Retail & E-Commerce

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ's Apple Antitrust Suit Gets New Judge After Recusal

    The New Jersey federal judge overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice's recent iPhone antitrust case against Apple recused himself from the litigation Wednesday, according to a text order posted to the docket reassigning the case.

  • April 10, 2024

    US, Mexico Resolve Labor Complaints At Two Mexico Plants

    Workers at two Mexico automotive part facilities can now organize under a union of their choice after concerns of labor violations were resolved through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement's labor rights tool, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced.

  • April 10, 2024

    UGG, Wal-Mart Ordered To File More Details On Slipper Patent

    A California federal judge has ordered Deckers Outdoor Corp. and Wal-Mart Inc. to submit joint briefing on claim construction for an UGG slipper design patent that Deckers alleges the big-box retailer is infringing, saying there is insufficient information for the court to make a decision on summary judgment.

  • April 10, 2024

    Plastic Surgeon Owes $7.7M From Offshore Scheme, US Says

    A now-retired plastic surgeon owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $7.7 million after he ran an offshore employee leasing scheme and he and his wife transferred nearly all their assets to their then-11-year-old daughter, who is now a lawyer, the government told an Ohio federal court.

  • April 10, 2024

    Amazon Hit With $525M Verdict Over Data Storage Patents

    An Illinois federal jury on Wednesday found that Amazon infringed three of a Chicago software company's patents relating to cloud data storage technology, determining that while the infringement was not willful, Amazon owes $525 million in damages.

  • April 10, 2024

    Dormant Commerce Applies To Cannabis, 2nd Circ. Told

    A California lawyer whose companies have filed multiple lawsuits challenging state and local cannabis licensure programs has urged the Second Circuit to find that the dormant commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution applies to federally illegal marijuana.

  • April 10, 2024

    WTO Forecasts Global Trade Rebound But Warns Of Risks

    The World Trade Organization on Wednesday said it is forecasting an uptick in global trade this year and into 2025 following a decline in 2023 due to high energy prices and inflation, but warned that geopolitical tensions could hinder the rebound.

  • April 10, 2024

    Ex-CBD Exec Says He Was Duped Into Investment

    The former chief operating officer of health goods supplier and CBD seller Premier Beauty and Health LLC told jurors Wednesday that he was misled by the company's executives — who were also his family members — into investing in a company that was less profitable and stable than he had been told.

  • April 10, 2024

    Retailer 99 Cents Can Tap $60.8M DIP For Ch. 11 Winddown

    99 Cents Only can access $20.5 million of its Chapter 11 financing package, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Wednesday, after attorneys for the discount retail chain resolved a handful of objections to first day approval of its debtor-in-possession loan.

  • April 10, 2024

    Pharmacy Gets Eli Lilly's Mounjaro Suit Tossed

    A Florida federal judge has thrown out Eli Lilly & Co.'s suit accusing an online pharmacy of wrongly selling a compounded version of its drug Mounjaro, saying Eli Lilly was "using state law to enforce the terms of" federal law.

  • April 10, 2024

    'Woodstock' Rivals Set To Test Weed-Adjacent Marks At Trial

    The promoter of the famed 1969 Woodstock music fair sparred Wednesday in Manhattan federal court with an alleged usurper of its prospective right to Woodstock trademarks in the evolving marijuana market, with a jury set to hear the strangely postured dispute.

  • April 10, 2024

    Settlements Prompt SC Cheer Abuse Case Dismissal

    Four suits levying sexual abuse allegations against competitive cheerleading's power brokers have been tossed from South Carolina federal court as a series of settlements have shifted the focus of the litigation from corporate giants to individual gyms and coaches.

  • April 10, 2024

    Trade Court Rules CBP Should've Labeled Planners As Diaries

    The U.S. Court of International Trade on Wednesday ruled that U.S. Customs and Border Protection improperly classified imports of a California calendar company's weekly-plus-monthly planners as notebooks, saying the products are diaries because they have spaces meant for jotting down reminders.

  • April 10, 2024

    Ex-Coupang Atty Fights Bid To Toss Whistleblower Suit

    A former in-house attorney at South Korean conglomerate Coupang told a Washington federal judge this week that his whistleblower claims against the company are valid according to the terms of his employment contract.

  • April 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Arbitration Carveout Doesn't Apply To Cos.

    Section 1 of the Federal Arbitration Act only applies to humans, not companies, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday, affirming a Washington federal court decision shipping three Amazon workers' misclassification suit to arbitration.

  • April 10, 2024

    Freshfields Guides EBay On Multipronged Trading Card Deal

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is guiding eBay Inc. on new agreements with collectibles grading company Collectors that include eBay acquiring Collectors' Goldin auction house, in what the companies said Wednesday is an effort to streamline the trading card hobby in the U.S.

  • April 10, 2024

    Pot Cos. Say California City Reneged On Fee Waiver Promise

    Six cannabis companies are suing the city of Cudahy in California federal court, saying the city breached its contracts by refusing to waive fees accrued during national emergencies and city-caused delays, costing the companies more than $26 million in damages.

