Consumer Protection

  • April 03, 2025

    Carnegie Mellon Student Sues Over August 2023 Data Hack

    A Carnegie Mellon University student launched a proposed class action in Pennsylvania federal court on Thursday alleging that despite charging students a $470 technology fee presumably meant for maintaining network data security, the school negligently failed to stop an August 2023 hacking event that compromised students' personally identifiable information.

  • April 03, 2025

    SunSetter To Pay $9M Over Defective Awning Covers

    A Massachusetts awning manufacturer will pay $9.25 million and implement a new compliance program to settle civil claims that it failed to report defective awning covers to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, allegedly leading to multiple injuries and at least one death.

  • April 03, 2025

    Trump FCC Nominee Set For Senate Hearing Next Week

    The Senate Commerce Committee will hold an April 9 confirmation hearing on Olivia Trusty, the White House nominee for a third Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

  • April 02, 2025

    RealPage Sues Berkeley Over Rent Pricing Software Ban

    RealPage on Wednesday asked a California federal judge to block Berkeley, California's impending ordinance prohibiting the use of software to set rent prices, claiming the ban is unconstitutional and based on the "groundless" claim that the algorithmic real estate pricing company's software has contributed to rising rent.

  • April 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Presses Jackson, Miss., About Lead Levels In Water

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the city of Jackson, Mississippi, about its allegedly slipshod handling of lead contamination in city drinking water during oral arguments Wednesday, with one judge saying city officials seemingly "very artfully avoided" questions about poisoned drinking water to skirt culpability.

  • April 02, 2025

    Justices' Ghost Gun Decision Worrisome Win For Gun Control

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision upholding a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule restricting so-called ghost gun kits is a clear-cut win for gun control proponents, but experts said it also signals a problematic shift to a supervisory role for the courts.

  • April 02, 2025

    DC Circ. To Hear Trump Admin's Bid To Stay CFPB Injunction

    A D.C. Circuit panel said Wednesday that it will hold a hearing next week on whether to stay a federal judge's order barring the Trump administration from shutting down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, taking up what has also become a jurisdictional dispute.

  • April 02, 2025

    Fla. Panel Finds Rehab Center Owed Duty To Released Patient

    A Florida state appellate court on Wednesday ruled that a Miami substance abuse treatment facility owed a duty of care to an involuntarily committed patient who was discharged for rule violations and later died of an overdose, finding the manner in which he was released went against regulations.

  • April 02, 2025

    Eligo Seeks Exit From Ohio Customer's Electricity Rates Suit

    Private electricity provider Eligo Energy LLC has urged an Ohio federal judge to throw out a proposed class action alleging the company's variable rates are the result of "unbridled price gouging," saying the customer behind the suit saved money most months.

  • April 02, 2025

    Bigelow VP Didn't Want Name In Emails About 'USA' Label

    A former R.C. Bigelow vice president testified Wednesday in a trial over the labeling of its products as "manufactured in the USA," agreeing that he once told a Bigelow executive he wished his name wasn't connected to the label, which a California federal judge has found to be false.

  • April 02, 2025

    Ill. Parade Shooting Survivors Can Sue Smith & Wesson

    Smith & Wesson and gun retailers can't escape a lawsuit brought by families of victims of a mass shooting that killed seven people during a 2022 July Fourth parade in Highland Park, an Illinois state judge has ruled, largely denying their requests to apply immunity found in federal law that would have shielded them from civil liability.

  • April 02, 2025

    Serial Acquisitions Are Still On The FTC's Radar

    The previous administration's focus on private equity firms making serial acquisitions in the same industry may continue under the Federal Trade Commission's new leadership, an agency official said Wednesday.

  • April 02, 2025

    Sprouts Hid Unsafe Heavy Metal In Sunflower Butter, Suit Says

    Sprouts Farmers Market misleads customers into thinking its sunflower butter spreads sold under Sprouts' own brand is made with high-quality protein and safe to consume, despite containing dangerous levels of cadmium, which poses serious health risks, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court. 

  • April 02, 2025

    Boeing CEO Tells Senate Panel Safety Overhaul Progressing

    Boeing's CEO told a Senate panel Wednesday that the company remains focused on overhauling its corporate culture and plugging safety gaps on production lines, as the plane-maker continues to stabilize its business after being rocked by two 737 Max 8 crashes and a door-plug blowout.

  • April 02, 2025

    CFPB's FirstCash Lending Suit Paused For Settlement Talks

    A Texas federal judge has agreed to pause the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Biden-era lawsuit accusing a leading U.S. pawn store operator of military lending violations, a case the agency is now discussing settling after deciding last month to move forward with it.

