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Consumer Protection
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May 31, 2024
Dunkin' Near Tossing Milk-Alternative Bias Case, For Now
A California federal judge indicated Friday she's inclined to dismiss a proposed class action claiming Dunkin Donuts LLC violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by charging extra for beverages with nondairy milk, but said she'll likely allow the plaintiff customers to amend their complaint.
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May 31, 2024
T-Mobile Gets Investor Data Consolidation Suit Tossed In Del.
T-Mobile US Inc. has escaped a shareholder suit claiming its board centralized customer data to enrich its corporate parent, which resulted in compromised data security and cyberattacks, with a Delaware vice chancellor saying the suit only shows that T-Mobile and its parent company centralized the data to make it easier to access and nothing more.
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May 31, 2024
Martinelli & Co. Sued Over Arsenic In Apple Juice
A consumer hit S. Martinelli & Co. with a proposed class action in New York federal court Friday over allegations that the company failed to disclose that its apple juice contains arsenic, saying a recent recall campaign has been "a complete and abject failure."
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May 31, 2024
Subaru Drivers Reach Class Deal Over Defective Fuel Pumps
A group of Subaru of America Inc. drivers asked a New Jersey federal judge Thursday to greenlight a settlement resolving proposed class claims that they bought or leased cars containing defective fuel pumps, saying the deal would provide "concrete, real-world benefits" via reimbursements and extended warranties.
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May 31, 2024
Zillow Rival Tells 9th Circ. Listing Snub Not 'Optional'
Defunct brokerage platform REX-Real Estate Exchange Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit to revive its deceptive practices suit against Zillow, arguing a Washington federal judge wrongly let the property listing giant off the hook for relegating REX home sale listings to a secondary tab on its website.
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May 31, 2024
Orrick's $8M Deal To End Data Breach Claims Nears Prelim OK
A California federal judge indicated Friday that she'll preliminarily approve Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP's $8 million deal to end putative class claims over a 2023 data breach that purportedly exposed personal information for 638,000 individuals, but said the "very broad" scope of the settlement's release "raised my eyebrows."
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May 31, 2024
Class Wants Holland & Hart Deposed Over Discovery Lapses
A Washington consumer bringing a class action against High 5 Games is seeking to depose the company's defense team, accusing its employees and attorneys of a "years-long campaign of discovery misconduct" that hid records showing the game seller targeted gambling addicts for profit on its social casino apps deceptively marketed as free-to-play.
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May 31, 2024
Judge Axes Class Claims In Navy Federal Discrimination Suit
A Virginia federal judge has cut claims and denied class certification in a suit accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of racial lending discrimination, saying the statistical evidence from media reports does not establish intentional discrimination.
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May 31, 2024
Intelsat Worries Over Reg Fee Spike For FCC Space Bureau
Satellite network provider Intelsat is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to slow down with fee increases for its new Space Bureau, telling the commission in a series of meetings that rate changes proposed in March would bring about massive hikes for the industry.
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May 31, 2024
Fla. Judge Won't Nix SEC Suit Over $112M Ponzi Scheme
A Florida federal judge declined on Friday to let the owner of a Florida trucking and logistics company escape allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he scammed more than 1,500 investors out of about $112 million in a Ponzi scheme aimed at Haitian Americans.
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May 31, 2024
9th Circ. Says LA's COVID-19 Eviction Ban Was No Taking
The Ninth Circuit on Friday declined to reinstate a Los Angeles landlord's $100 million suit challenging the city's pandemic-era eviction ban, finding it didn't constitute a physical taking since the landlord "voluntarily opened" his property to tenants, and that loss of rental income itself doesn't establish a governmental taking.
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May 31, 2024
Haleon Sued Over 'Natural Flavors' Emergen-C Labels
Pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Holdings, now Haleon PLC, was hit with a proposed class action in California federal court by two consumers who allege the company falsely labels its vitamin C drink mix as containing natural flavors even though its made with artificial ingredients.
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May 31, 2024
DOJ Slams Apple's Planned Bid To Dismiss Antitrust Suit
The U.S. Justice Department has hit back against Apple's proposed bid to exit the department's antitrust suit claiming that the company is monopolizing the smartphone market, arguing that the technology giant ignores "well-pleaded facts" and misinterprets the law.
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May 31, 2024
DOJ's Ad Tech Case May Go To Judge, Not Jury, After All
A Justice Department lawyer told a Virginia federal judge Friday the government is "perfectly happy" to have a bench trial accusing Google of monopolizing key digital advertising technology after the judge signaled the search giant may have short-circuited the government's original and unusual bid for a jury trial.
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May 31, 2024
Colo. Justices Agree To Weigh In On Blackstone Lease Row
Colorado's high court agreed Wednesday to answer two key questions in a putative class action against Blackstone subsidiaries, after a federal judge said tenants' claims alleging the companies' lease agreements violate state law present novel legal issues with little case law to provide guidance.
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May 31, 2024
As Broadband Subsidy Ends, Biden Pushes For Renewal
The White House pressured Congress on Friday to allocate new funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program as the subsidy officially shut down, cutting off a broadband discount to millions of low-income households.
