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Consumer Protection
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October 11, 2024
Promises Of Metaverse Art Club Were A Sham, Investors Claim
A group that claimed it would start a members-only art collection club in the Metaverse has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it misled investors about the value of the project and the benefits and returns investors would see.
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October 11, 2024
Stellantis Defeats Utah Class Cert Bid In Gearshift MDL
A Michigan federal judge declined to certify a class of Utah drivers seeking to hold Stellantis North America liable for defective gearshifts in certain Dodges, Chryslers and Jeeps, reasoning that each of the claims would have to be evaluated to determine if drivers noticed issues in the vehicles but purchased or leased them nonetheless.
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October 11, 2024
Conn. Judge OKs $5M Deal To Resolve AG's Vision Solar Case
A Connecticut state judge approved a $5 million judgment to resolve an unfair trade practices suit Attorney General William Tong brought against Vision Solar LLC.
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October 11, 2024
9th Circ. Backs Planned Parenthood's $14M Atty Fee Win
The Ninth Circuit upheld a nearly $14 million attorney fee award to Planned Parenthood after the reproductive health service provider won its suit claiming the Center for Medical Progress unlawfully recorded abortion service providers, saying Friday the award was not unreasonably disproportionate to the jury's $2.4 million damages award.
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October 11, 2024
UPS Bumped Stock With Bogus Statements, Investor Alleges
UPS was hit with a proposed investor class action from a shareholder who alleges that the shipping and logistics giant artificially boosted its earnings projections before revealing disappointing numbers this summer that sent the company's stock price tumbling down by over 12% in a single day.
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October 11, 2024
DOJ Tells Judge Boeing Plea Is 'The Best The Gov't Could Do'
The federal government told a Texas federal judge Friday that its proposed deal with The Boeing Co. over allegations that it lied to safety regulators about the 737 Max 8's development is "the best the government could do," pushing back against vehement objection from crash victims' families, who called the deal "rotten" and "morally reprehensible."
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October 11, 2024
Dems Ask FTC About Price-Gouging Ban After Hurricanes
The ravaging of the Southeast U.S. by Hurricanes Helene and Milton has left affected communities desperate for basic necessities, leading to concerns of price-gouging, and a group of Democratic lawmakers wants the Federal Trade Commission to weigh in on whether there should be a federal ban on the practice.
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October 11, 2024
Off The Bench: NCAA's NIL Deal Advances, QB Settles Again
In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA and the athletes suing it over name, image and likeness money satisfy a judge with their proposed settlement revisions, an NFL quarterback settles yet another sexual assault accusation, and a legal battle between the NFL and one of its former reporters ends amicably.
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October 11, 2024
Nintendo, Epic Games Dropped From Addictive Gaming Suit
Nintendo of America Inc. and Epic Games Inc. have been dropped from a lawsuit filed against them and other well-known companies by a gamer who alleged they intentionally got users addicted to boost profits.
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October 11, 2024
Nippon To Sell JV Stake For $1 In Push To Close US Steel Deal
Japan's Nippon Steel said Friday it has agreed to sell its stake in a 50-50 joint venture with ArcelorMittal to the European steelmaker for just $1, as Nippon seeks to address any antitrust concerns over its planned $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel.
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October 11, 2024
TransUnion Agrees To Settle Suit Over Inaccurate Report
A Texas man who claims he lost a job opportunity after a faulty TransUnion background check identified him as a "drug offender" has agreed to end his lawsuit against the company, reaching a tentative settlement.
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October 10, 2024
Feds Slam Ex-FTX Exec's '11th Hour' Prison Delay Bid
Federal prosecutors slammed an "eleventh hour request" from former FTX co-CEO Ryan Salame to further delay the start of his prison sentence, telling a New York federal judge that Salame has apparently recovered from the dog attack that postponed his first surrender date and any remaining medical care appears "largely cosmetic and nonurgent."
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October 10, 2024
Amazon Must Give FTC Doc On Prime 'Upsells'
Amazon will have to turn over to the Federal Trade Commission the details of a presentation it made outlining how it upsells its Prime subscriptions as part of an enforcement lawsuit accusing the e-commerce behemoth of duping customers into signing up for the service.
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October 10, 2024
FTC's Final Merger Filings Overhaul Drops Labor Market Look
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday finalized its long-awaited overhaul to U.S. merger filing rules, dropping initial proposed requirements to submit preliminary deal drafts and labor market details, while also reinstating the "early termination" of reviews of benign tie-ups.
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October 10, 2024
Social Media Apps Don't Need User Warnings, MDL Judge Told
A lawyer for TikTok urged a California state judge on Thursday to cut failure-to-warn claims from multidistrict litigation over social media's alleged effects on youth mental health, saying this theory is akin to suing newspapers for "not including a warning that reading the news could put you in a bad mood."
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October 10, 2024
Citadel Credit Union Reaches $6.5M Redlining Deal With DOJ
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday it reached a deal with Citadel Federal Credit Union to settle allegations it engaged in lending discrimination in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with the credit union agreeing to invest $6.5 million in neighborhoods of color in Philadelphia.
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October 10, 2024
SEC Sues Crypto Arm Of Proprietary Trading Firm DRW
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused the crypto-focused subsidiary of proprietary trading firm DRW Holdings of operating as an unregistered securities dealer by effecting more than $2 billion in crypto transactions, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Illinois federal court.
