Retail & E-Commerce

  • December 10, 2025

    VPR Settles Trademark Dispute With Chinese Vape Makers

    The three-year legal saga between U.S. and Chinese vaping companies over who could control the Elf Bar name appears to be coming to an end, the parties have told a Florida federal court, saying they've reached a deal that would end a number of overlapping intellectual property lawsuits that made it all the way to the Federal Circuit.

  • December 10, 2025

    Fla. Mall Says Insurer's Theft Claim Denial Lacks Evidence

    An shopping center in Orlando, Florida, hit a QBE Insurance unit with a complaint in federal district court alleging the insurer has no basis for denying its claim of over $850,000 in damages after the mall's property was vandalized.

  • December 10, 2025

    Dreyer's Misleads Fruit Bar Buyers About 'Processed' Treats

    Dreyer's falsely claims that its Outshine fruit bars are nutritionally equivalent to eating real fruit, despite containing large amounts of added sugar and artificial ingredients, which means the products are "engineered, processed desserts, not simple frozen fruit," a proposed class action filed Tuesday in California federal court alleges.

  • December 10, 2025

    LeBron Secures 'More Than An Athlete' TM Win At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday shot down a challenge to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's finding that NBA star LeBron James and his company Uninterrupted IP LLC have the trademark rights to the phrase "More Than An Athlete."

  • December 10, 2025

    Ohio Lawmakers OK Limits On Pot Legalization, Tax Law

    Ohio would restrict cannabis use and the sale of intoxicating hemp products with new criminal penalties for certain activities and make other changes to the state's voter-approved marijuana legalization and taxation law under legislation passed by lawmakers and heading to the governor.

  • December 10, 2025

    Amazon, P&G Sue Chinese Sellers Over Counterfeit Bug Traps

    Amazon.com Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. are suing a group of Chinese people and entities, alleging they have used Amazon's storefront to sell counterfeit insect traps using P&G's trademarks.

  • December 10, 2025

    Staffing, Consulting Cos. Face PAGA Suit Over Unpaid Wages

    Two staffing companies and an account and consulting entity failed to pay employees for all time that they worked and manipulated their time entries, two workers said in a Private Attorneys General Act suit lodged in California state court.

  • December 09, 2025

    Smucker Pet Food Buyers Near Cert. In PFAS Disclosure Fight

    A California federal judge said Tuesday he's inclined to certify a class of consumers who allege The J.M. Smucker Co. failed to disclose risks of so-called PFAS forever chemicals in pet-food packaging contaminating kibble, telling counsel during a hearing that many issues Smucker raises "are better addressed on the merits."

  • December 09, 2025

    J&J Expert Tells Jury Women's Cancer Can't Be Traced To Talc

    A University of California San Diego gynecologic oncologist told a California jury Tuesday in a bellwether trial over claims that Johnson & Johnson's talc products caused two women's ovarian cancer that it is "impossible" to conclude why any particular person contracts the deadly disease. 

  • December 09, 2025

    Chipotle Bowl Delivered By DoorDash Had 'Rodent,' Suit Says

    A New York woman has sued Chipotle, DoorDash and one of the food delivery company's "dashers," alleging in a complaint filed in New York state court that she "bit into a rodent" concealed in a burrito bowl she had delivered from the fast-casual restaurant chain.

  • December 09, 2025

    Alaska And Juul Settle Vape Youth Suit For $5.8M

    Juul Labs Inc. has agreed to pay $5.8 million to end claims it targeted young people in Alaska, according to an agreement the state and company signed that requires Juul to adhere to strict marketing and age-verification rules.

  • December 09, 2025

    CoStar Urges Justices To Review Revived Antitrust Claims

    CoStar is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling reviving antitrust counterclaims from a rival commercial real estate platform, saying the appeals court accepted a novel theory of what constitutes exclusive dealing.

  • December 09, 2025

    Nylon Maker Ascend Secures OK For Ch. 11 Plan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge agreed Tuesday to approve the Chapter 11 plan of nylon manufacturer Ascend Performance Materials, commending the debtor on reaching a largely consensual restructuring proposal eight months after its free-fall bankruptcy filing.

  • December 09, 2025

    HBO Max Subscribers Sue To Stop Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal

    HBO Max subscribers slapped Netflix with one of the first proposed class actions seeking to halt the streaming behemoth's $82.7 billion plan to buy Warner Bros.' studio and streaming business, calling the deal "one of the more audacious horizontal mergers in recent memory."

  • December 09, 2025

    Conn. Seems Open To Limits On Drug Price Cap Enforcement

    The state of Connecticut suggested Tuesday that drug sales to the state were not the same as drug sales "in this state" as defined by state law, a stance drug manufacturers promised to leverage in their efforts to block an impending drug price cap.

  • December 09, 2025

    Cannabis Stores Can't Sue Under RICO, 9th Circ. Rules

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday backed a federal judge in tossing racketeering claims brought against a California city by a group of companies facing more than $5 million in local government fees under a contract to allow construction of six cannabis cultivation facilities.

