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Consumer Protection
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July 10, 2024
Santa Clara Hospital Can't Fully Shake Online Tracking Suit
A California federal judge has refused to toss a proposed class action accusing Santa Clara Valley Medical Center of unlawfully sharing sensitive data with Meta and Google through online tracking tools embedded in its website and patient portal, rejecting the contention that the plaintiff had consented to these disclosures by agreeing to policies required to use the services.
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July 10, 2024
Pledging 'Accountability,' Biden's FDIC Pick Faces Senate Test
President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to stress her regulatory credentials and determination to fix the agency's troubled work culture when she goes before a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday for a confirmation hearing.
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July 10, 2024
Synapse Credit's Finance Lending License Pulled In California
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation on Wednesday revoked the financing lending license of Synapse Credit LLC, a subsidiary of Synapse Financial Technologies, whose April bankruptcy resulted in thousands of customers losing access to their accounts and funds.
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July 10, 2024
CFTC Says Internal Criticism 'Not Relevant' To Sanctions Bid
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission says that criticism leveled against it by one of its own members is "not relevant" to the agency's case against a foreign exchange firm accused of a $300 million fraud and has asked a New Jersey federal court not to consider the comments in deciding whether to issue sanctions against the regulator.
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July 10, 2024
SEC Exchange Plan Can't Stand Post-Chevron, Uniswap Says
Decentralized finance firm Uniswap Labs is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to adopt a rule that could force it and other cryptocurrency trading platforms to register with the agency as securities exchanges, saying the rule will not survive a legal challenge now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Chevron deference.
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July 10, 2024
FCC Says Nearly Half 'Rip And Replace' Providers Can't Finish
The Federal Communications Commission said the agency is going to need another $3 billion if it's to keep its promise to reimburse all the companies who agreed to rip out and replace their Chinese-made technology to alleviate security concerns.
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July 10, 2024
BofA Trims But Can't Beat Autopay Cancellation Suit
A California federal judge trimmed a proposed class action against Bank of America, alleging it failed to tell consumers their autopay settings would be canceled if they did not continuously use their credit cards, agreeing with the bank that the Consumers Legal Remedies Act does not apply to credit cards.
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July 10, 2024
FTC Must Think Hard Before Trying More Rules, Commish Says
One of the Federal Trade Commission's recently confirmed Republican commissioners called on the agency Wednesday to take a close look at how courts handle its ban on employment noncompete clauses before considering any further attempts at pushing the bounds of its regulatory authority.
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July 10, 2024
Major Cable Group Opposes FirstNet Bid For 4.9 GHz Manager
Cable trade group NCTA is urging the Federal Communications Commission to listen to the chorus of public safety groups who have been pushing hard against the idea of making AT&T's FirstNet the national manager of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band.
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July 10, 2024
FCC To Fine Telecom Involved In Universal Service Challenge
The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a $100,000 fine against an Ohio-based telecommunications company over late paperwork with the Universal Service Administration.
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July 10, 2024
Judge Chides Troopers' No-Show Atty At Sanctions Hearing
A Washington federal judge slapped a group of state troopers with sanctions Wednesday for defying a discovery order in their case against Ford Motor Co., while also calling out their attorney who failed to show up for the hearing despite the court's repeated prodding.
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July 10, 2024
House GOP Demands Info On BEAD 'Rate Regulation'
Congressional Republicans called on a top U.S. Department of Commerce official to release all communications with state agencies in charge of distributing federal broadband grants to see if the agencies were pressured into regulating rates.
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July 10, 2024
Wells Fargo Knew of 'Free Trial' Marketing Scam, Plaintiffs Say
A California federal judge was asked to keep alive a lawsuit alleging that through its problematic sales practices, Wells Fargo played a supporting role in two "free trial" marketing scams that pulled $200 million from consumers, with the plaintiffs arguing evidence shows Wells Fargo knew about the alleged fraud.
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July 10, 2024
Iowa Blasts Beverage Makers' Challenge To New Hemp Law
The state of Iowa is defending a new law placing restrictions on products with hemp-derived THC, saying the beverage makers who have challenged it in federal court will not prevail on their new claim that the law is unconstitutionally vague.
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July 10, 2024
Wyoming Officials Urge Court Not To Block New Hemp Law
Wyoming state officials have urged a federal judge not to block enforcement of a new law targeting hemp-derived intoxicating products, saying the law is not preempted by federal policy and that the state has an interest in cracking down on such wares.
