Consumer Protection

  • July 02, 2024

    YouTube Beats Kids Privacy Suit, But Plaintiffs Get 7th Shot

    A California federal magistrate judge tossed with leave to amend Monday a revived proposed class action alleging Google and companies that host child-friendly YouTube channels illegally collected children's data from targeted ads, giving consumers a seventh shot to cure the deficiencies.

  • July 02, 2024

    Vroom Settles With FTC Over Deceptive Ads, Late Deliveries

    Texas-based used car company Vroom will pay $1 million to settle allegations it misleadingly advertised to customers that its used vehicles listed for sale were thoroughly inspected and failed to promptly refund customers when their cars weren't delivered within the represented 10-to-14 day time-frame, the Federal Trade Commission announced on Tuesday.

  • July 02, 2024

    Mike Huckabee Says Meta Hosted Fake CBD Gummy Ads

    Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says Meta Platforms Inc. has been allowing and hosting advertisements that falsely portray him promoting CBD gummies, leading to people falsely associating him with the CBD industry and marijuana use, according to a suit filed Monday in Delaware federal court.

  • July 02, 2024

    Judge Expedites Briefing For Consensys SEC Challenge

    Crypto firm Consensys' preemptive case against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is set to move forward on an expedited basis after a Texas federal judge allowed the parties to brief any potential bids from the regulator to toss the case at the same time as Consensys' motion for a judgment in its favor.

  • July 02, 2024

    4th Circ. Nixes Black Lung Benefits For American Energy Miner

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday upended an award of black lung benefits to the widow of a miner who worked for American Energy LLC, saying it was the widow's responsibility to prove that coal dust exposure, more than smoking, is what caused his respiratory disease.

  • July 02, 2024

    Apple Says It's Too Early For Discovery In DOJ Antitrust Case

    There's no need to get the ball rolling on discovery in the U.S. Department of Justice's case accusing Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market until the New Jersey federal court overseeing the case decides if it's going to dismiss it entirely, the tech giant argued.

  • July 02, 2024

    Amazon Must Face Wiretapping Class Suit, Wash. Judge Says

    A Washington federal judge said Tuesday that Amazon can't dodge a proposed class action alleging it violated California's wiretapping law, in a ruling that determined the tech giant was capable of accessing customer call data through its call center technology used by Capital One.

  • July 02, 2024

    Chamber, Pharma Slam Colorado Drug Price Controls

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a prominent pharmaceutical industry group have urged a Colorado federal court to bar a state review board from setting price controls on prescription drugs, arguing that the practice is "irreconcilable" with federal patent law.

  • July 02, 2024

    Sens. Urge Synapse Partners To Free Up Customer Funds

    A group of Democratic senators led by banking committee chair Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called on the owners and banking partners of bankrupt fintech intermediary Synapse Financial Technologies to restore customers' access to their deposits.

  • July 02, 2024

    Depo Gets Dad Ousted From Sesame Place Race Bias Case

    The father of a child who was allegedly snubbed by costumed performers at a Pennsylvania theme park has been removed from consolidated race bias litigation after plaintiffs' counsel said the father had lied during a deposition, with a Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday granting a bid by other families to sever their case from his.

  • July 02, 2024

    6th Circ. Takes Up Fuel Pump Appeal GM Pledged To Drop

    The Sixth Circuit has agreed to hear General Motors' bid to undo certification of seven state classes of drivers who say GM sold diesel-powered trucks with faulty fuel pumps, although the automaker recently agreed to a $50 million settlement that includes a promise to abandon the appeal.

  • July 02, 2024

    Captioning Providers Worried About FCC Rate Cuts

    Companies that provide captioned telephone service for people with hearing and speech disabilities are criticizing a Federal Communications Commission proposal to reduce rates paid to providers, saying that successive rate cuts could jeopardize their credit lines and diminish their ability to raise capital if the agency doesn't change course.

  • July 02, 2024

    Ga. Parking Co. Stole Data To Send Fake Tickets, Fla Suit Says

    A Florida resident has brought a proposed federal class action against a Georgia parking company for alleged privacy violations, saying his data was illegally obtained and used to send fake citations in a scheme to collect money under the threat that vehicles could be confiscated or credit ruined.

  • July 02, 2024

    Wash. Plastic Surgeon To Pay $5M To End AG's NDA Suit

     A Washington state plastic surgery practice will pay $5 million to resolve the state attorney general's lawsuit that accuses it of boosting its online reputation with phony positive reviews and preventing patients from posting honest negative accounts by requiring illegal nondisclosure agreements, according to an agreed order filed in Washington federal court.

  • July 02, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates nearly 150 times in June on issues including broadband map accuracy, next-generation 911, prison phone rates, a new missing-persons code and rules to restrict bulk billing in apartment buildings.

  • July 02, 2024

    Samsung Doesn't Owe $4M In Arbitration Fees, 7th Circ. Says

    The Seventh Circuit has ruled that Samsung need not pay $4 million in individual arbitration fees for 35,000 consumers claiming the electronics giant illegally collected their biometric data, saying Monday that under their purchase agreement terms the consumers could have advanced the fees if they wanted their claims arbitrated.