  • April 02, 2025

    With Dems Fired, GOP Recused, FTC Pauses PBMs Case

    The Federal Trade Commission has stayed its insulin price-fixing case against pharmacy benefit managers for more than three months, saying it does not have any commissioners to hear it after two Republican members recused themselves and the two Democratic commissioners were removed from their posts by President Donald Trump last month.

  • April 02, 2025

    'You Sound Like Tobacco Cos.,' 9th Circ. Judge Tells Tech Atty

    A Ninth Circuit judge expressed doubts Wednesday about a tech trade group's effort to preliminarily block California from enforcing a new law barring platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children, telling the group's counsel that social media might be worse than a carcinogen and "you sound like the tobacco companies."

  • April 02, 2025

    Parents, Distributor Settle Suit Over Baby Lounger Death

    The distributor of an infant lounger and a Texas couple who allege that their 7-month-old daughter died after falling out of the device told a Texas federal court this week that they had reached a deal in the parents' suit.

  • April 02, 2025

    Experian Says CFPB Suit Is Too Late, Too Flawed To Proceed

    Experian asked a California federal court Tuesday to throw out a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit accusing it of mishandling consumer credit reporting disputes, arguing the case is an overblown, untimely "attempt to legislate through enforcement."

  • April 02, 2025

    PE Firm TPG Wants Endo Trust's Transfer Suit Tossed

    Private equity firm TPG Capital is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit that aims to claw back billions of dollars reaped in an allegedly unfair deal with Endo International PLC before the drugmaker went bankrupt.

  • April 02, 2025

    Zoll Gets Parts Of Data Breach Class Action Tossed

    A Massachusetts federal judge released Zoll Medical Corp. from some claims brought by a proposed class of medical device customers whose personal data was released after two ransomware attacks, but kept alive claims of negligence, unjust enrichment and others.

  • April 02, 2025

    Broadcasters Ask FCC To Lift National Ownership Cap

    Broadcasters asked the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday to lift the 39% federal cap on national market share, one of the industry's longest-sought changes to media ownership rules.

  • April 02, 2025

    CVS Asserts DOJ's Opioid Prescription Suit Lacks Facts

    CVS Pharmacy Inc. has told a Rhode Island federal judge that most of the U.S. Department of Justice's claims that it knowingly filed invalid prescriptions for opioids should be tossed, saying the agency failed to adequately allege the company willfully put profits over safety.

  • April 02, 2025

    House Dems Seek FCC Answers On Media Probes

    A trio of leading House Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee are calling on the Federal Communications Commission's Republican chief to explain his pursuit of "political goals" through a bevy of news network investigations since taking office in January.

  • April 02, 2025

    Microsoft Ad Platform Allows Illegal Surveillance, Suit Says

    Microsoft has been targeted in a proposed class action that alleges it uses software and an advertising and analytics platform to illegally track sensitive private information and the browsing histories of hundreds of millions of people in violation of federal and California privacy laws.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Privacy Law Trends That Will Continue In 2025

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    While preparing privacy programs for the year, companies should keep in mind several developments from 2024 that will carry over — namely, in the realm of artificial intelligence, passive data collection, combining data from multiple sources, privacy program expectations and managing vendors, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • When Judging Product Label Claims, Follow The Asterisk

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    A recurring question in false advertising class actions is whether misleading or ambiguous statements on a product's front label can be cured by information on the back label — but recent decisions from the Ninth Circuit suggest that a front-label asterisk can help alert consumers to seek further clarification, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    In 2024's final quarter, the New York State Department of Financial Services published guidance on mitigating the rising cybersecurity risks of artificial intelligence and remote technology workers with North Korean ties, and the state attorney general launched an antitrust investigation into Capital One's proposed Discover merger, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

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    Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

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    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Takeaways From SEC's Mixed Results In '24 Crypto Litigation

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    Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new leadership seems likely to create a more favorable cryptocurrency regulatory environment, it must also confront the consequences of, and lingering questions raised by, the SEC's 2024 policy of investigating and charging cryptocurrency trading platforms for operating unregistered exchanges, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: How Court Nixed Boeing Plea Deal Over DEI

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    A Texas federal court's rejection of the plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing over the 737 Max aircraft gratuitously injected the court's views on diversity, equity and inclusion into a case that shouldn't have been a criminal matter in the first place, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Reviewing The High Court's Approach To Free Speech Online

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    As the U.S. Supreme Court began addressing the interplay between the First Amendment and online social media platforms, its three opinions from last term show the justices adopting a nuanced approach that recognizes that private citizens, public employees and online platforms all have First Amendment rights, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    In The CFPB Playbook: A Sprint To The Finish Line

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    The fourth quarter of 2024 was an impressive demonstration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to regulate, enforce and supervise, even on borrowed time following the election results, and we should expect the current bureau to run nonstop until Jan. 20, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

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    Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

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    General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

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    The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

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