  • December 09, 2025

    Mistrial Declared In Fla. Opioid Case Against Pharmacies

    A Florida state judge declared a mistrial following a hung jury after two weeks of deliberations in a lawsuit brought by hospitals alleging that Walmart, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies negligently doled out painkillers and contributed to the opioid crisis. 

  • December 09, 2025

    Amazon Still Can't Claw Back FTC Probe Documents

    A Washington federal judge refused Monday to reconsider his order allowing the Federal Trade Commission to hold on to documents produced in the investigation preceding its antitrust lawsuit accusing Amazon of creating an artificial pricing floor, concluding the online retail giant never clearly argued any material was produced "inadvertently."

  • December 09, 2025

    Va. Says Vape Cos. Have No Standing To Challenge State Ban

    The Virginia Attorney General and tax commissioner are urging a federal court to deny a bid to block enforcement of its ban on unapproved e-cigarettes, saying the companies leading the suit don't have standing because the products are federally illegal.

  • December 08, 2025

    7-Eleven To Pay $4.5M Penalty Over Fla. Gas Station Buy

    7-Eleven Inc. and its Japanese parent company will pay a historic $4.5 million penalty to settle the Federal Trade Commission's allegations that the convenience store giant bought a Florida gas station without first informing the FTC, in violation of a 2018 agreement, the agency announced Monday.

  • December 08, 2025

    Insurer Denies Coverage To Retailers For Kratom Death Suit

    An insurance company is arguing it has no obligation to defend two Washington retail smoke shops facing a lawsuit by a father who claims they sold kratom products that killed his son, telling a federal court that their policies do not cover injuries caused by the sale of products expected to cause injury.

  • December 08, 2025

    Epic Drops App Store Trade Libel Claims Against Google

    Video game and software developer Epic Games Inc. is dropping its trade libel case accusing Google LLC of making claims about its apps and store on Android devices, following a settlement between the tech giants.

  • December 08, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Express Mobile's Patents Or $40M Win

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board rightfully invalidated claims of three Express Mobile web-design patents, and a Delaware federal judge properly found Shopify didn't infringe additional, related patents, the Federal Circuit held Monday.

  • December 08, 2025

    Amazon, UL Say Chinese Cos. Lied About E-Bike Safety Tests

    Amazon and product safety organization UL are accusing a number of Chinese firms of falsely promoting their electric scooters and e-bikes as certified by UL despite never actually having their products tested by the 131-year-old safety group.

  • December 08, 2025

    Barclays Accused Of 'Vague' Account Closure Notifications

    A Barclays PLC subsidiary was hit Sunday with a proposed customer class action in California federal court accusing it of illegally shutting down accounts and providing only vague explanations for the closures, allegations that echo claims of so-called debanking that have been in the national spotlight.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. Should Prepare For Prop 65 Listing Of Bisphenols

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    California regulators are moving toward classifying all p,p'-bisphenol chemicals as causing reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, which could require warning notices for a vast range of consumer and industrial products, and open the floodgates to private litigation — so companies should proactively review their suppy chains, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • Rule Amendments Pave Path For A Privilege Claim 'Offensive'

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    Litigators should consider leveraging forthcoming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which will require early negotiations of privilege-related discovery claims, by taking an offensive posture toward privilege logs at the outset of discovery, says David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law.

  • Series

    My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

  • Litigation Funding Could Create Ethics Issues For Attorneys

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    A litigation investor’s recent complaint claiming a New York mass torts lawyer effectively ran a Ponzi scheme illustrates how litigation funding arrangements can subject attorneys to legal ethics dilemmas and potential liability, so engagement letters must have very clear terms, says Matthew Feinberg at Goldberg Segalla.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

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    Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • The Legal Issues With AI Agents In Consumer Transactions

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    Enabling artificial intelligence agents to handle not just research and recommendations, but the execution of purchases themselves, fundamentally alters commercial relationships and introduces new practical and legal questions for card issuers, merchants, acquirers and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Wash. Email Subject Line Ruling Puts Retailers On The Hook

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    The Washington state Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy, finding that a state law prohibits misleading email subject lines, has opened the door to nationwide copycat litigation, introducing potential exposure measured not in thousands, but in millions or even billions of dollars for retailers, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Building With Lego Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Building with Lego has taught me to follow directions and adapt to unexpected challenges, and in pairing discipline with imagination, allows me to stay grounded while finding new ways to make complex deals come together, says Paul Levin at Venable.

  • How Banks Can Safely Handle Payments For Gambling Biz

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    As the betting market continues to expand, it's crucial for banks and fintechs to track historical developments in wagering and ongoing prediction markets litigation that can factor into a risk analysis for payment processing with respect to gambling operators, says Laura D'Angelo at Jones Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101

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    Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.

  • Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions

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    State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

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    The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

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    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

  • Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

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    Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • 2nd Circ. Peloton Ruling Emphasizes Disclosure Context

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision to revive shareholders’ suit alleging that Peloton made materially misleading statements makes clear that public companies must continually review risk disclosures to determine if previous hypotheticals have materialized, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

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