Consumer Protection

  • January 06, 2025

    Another Building Contractor Agrees To End No-Hire Pacts

    The Federal Trade Commission said Monday that Planned Building Services has agreed not to enforce terms in its contracts that prevent building owners from hiring the service contractor's workers, in a second recent case targeting the building services industry.

  • January 06, 2025

    Booksellers Say End Of Arkansas Law Means Win In Texas

    A group of booksellers pointed to an Arkansas judge's ruling striking down a law creating a penalty for the distribution of certain books to minors Monday as it urged a Texas federal judge to reject a bid for a pretrial win in a dispute over a similar law in that state.

  • January 06, 2025

    Boeing, DOJ Given More Time To Rework 737 Max Plea Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice and The Boeing Co. have until mid-February to rework a plea agreement in the American aerospace giant's 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, a Texas federal judge ruled Saturday, ensuring that the incoming Trump administration will oversee final negotiations on any potential new deal.

  • January 06, 2025

    Google Looks To Toss Big Tech Litigant's Antitrust Claims

    Google asked a Florida federal court on Monday to dismiss antitrust claims from web development company Greenflight over the search giant's reverse phone number lookup, saying the newly amended suit does not rectify the pleading problems already pointed out by the court.

  • January 06, 2025

    Nasdaq Gets SPAC Investor's Racial Bias Claims Tossed

    A federal judge decided Monday to toss a suit from an investor in a minority-led special purpose acquisition company claiming the Nasdaq Stock Market participated in race-based discrimination against investors, saying the plaintiff fails to allege that its injuries were a direct result of Nasdaq's actions.

  • January 06, 2025

    FCC Requires Reports Following TV Program 'Blackouts'

    The Federal Communications Commission has voted to require multichannel video program distributors to report when programming "blackouts" occur due to impasses in carriage talks with broadcasters.

  • January 06, 2025

    Mich. Residents Say Solar Investors Can't Arbitrate Fraud Suit

    Michigan residents who allege Florida investment firms funded a company that duped them into buying defective solar panels have urged a federal judge to deny the firms' bid to arbitrate or dismiss the claims, saying the court has already rejected the investors' arguments.

  • January 06, 2025

    FCC Chief Floats Spectrum Sale To Fund Network Security

    The outgoing head of the Federal Communications Commission on Monday proposed to quickly get a spectrum auction off the ground with proceeds going toward a key U.S. network security program.

  • January 06, 2025

    Amazon, Black & Decker Win $13M Default In Fake Battery Suit

    A Seattle federal judge has awarded The Black & Decker Corp. $8 million and Amazon $5.2 million in a default judgment against two individuals using 17 different accounts to peddle counterfeit DeWalt-branded batteries through Amazon's online marketplace.

  • January 06, 2025

    No Fox Philly License Hearing Means 'Dereliction,' FCC Told

    With just two weeks left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office and Republicans gain control of the Federal Communications Commission, a group of anti-Fox News advocates are calling out the commission for failing to hold any hearings on Fox's Philadelphia affiliate's license renewal.

  • January 06, 2025

    Judge Rejects Rape Kit Seller's 2nd Bid To Pause Wash. Ban

    A Washington federal judge has denied a request for an injunction pending appeal by a company challenging the state's ban on the sale of "DIY" DNA collection kits for sexual assault survivors, reiterating his prior ruling that the law passes constitutional muster because it regulates conduct and not speech.

  • January 06, 2025

    T-Mobile's Lax Policies Led To 2021 Data Hack, Wash. AG Says

    Washington's attorney general on Monday accused T-Mobile of repeatedly ignoring cyber-threat warnings leading up to a 2021 data breach that exposed sensitive personal data belonging to more than 2 million customers in the state.

  • January 06, 2025

    FDA Issues Guidance On Lead Levels In Some Baby Foods

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued nonbinding guidance for the baby food industry on action levels for lead in processed food for babies and young children.

  • January 06, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission successfully blocked Kroger's purchase of Albertsons while continuing to battle with Tempur Sealy and its planned buy of Mattress Firm, and Novo Nordisk managed to finalize its purchase of Catalent. Here, Law360 takes a look at some of the major merger review developments from December.

  • January 06, 2025

    Cosmetic Laser School's Certificates 'Worthless,' Suit Says

    A proposed class of cosmetic laser students has hit National Laser Institute LLC and CEO Louis "the Laser Guy" Silberman with a federal fraud complaint claiming the certifications they received based on promises of immediate career entry and earning potential are actually "worthless" because Illinois doesn't recognize the practice of medical esthetics.

  • January 06, 2025

    Toolmaker's Batteries Are Fire-Prone, Class Claims

    The company behind SKIL power tools has been hit with a proposed consumer fraud class action targeting a recently recalled lithium-ion battery an Illinois customer says can catch fire, hurting people and damaging their property.

  • January 06, 2025

    4 Firms Ask To Helm Hybrid Jeep Exploding Battery Class

    Drivers claiming certain hybrid Jeep vehicles were sold with defective batteries that risk exploding or catching fire have asked a Michigan federal judge to appoint four law firms to steer the case as co-interim class counsel.