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July 10, 2024
Behnam Tells Senate CFTC Is Ready To Be Retail Crypto Cop
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Rostin Behnam sought to assure lawmakers that his agency is ready to protect retail investors if it is given oversight of digital asset markets during a Wednesday Senate hearing setting the stage for a coming legislative proposal on the future of cryptocurrency regulation.
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July 10, 2024
Insurer Must Face Claims In Penile Implant Coverage Suit
An insurer can't escape a suit brought by a urologist and his practice seeking coverage for a proposed class action over a penile enlargement implant and procedure, a California federal court ruled Wednesday, saying it's too early to conclude that the underlying action doesn't assert potentially covered claims.
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July 10, 2024
Uber Must Turn Over Data, Reports In Sex Assault MDL
A California federal judge has ordered Uber Technologies Inc. to turn over data it collected underpinning safety reports in multidistrict litigation over sexual assault of passengers, but said the ride-hailing company need not turn over information on safety incidents that did not involve sexual misconduct or assault.
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July 10, 2024
Rural Broadband Org. Calls For Speedier Permitting Process
A rural broadband advocacy group is urging Congress to pass two companion bills that would enable the use of online portals to expedite the permitting process to build high-speed networks on federal lands.
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July 10, 2024
RJ Reynolds Urges Toss Of Menthol Suit Against FDA
Tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds has come to the support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a friend-of-the-court brief, arguing that the court should toss a federal lawsuit against the agency over its purported delays in implementing a ban on menthol cigarettes.
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July 10, 2024
Pa. Judge Skeptical Of Pausing FTC's Noncompete Ban
A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday seemed hesitant to grant a tree services company's request to halt the Federal Trade Commission's recent ban on noncompete agreements, as attorneys for the company struggled to point to concrete harms it would suffer if the ban were to take effect as scheduled.
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July 10, 2024
2 Roundup MDL Cases Axed After Plaintiffs Fail To Act
A California federal judge presiding over multidistrict personal injury litigation related to the Monsanto herbicide Roundup has ended two of the numerous cases, with one tossed for failure to prosecute and the second ending in an early win for Monsanto after the plaintiff failed to file a response, amid ongoing concerns that plaintiffs' attorneys are overtaxed.
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July 10, 2024
CFPB Pitches Plan To 'Streamline' Mortgage Servicing Rules
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it wants to revamp its mortgage servicing rules to make it faster and easier for struggling homeowners to access forbearance and other relief options, proposing changes that draw in part on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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July 10, 2024
Conn. Justices Told Banking Agency's Probe Overstepped
The Connecticut Department of Banking's investigation into Commonwealth Law Group and Commonwealth Servicing Group LLC's debt negotiation practices violated the constitutional separation of powers, because only the state's judicial branch has regulatory authority over legal services provided to clients by their attorneys, the firms told the state Supreme Court.
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July 09, 2024
BMW Driver Urges 9th Circ. To Restart Car-Tracking Fight
A BMW driver urged the Ninth Circuit Tuesday to revive a proposed class action alleging Otonomo surreptitiously tracks drivers' locations through electronic devices installed in their cars, arguing that the trial court erroneously interpreted the statute to wrongly conclude the devices aren't "attached" to vehicles as required by the law.
Expert Analysis
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Best Text Practices In Light Of Terraform's $4.5B Fraud Deal
Text messages were extremely important in a recent civil trial against Terraform Labs, leading to a $4.5 billion settlement, so litigants in securities fraud cases need to have robust mobile data policies that address the content and retention of messages, and the obligations of employees to allow for collection, say Josh Sohn and Alicia Clausen at Crowell & Moring.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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CFPB's New Registration Rule Will Intensify Nonbank Scrutiny
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently finalized nonbank registration rule aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders poses significant compliance challenges and enforcement risks for nonbank financial firms, and may be particularly onerous for smaller firms, say Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
After Chevron: FCC And Industry Must Prepare For Change
The Chevron doctrine was especially significant in the communications sector because of the indeterminacy of federal communications statutes, so the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the doctrine could have big implications for those regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, bringing both opportunities and risks for companies, say Thomas Johnson and Michael Showalter at Wiley.
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Series
After Chevron: Environmental Law May Face Hurdles
The U.S. Supreme court's recent ruling overturning Chevron deference could prove to be as influential as the original 1984 decision, with far-reaching implications for U.S. environmental laws, including rendering recently promulgated regulations more vulnerable to challenges, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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6 Lessons From DOJ's 1st Controlled Drug Case In Telehealth
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s first-ever criminal prosecution over telehealth-prescribed controlled substances in U.S. v. Ruthia He, healthcare providers should be mindful of the risks associated with restricting the physician-patient relationship when crafting new business models, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Series
After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies
The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation
As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Series
After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.