  • July 02, 2024

    Kipling Apparel Can't Nix 'Phantom' Discount Suit

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to toss a proposed class action alleging that bag maker Kipling Apparel Corp. used "phantom" discounts to make outlet store customers believe they were getting price cuts, but she said the plaintiff had failed to show that damages would be insufficient compensation.

  • July 02, 2024

    Judge Says Feds Exceeded Question Limit In Pollution Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has denied the federal government's bid to force a coke oven battery company to respond to questions about business decisions and parent company involvement, holding that it has exceeded an agreed-upon limit of so-called interrogatories in its Clean Air Act case.

  • July 02, 2024

    Amazon's PillPack Settles TCPA Class Suit

    Amazon.com affiliate PillPack LLC has settled a class action alleging it was responsible for illegal telemarketing calls made to consumers without their consent, the parties said Tuesday in a notice filed in Washington federal court.

  • July 02, 2024

    CFPB's Founding Fair Lending Chief Heads For Exit

    Patrice Ficklin, the longtime top fair lending official at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is leaving the agency later this month after more than a decade leading its efforts to oversee the financial industry's compliance with federal laws banning credit discrimination.

  • July 02, 2024

    McKinsey Wants To Arbitrate Ex-Partner's Defamation Suit

    McKinsey & Co. has urged a New York state judge to send to arbitration or dismiss a former partner's defamation lawsuit alleging the consulting giant tried to make him a scapegoat for purported evidence destruction amid a U.S. Department of Justice probe into McKinsey's work with opioid makers.

  • July 02, 2024

    'Angry' Connecticut AG Probing Music Festival Fiasco

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong on Tuesday announced that his office has launched an investigation into a three-day rock music festival organized by Capulet Entertainment LLC that drew big-name bands before the venue changed at the last minute, leading numerous acts to drop out and forcing attendees to abandon their outdoor camping plans.

  • July 02, 2024

    Flint Needs State Help After Years Of Pipe Delays, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge said the city of Flint's repeated failures to replace lead water service lines for residents shows it doesn't have the "wherewithal" or funds to finish the project and granted yet another extension to complete the work with offered help from the state of Michigan.

  • July 02, 2024

    Congress Urges DOJ To Probe TikTok Kids' Privacy Concerns

    A bipartisan group of lawmakers urged the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to quickly review the Federal Trade Commission's complaint referral against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance Ltd. for possibly violating a children's privacy law.

  • July 02, 2024

    Thomas Warns Of 'Danger In Delay' In Snapchat Abuse Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to review whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes platforms from lawsuits based on their own misconduct, rejecting a petition from a man who alleges that his high school teacher used Snapchat to send him sexually explicit material when he was 15.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial

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    Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • The Effects Of New 10-Year Limitation On Key Sanctions Laws

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    Recently enacted emergency appropriations legislation, doubling the statute of limitations for civil and criminal economic sanctions violations, has significant implications for internal records retention, corporate transaction due diligence and government investigations, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What 11th Circ. FCRA Ruling Means For Credit Furnishers

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    Credit furnishers should revisit their internal investigation and verification procedures after the Eleventh Circuit declined last month in Holden v. Holiday to impose a bright-line rule that only purely factual or transcription errors are actionable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, say Diana Eng and Michael Esposito at Blank Rome.

  • Supply Chain Considerations For Companies Deploying AI

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    Many businesses will risk failure by embracing artificial intelligence without fully understanding the risks, and the value of a five-step AI supply chain analysis cannot be overstated, say Brooke Berg and Nathan Staffel at Nardello & Co.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Compliance Considerations For New Data Protection Law

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    Sam Castic at Hintze Law discusses how to determine if your organization is covered by the newly enacted Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, the scope of the law's restrictions, and how to go about compliance as its June 23 effective date approaches.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule Risks A Wave Of State AG Actions

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule language banning noncompetes may contribute to a waterfall enforcement effect in which state attorneys general deploy their broad authority to treat noncompetes as separate and independent violations, say Ryan Strasser and Carson Cox at Troutman Pepper.

  • CFPB Poised To Up The Ante After Supreme Court Victory

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically ruled last week that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure did not violate the Constitution, the agency boasted that it was "here to stay," signaling that it is moving full steam ahead with its regulatory, enforcement and supervisory agenda, says Jim Sandy at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Diving Deep Into Sweeping NY Financing Bill — And Its Pitfalls

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    A New York bill seeking to impose state usury limits onto a broader variety of financing arrangements and apply lender licensing requirements to more diverse entities would present near-insurmountable compliance challenges for lenders and retailers, say Kate Fisher and Tom Quinn at Hudson Cook.

  • Influencer Considerations As FINRA Initiates Crackdown

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    To avert risks when evaluating influencer and referral programs, firms should assess the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's recent settlements involving the supervision of social media tastemakers, as well as recent FINRA guidance in this area, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • What The FTC Report On AG Collabs Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April report on working with state attorneys general shows collaboration can increase efficiency and consistency in how statutes are interpreted and enforced, which can minimize the likelihood of requests for inconsistent injunctive relief that can create operational problems for businesses, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

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