  • January 06, 2025

    FCC Warns Of $2.3M Pirate Radio Fine In Boston

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday warned a Dorchester, Massachusetts, property owner of a potential fine reaching more than $2.3 million for an alleged pirate radio operation.

  • January 06, 2025

    FTC Blasts Tempur Sealy's New Floor-Space Promise

    The Federal Trade Commission told a Texas federal court a revised commitment from Tempur Sealy to preserve floor space for rivals in Mattress Firm stores would not restore the competition lost by a merger of the companies because it cannot be enforced.

  • January 06, 2025

    Riddell Eyes Transfer Of Suit Over Allegedly Defective Helmet

    Riddell Inc. is urging a Texas federal judge to transfer to a different part of the state a lawsuit alleging a defect in its helmets led to a life-altering injury for a high school student, arguing the Tyler Division is a "clearly more convenient" location.

  • January 06, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms 'Do Not Call' Liability, But Balks At $28M Fine

    The Seventh Circuit vacated a $28.6 million penalty against two sales companies over unwanted telemarketing calls Friday, but upheld a district court ruling that they shared liability, ordering the lower court to reconsider the penalty and whether the companies could pay it.

  • January 06, 2025

    CFPB Sues Berkshire-Owned Lender Over 'Risky' Home Loans

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed suit Monday against a lending arm of Clayton Homes Inc., the Berkshire Hathaway-owned builder of manufactured homes, accusing it of underwriting failures that stuck vulnerable borrowers with unaffordable loans.

  • January 06, 2025

    Gemini To Pay CFTC $5M For Bitcoin Contract Statements

    Crypto exchange Gemini has agreed to pay a $5 million penalty to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to resolve claims that it misrepresented certain aspects of a proposed bitcoin futures contract, according to a settlement agreement filed in New York federal court on Monday.

  • January 06, 2025

    Girard Sharp Launches Into New Year With New Leadership

    San Francisco-based Girard Sharp has kicked off the new year with a major leadership change, announcing Monday that Daniel C. Girard had stepped down as managing partner of the prominent plaintiffs complex litigation boutique he founded in 1995 and that longtime partner Dena C. Sharp was taking the reins.

  • January 06, 2025

    Disney Buy Ends Fubo Sports Streaming Suit

    Disney and Fubo announced a deal Monday morning to combine the streaming startup with Disney's Hulu + Live TV business, in an agreement that ends Fubo's lawsuit that had so far successfully challenged a three-way live sports streaming joint venture between Disney's ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Expert Analysis

  • False Patent Marking Claims Find New Home In Lanham Act

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    While the Patent Act may have closed the courthouse doors for many false patent marking claims, the Federal Circuit, in its recent decision in Crocs v. Effervescent, may be opening a window to these types of claims under the Lanham Act, says John Cordani at Robinson & Cole.

  • Digging Into CFPB's Overdraft Fee Consent Guidance

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    Although a recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau circular may seem unassuming, a closer read reveals the bureau is escalating its clampdown on nonconsensual debit card overdraft fees by expanding financial institutions' record-retention obligations beyond a two-year statutory requirement, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • A Look At Calif. Biz Code And The Fight Over Customer Lists

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    To ensure Uniform Trade Secret Act security, California staffing agencies and their attorneys should review Section 16607 of the state Business Code, which prohibits contracts that restrain employees from engaging in other lawful types of business, to understand the process for determining whether a customer list constitutes a trade secret, says Skye Daley at Buchalter.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Where Can Privacy Plaintiffs Sue When Injury Is Online?

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    Website owners need to understand wiretapping laws to understand whether they may be sued for activity tracking in California or Pennsylvania courts, where the statutory damages for violations of half-century-old laws can be substantial — and a recent Third Circuit decision suggests establishing specific jurisdiction is not as easy as 1-2-3, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Crypto.com's Suit Against SEC Could Hold Major Implications

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    Crypto.com's recent lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could affect the operation and regulation of crypto markets in the U.S., potentially raising more questions about the SEC's authority to regulate the industry when it's unclear whether another agency is ready to assume it, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • How DOJ's Visa Debit Monopolization Suit May Unfold

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently filed Section 2 monopolization suit against Visa offers several scenarios for a vigorous case and is likely to reveal some of the challenges faced by antitrust plaintiffs following the U.S. Supreme Court's split 2018 American Express decision, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • Fluoride Ruling Charts Path To Bypass EPA Risk Evaluations

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    A California federal court's recent ruling in Food and Water Watch v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ordering the agency to address the public health risks of fluoridated drinking water, establishes a road map for other citizen petitioners to bypass the EPA's formal risk evaluation process, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Inside FTC's Decision To Exit Key Merger Review Labor Memo

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    Despite the Federal Trade Commission's recent withdrawal from a multiagency memorandum of understanding to step up enforcement of labor issues in merger investigations, the antitrust agencies aren't likely to give up their labor market focus, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • FDIC Guidance Puts Next-Gen ATMs In Regulatory Spotlight

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    The boring existence of ATMs is changing thanks to the emergence of new-age interactive teller machines, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to sound off in a potentially influential August letter to branches on which services might need regulatory approval, says Thomas Walker at Jones Walker.

  • 7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight

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    Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

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