ban Nears, And More Rumors

    Amazon has emerged as a last-minute bidder for TikTok, which faces a looming ban in the United States if the popular video app is not separated from its own Chinese owner, while two of China's biggest automakers are pursuing a merger and Brookfield Asset Management is finalizing a deal to acquire Colonial Pipeline Inc. for more than $9 billion.

  • April 03, 2025

    Diageo GC Resigns For Top Legal Role At Thermo Fisher

    The general counsel at Diageo PLC will depart the British spirits maker for a similar position at biotechnology company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., he announced in a LinkedIn post.

  • April 03, 2025

    Accountant Cleared To Testify In Malpractice Case Against Her

    An accountant accused of malpractice can testify about whether her actions were reasonable when she allegedly failed to tell a client about a change in tax law stemming from the U.S. Supreme Court's Wayfair decision, a state Business Court judge has ruled.

  • April 03, 2025

    SunSetter To Pay $9M Over Defective Awning Covers

    A Massachusetts awning manufacturer will pay $9.25 million and implement a new compliance program to settle civil claims that it failed to report defective awning covers to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, allegedly leading to multiple injuries and at least one death.

  • April 02, 2025

    Bigelow VP Didn't Want Name In Emails About 'USA' Label

    A former R.C. Bigelow vice president testified Wednesday in a trial over the labeling of its products as "manufactured in the USA," agreeing that he once told a Bigelow executive he wished his name wasn't connected to the label, which a California federal judge has found to be false.

  • April 02, 2025

    Sprouts Hid Unsafe Heavy Metal In Sunflower Butter, Suit Says

    Sprouts Farmers Market misleads customers into thinking its sunflower butter spreads sold under Sprouts' own brand is made with high-quality protein and safe to consume, despite containing dangerous levels of cadmium, which poses serious health risks, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court. 

  • April 02, 2025

    Jack in the Box Accused Of Killing Wash. Franchise Deals

    Two Jack in the Box Inc. franchisees claim the fast-food chain is using a series of recent closures as a pretext to seize the nearly 40 other financially viable locations they operate across Washington state, according to a new lawsuit seeking to stop the alleged takeover.

  • April 02, 2025

    Parents, Distributor Settle Suit Over Baby Lounger Death

    The distributor of an infant lounger and a Texas couple who allege that their 7-month-old daughter died after falling out of the device told a Texas federal court this week that they had reached a deal in the parents' suit.

  • April 02, 2025

    Opendoor To Settle Shareholders' Real Estate Tech Suit

    Investors in real estate firm Opendoor Technologies Inc. said in a court filing Wednesday that they've struck a deal to end a lawsuit accusing the company of overhyping its pricing algorithm software prior to going public in a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company.

  • April 02, 2025

    Kove Wants Fed. Circ. To Back $673M IP Win Against Amazon

    Software company Kove IO Inc. is defending a $673 million judgment it secured against Amazon in Illinois federal court last year, contesting Amazon's argument on appeal that the figure was won using cloud data storage patents that should be invalidated.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Marketing Messages Matter In State AG Consumer Protection

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    Attorneys general interpret marketing claims far more broadly than many companies may realize, so to mitigate potential risk, businesses should be vigilant about all consumer messaging, including communications that may not traditionally be considered advertising in the colloquial sense, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

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    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

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    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Netflix Dispute May Alter 'Source' In TM Fair-Use Analysis

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    ​The Ninth Circuit’s upcoming decision in Hara v. Netflix​, about what it means to be source-identifying​, could change how the Rogers defense protects expressive works that utilize trademarks in a creative fashion, says Sara Gold at Gold IP.

  • What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry

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    The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Tracking The Uncertainty Of The FTC's Negative Option Rule

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    The fate of the Federal Trade Commission's final rule requiring businesses that utilize negative options to provide consumers with a simple cancellation method remains in limbo as it faces multiple legal challenges and the threat of possible congressional action looms, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Antitrust in Retail: Handbag Ruling Won't Go Out Of Fashion

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    Although a New York federal court’s recent decision to enjoin a proposed $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Michael Kors and Coach applied noncontroversial antitrust interpretations, several notable aspects of the opinion stand out as likely candidates for further discussion in future merger litigation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • What New Calif. Law Means For Cannabis Lounges

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    With a recently enacted California law authorizing licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses to prepare and sell noncannabis food and beverages, the door opens for a more sustainable business model — but challenges related to costs and liability remain, says Tracy Gallegos at Duane Morris.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

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