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October 10, 2024
Trade Group, Enviros Clash Over EPA Methylene Chloride Rule
American Chemistry Council and the Sierra Club are taking aim at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methylene chloride rule, with the industry group telling the Fifth Circuit the agency overstepped when it outright banned most applications of the chemical for no valid reason and the conservation organization arguing it didn't go far enough.
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October 10, 2024
FCC Says Disabled Need More Access To Emergency Services
The Federal Communications Commission still has work to do to make sure telecom services are accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those who are visually and hearing impaired, the agency revealed in a new report.
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October 10, 2024
Ejudicate Ran 'Bogus' Student Loan Arbitrations, CFPB Says
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Thursday that it has banned private dispute resolution platform Ejudicate from arbitrating disputes about consumer financial products, saying the company misled student borrowers about its neutrality and initiated "bogus" arbitration proceedings.
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October 10, 2024
OpenAI Calls Musk's Fraud, RICO Suit A Harassing Biz Move
OpenAI asked a California federal judge to toss Elon Musk's claims that the artificial intelligence venture and its top brass engaged in fraud by deciding to make OpenAI a for-profit company, claiming Musk "has been trying to leverage the judicial system for an edge" since launching a competing AI company.
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October 10, 2024
Oregon Gas Customers Sue Over 'Greenwashing' Program
Northwest Natural Gas Co. has been accused by customers of engaging in "greenwashing" by advertising its Smart Energy program as a way for them to offset their natural gas emissions, while directing the program's funds to methane-generating industrial dairy farms.
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October 10, 2024
Yale Hospital Says Pension Liens Breach $435M Sale Deal
A hospital operator's purported $4 million pension liability has saddled its properties with liens that breach a $435 million sale contract, Yale New Haven Health told a Connecticut state judge Wednesday in a letter suggesting it may add claims to litigation over its deal with Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.
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October 10, 2024
Homebuyers Tell 8th Circ. Broker Deal Gives Them Nothing
Homebuyers are urging the Eighth Circuit to undo the approval of $208.5 million in settlements struck by real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation over industry rules covering broker fees, saying the deals only provide money for sellers.
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October 10, 2024
Tobacco Cos. Push To Move Dozens Of Cases Out Of Boston
Several tobacco companies asked a Massachusetts judge Thursday to send more than 30 pending liability cases to other venues in the state, arguing that the plaintiffs have no ties to Suffolk County and that the volume of cases is burdening judges in the Boston courthouse.
Expert Analysis
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A Look At 5 States' New Data Privacy Laws
With new data privacy laws in Utah, Florida, Texas, Oregon and Montana recently in effect or coming into force this year, state-level enforcement of data privacy creates significant challenges and risks for how businesses interact with employees and consumers, and for companies that provide and use technologies in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Antitrust In Retail: Why FTC Is Studying 'Surveillance Pricing'
The Federal Trade Commission's decision to study targeted "surveillance pricing" should provide greater clarity into the nature of the data aggregation industry, but also raises several issues, including whether these practices are in fact illegal under any established interpretations of U.S. antitrust law, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Conn. Court Split May Lead To Vertical Forum Shopping
As shown by a recent ruling in State v. Exxon Mobil, Connecticut state and federal courts are split on personal jurisdiction, and until the Connecticut Supreme Court steps in, parties may be incentivized to forum shop, causing foreign entities to endure costly litigation and uncertain liability, says Matthew Gibbons at Shipman & Goodwin.
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Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys
Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of the year, California continued to be at the forefront of banking regulation as it enacted legislation on unfair banking practices and junk fees, and the state Department of Financial Protection and Innovation notably initiated enforcement actions focused on crypto-assets and student loan debt relief, say Stuart Richter and Eric Hail at Katten.
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Opinion
FTC's Report Criticizing Drug Middlemen Is Flawed
The Federal Trade Commission's July report, which claims that pharmacy benefit managers are inflating drug costs, does not offer a credible analysis of PBMs, and its methodology lacks rigor, says Jay Ezrielev at Elevecon.
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2 High Court Securities Cases Could Clarify Pleading Rules
In granting certiorari in a pair of securities fraud cases against Facebook and Nvidia, respectively, the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled its intention to align interpretations of the heightened pleading standard under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act amid its uneven application among the circuit courts, say attorneys at V&E.
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What 2 Key Rulings Mean For Solicitation Under TCPA
Two recent rulings from federal district courts in New York and California — each of which came to a different conclusion — bring to light courts' continued focus on and analysis of when an alleged communication constitutes a solicitation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, say Felix Shipkevich and Jessica Livingston at Shipkevich.
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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.
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Series
Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.
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Navigating The Complexities Of Cyber Incident Reporting
When it comes to cybersecurity incident response plans, the uptick in the number and targets of legal and regulatory actions emphasizes the necessity for businesses to document the facts underlying the assumptions, complexities and obstacles of their decisions during the incident response, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Aviation Watch: Boeing Plea Agreement May Not Serve Public
The proposed plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing — the latest outgrowth of the company's 737 Max travails — is opposed by crash victims' families, faces an uncertain fate in court, and may ultimately serve no beneficial purpose, even if approved, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Using Primacy And Recency Effects In Opening Statements
By understanding and strategically employing the primacy and recency effects in opening statements, attorneys can significantly enhance their persuasive impact, ensuring that their narrative is both compelling and memorable from the outset, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
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Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession
About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: No Lazy, Hazy Days Of Summer
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is headed for a brisk fall season, on the heels of a heated summer, which included the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the CFPB funding structure is constitutional, and in advance of the November election, says Eamonn Moran at Holland & Knight.