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May 31, 2024
Former Miami City Atty Must Face Real Estate Fraud Suit
A former Miami city attorney can't escape a lawsuit that alleges she aided her husband in a real estate fraud scheme after a Florida state appeals court found the complaint had sufficient allegations to survive her sovereign immunity assertions.
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May 31, 2024
Fight Between Trustee, Law Firm May Mean Less For Creditors
In the bankruptcy of collapsed California debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group, a new law firm confirmed this week that it's not making payments to the bankruptcy estate, a situation that may limit a bankruptcy trustee's ability to make payments to creditors across the country.
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May 31, 2024
Judge Rejects Home Service Workers' Class Cert. Redo Bid
A Colorado federal judge once again refused to fully certify a putative class of home service professionals who accused HomeAdvisor Inc. and other parties of running a scheme where poor quality customer leads were generated and sold to home service professionals.
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May 31, 2024
Texas Judge Opts Not To Recuse And Tosses Chamber Suit
A Texas federal judge has thrown out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's suit seeking to block the Federal Trade Commission from implementing a ban on noncompete clauses because a different plaintiff was first to file, adding he declined to recuse himself because no companies in his stock portfolio were parties in the case.
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May 31, 2024
CFPB Sues PHEAA For Discharged Student Loan Collections
For the second time in a month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed an enforcement action against the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, a major student loan servicer, this time suing it in Pennsylvania federal court for allegedly pursuing unlawful collections on loans discharged in bankruptcy.
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May 30, 2024
FTC, SEC Urged To Probe UnitedHealth's 'Negligent' Security
The chair of the U.S. Senate finance committee on Thursday pressed the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to hold UnitedHealth Group and its top executives liable for "numerous" cybersecurity failings that fueled a debilitating cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit.
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May 30, 2024
CFPB To Probe 'Junk Fees' In Mortgage Closing Costs
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that it will scrutinize how "junk fees" may be making it more expensive to purchase a home, kicking off a broad inquiry that could presage a crackdown on rising mortgage closing costs.
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May 30, 2024
Gov't Broadband Rules Must Not Deter Providers, NTIA Told
Small to medium-size internet providers could shy away from the federal government's massive broadband expansion program if rules requiring low-cost internet service end up being too heavy-handed, industry groups told the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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May 30, 2024
Healthcare Data Co. Says Blocked Access Could Kill Patients
A healthcare data company asked a Maryland federal court on Thursday to stop a rival from blocking access to nursing home patient records it said are needed to identify potential complications that could lead to hospitalization or death.
Expert Analysis
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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When The Platform Is A Product, Strict Liability Can Attach
A New York state court's recent ruling in Patterson v. Meta, holding that social media platforms can be considered products, appears to be the first of its kind — but if it is upheld and adopted by other courts, the liability implications for internet companies could be incredibly far-reaching, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.
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4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule
If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.
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What Lies Behind Diverging US And UK Insolvency Trends
Contrasting U.K. and U.S. insolvency trends highlight the importance of policy interventions in shaping consumer financial outcomes and economic recovery, and while the U.K.'s approach seems to have mitigated issues, the U.S. faces challenges exacerbated by economic conditions and policy transitions, says Thomas Curran at Thomas H. Curran Associates.
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8 Legal Issues Influencing Investors In The Creator Economy
The rapidly expanding digital creator economy — funding for which more than doubled in the U.S. in the first quarter — comes with its own set of unique legal issues investors must carefully consider before diving in, say Louis Lehot and Alan Pate at Foley & Lardner.
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Key Antitrust Class Certification Questions Remain Unclear
The U.S. Supreme Court, by recently rejecting certiorari in Visa v. National ATM, turned down the opportunity to clarify how to analyze disputed evidence bearing on the certification of antitrust class actions, leaving the applicable standards unclear instead of resolving this split of authority, says Jonathan Berman at Jones Day.
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Action Steps To Address New Restrictions On Outbound Data
Companies should immediately assess all their data-based operations so they can consider strategies to effectively mitigate new compliance risks brought on by recently implemented transaction restrictions, including a Justice Department proposal and landmark data legislation, say attorneys at Wiley.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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CFPB Reality Check: Video Game Cash Is Still Money
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report examining payments within online video games indicates that financial services offered within the game marketplace are quickly evolving to the point where they are indistinguishable from traditional financial services subject to regulation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
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The Legal Issues Raised In Minn. Rate Exportation Opt-Out Bill
A recent Minnesota House bill would amend state law by opting out of the federal interest rate preemption and introduce several legal gray areas if passed, including issues regarding loan location, rates on credit card loans and values of state charters, says Karen Grandstrand at Fredrikson & Byron.
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Keeping Up With Class Actions: A New Era Of Higher Stakes
Corporate defendants saw unprecedented settlement numbers across all areas of class action litigation in 2022 and 2023, and this year has kept pace so far, with three settlements that stand out for the nature of the claims and for their high dollar amounts, says Gerald Maatman at Duane Morris.
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What's Notable In JAMS' New Mass Arbitration Rules
The Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services’ recently released guidelines, coming on the heels of similar American Arbitration Association amendments, suggests that mass arbitrations will remain an efficient means for consumers to vindicate their rights against companies, say Jonathan Waisnor and Brandon Heitmann at Labaton Keller.
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5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow
The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.