  • April 10, 2024

    Macy's, Activist Firm End Board Fight, Takeover Talks Proceed

    Macy's and activist investment firm Arkhouse Management Co. said Wednesday they have settled their proxy dispute by appointing two independent directors to the retailer's board, paving the way for further negotiations regarding a prior $6.6 billion acquisition proposal submitted by Arkhouse and Brigade Capital Management LP.

  • April 09, 2024

    Walmart Hit With $101M Verdict In Trial Over PPE Contracts

    An Arkansas jury hit Walmart with a $101 million verdict Tuesday for breaching an agreement to purchase more than $500 million in personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic, while also finding in favor of the retail giant's tort counterclaims.

  • April 09, 2024

    Philips, Feds Enter Consent Decree Over Sleep Apnea Devices

    Philips Respironics can't make sleep apnea breathing machines until it hires an independent monitor, undergoes inspections and meets its obligations under a plan to remediate patients affected by a 2021 recall of such devices, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.

  • April 09, 2024

    99 Cents Only Moves Forward On Ch. 11 Shutdown Plans

    Discount retail store 99 Cents Only is on track to close its 371 stores by the end of May as part of its Chapter 11 case after a Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved first-day motions that lay groundwork for the company to close down, but held off on approving a debtor-in-possession package until terms reached during hallway negotiations can be memorialized.

  • April 09, 2024

    Dole Escapes Fruit Snack False Ad Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge has tossed a proposed class action accusing Dole Packaged Foods LLC of falsely labeling its fruit snacks as nutritious and healthy when the products are filled with sugar, saying the challenged statements are "puffery."

  • April 09, 2024

    Starbucks' Calif. Stores Lack Lactation Spaces, Suit Says

    A Starbucks employee brought a proposed class action in California state court on behalf of similarly situated workers in the Golden State over the coffeehouse chain's "systemic failure" to provide adequate lactation spaces and sufficient pumping time for nursing employees.

  • April 09, 2024

    StarKist, PE Co. Settle Tuna Price-Fixing Claims For $3.9M

    Canned tuna buyers are hoping to settle their long-running price-fixing suit with StarKist and Bumble Bee, asking a California federal judge for preliminary approval of two class action payouts worth a total of $3.87 million.

  • April 09, 2024

    Wash. High Court Leaves Gun Magazine Ban In Place

    The Washington state Supreme Court has paused a judge's ruling that the state's law banning the sale of large-capacity magazines for firearms is unconstitutional.

Expert Analysis

  • What Retailers Should Note In Calif. Web Tracking Suits

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    As retailers face a deluge of class actions alleging the use of conventional web analytic tools violate wiretapping and eavesdropping provisions of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, uncovering the path toward a narrow interpretation of the law will largely depend on how these cases proceed, say Matthew Pearson and Kareem Salem at BakerHostetler.

  • Chancery's Sears Ruling Clarifies Stockholder Duties

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    In a recent landmark decision involving stockholders of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, the Delaware Chancery Court addressed for the first time what precise duties a controlling stockholder owes, highlighting that controller interference with board action is not per se invalid and that enhanced scrutiny is a reasonableness test, say Christopher Chuff and Taylor Bartholomew at Troutman Pepper.

  • What's At Stake In High Court NLRB Injunction Case

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    William Baker at Wigdor examines the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear Starbucks v. McKinney — where it will consider a long-standing circuit split over the standard for evaluating National Labor Relations Board injunction bids — and explains why the justices’ eventual decision, either way, is unlikely to be a significant blow to labor.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Expediting Psychedelics Approvals In The US And Canada

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    Accelerated regulatory pathways for psychedelics in the U.S. and Canada play a pivotal role in the progression of drugs, devices and novel therapies toward commercialization, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell, and Ana Dukic and Sabrina Ramkellawan at AxialBridge.

  • Directors And Officers Face Unique AI-Related Risks

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    As privacy, intellectual property and discrimination lawsuits focusing on artificial intelligence increase, corporate directors and officers must stay aware of associated risks, including those related to compliance, litigation and cybersecurity, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • New Strain Of Web Tracking Suits Pose Risks For Retailers

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    Amid an ongoing surge of California state and federal lawsuits that are using novel theories to allege companies used certain recording technologies to illegally track website users, retailers should take steps to develop a potential argument that customers consented to any alleged uses of these devices, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property

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    In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Unraveling The Bundled Benefits Of Retail Memberships

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    The recent prevalence of paid retail memberships and the associated findings of a consumer survey suggest that assessing consumer preferences and welfare may be important when considering resolution mechanisms in antitrust contexts, say Rosa M. Abrantes-Metz at Berkeley Research Group, Mame Maloney at The Brattle Group and Jeff Brazell at the University of Utah.

  • Opinion

    Stakeholder Amici Should Be Heard In Russian Trade Case

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    Although the U.S. Court of International Trade recently rejected U.S. Steel's amicus brief in NLMK Pennsylvania v. U.S., other industry stakeholders should seek to appear — and the court should allow it because additional perspectives will lead to a more informed ruling, say attorneys Jeffrey Shapiro and Michael Andrews.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

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    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • US Cos. Must Guard Against Russian Diversion Of Goods

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    Amid allegations that Russia is end-running trade sanctions through the diversion of otherwise innocuous, everyday goods, U.S. industry involved in the manufacture or distribution of electric products must step up its customer and partner due diligence to avoid unwittingly facilitating the weapons proliferation cycle, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

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