Consumer Protection

  • March 06, 2025

    Dems Tell DOJ Musk May Be Strong-Arming X Advertisers

    Democratic lawmakers led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., have warned the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission that billionaire Elon Musk might be using his position in the Trump administration to bully companies that advertise on his social media platform, X.

  • March 06, 2025

    Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates more than 50 times in February about their priorities, including opening valuable airwaves for 5G, clearing hurdles to rural broadband, and pushing T-Mobile's $4.4 billion deal to take over UScellular's wireless operations.

  • March 06, 2025

    Democrats Seek Clampdown On FCC 'Weaponization'

    House and Senate Democrats are going after what they're calling President Donald Trump's "weaponization of the FCC" with a pair of bills that would prevent the agency from revoking the licenses of television or radio stations based on the viewpoints they air.

  • March 06, 2025

    Music Streaming Lyrics Co. Hits Rival With $1B Antitrust Suit

    LyricFind Inc. slapped Musixmatch SpA with a $1 billion antitrust lawsuit in California federal court, calling the rival a monopolist in the market for providing lyrics to digital services companies like Spotify and saying Musixmatch inked a deal with Warner Chappell Music Inc. that essentially pushes LyricFind and others out of the market.

  • March 06, 2025

    FCC Wants To Change 911 Vertical Location Accuracy Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission wants to strengthen its vertical accuracy requirements when it comes to 911 location accuracy, a move that the agency's new head says will make it easier for first responders to know exactly what floor a call is coming from.

  • March 06, 2025

    First Liberty Settles $1M House Fire Suit Against LG

    LG Electronics has settled an insurance company's lawsuit seeking to recoup a $1 million payout on a claim it paid out stemming from a house fire allegedly caused by a faulty microwave.

  • March 06, 2025

    Apple Tells DC Circ. Google Search Fixes Change Incentives

    Apple has told the D.C. Circuit that it did not know the U.S. Department of Justice would go as far as it did with its proposed fixes in the Google search antitrust case, and it moved to intervene as soon as it became clear the two companies have opposing interests under the government's proposal.

  • March 06, 2025

    Citi's Appeal Gamble Is A Loser For All, NY AG Says

    New York's attorney general has urged a Manhattan federal judge to deny Citibank's bid to appeal the judge's decision allowing the state's wire transfer fraud protection case against the bank to proceed, arguing that an immediate appeal would not benefit any party, even the bank.

  • March 06, 2025

    Veterans Slam BofA's 'Recycled' Defense In Interest Cap Suit

    Veterans have opposed Bank of America's bid to toss their proposed class claims accusing the financial giant of violating an interest cap law for military service members, arguing its "recycled" defenses were already rejected in a similar suit in the same North Carolina federal court.

  • March 06, 2025

    Ga. Attys Fight Bid To 'Hijack' $44M Realtor Settlement

    Attorneys hoping to finalize a $44 million class action settlement in Georgia with four real estate brokerages urged a federal judge Thursday to reject a bid to "hijack" their litigation by the lawyers behind the series of landmark settlements with the National Association of Realtors and various brokerages over their fee inflation practices.

  • March 06, 2025

    The Antitrust Litigation Surrounding NAR's Industry Rules

    A year and a half after a Missouri federal jury found that the National Association of Realtors inflated fees for home sellers, the Eighth Circuit is evaluating a series of settlements in wake of the decision while the Justice Department pursues its own antitrust investigation with a court's blessing.

  • March 06, 2025

    Attys Seek $30M Fees In Walgreens Rx Overcharge Deal

    Attorneys for unions and consumers who struck a $100 million settlement of Walgreens prescription overcharge fee claims asked an Illinois federal judge for a $30 million cut of that pot, arguing the amount would pay for seven years of meaningful work they put into the case.  

  • March 06, 2025

    UK Authorities Clear Amex GBT's $570M CWT Buy

    United Kingdom antitrust authorities gave the formal all-clear Thursday to American Express Global Business Travel Inc.'s planned $570 million purchase of CWT Holdings LLC, leaving a Justice Department lawsuit the only hurdle remaining for the corporate travel management services merger.

  • March 06, 2025

    FDA Nominee Hedges On Job Cuts, Abortion Drug In Hearing

    The nominee to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, repeatedly hedged about whether he would reconvene a flu vaccine committee, maintain access to the abortion drug mifepristone or control future job cuts during his confirmation hearing in front of a Senate panel on Thursday. 

  • March 06, 2025

    Senate Panel Backs McKernan For CFPB, 3 Other Trump Picks

    A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday advanced President Donald Trump's nomination of Jonathan McKernan to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, setting him up for likely confirmation to the beleaguered agency.

  • March 05, 2025

    Utah Poised To Be 1st To Require App Stores To Verify Ages

    Utah lawmakers on Wednesday sent to the governor's desk first-of-its-kind legislation that would require app stores such as the ones operated by Apple and Google to verify users' ages and block those who are under 18 from downloading apps or making in-app purchases without parental consent. 

  • March 05, 2025

    Indirect Chicken Buyers' $41.3M Price-Fixing Deal Gets Initial OK

    An Illinois federal judge gave his initial signoff Wednesday to more than $41 million in settlements between major chicken producers and indirect chicken buyers who accused them of illegally conspiring to fix prices, calling the proposal a substantial recovery to otherwise risky litigation.

  • March 05, 2025

    Chrysler Sold Jeeps With Batteries That Catch Fire, Suit Says

    Newer-model plug-in hybrid Jeep Wranglers can catch fire due to a defect in its high-voltage battery, according to a proposed class action filed in Michigan federal court that accuses Fiat Chrysler America of concealing the problems.

  • March 05, 2025

    Accused Tax Prep Hacker Faces Refund Fraud Case In Boston

    A Nigerian national accused of conspiring to use stolen taxpayer information and reaping $1.3 million in phony returns has been extradited to the United States to face charges of breaking into Massachusetts tax preparation firms' computer networks, Boston federal prosecutors said.

  • March 05, 2025

    Debt Relief Co. Entities Want CFPB Excluded From Appearing

    Two entities related to financial services firm StratFS have asked a New York federal judge to reject a bid by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue appearing in its joint suit with a multistate coalition of attorneys general after the CFPB failed to timely file a post-hearing briefing due to changing leadership at the agency.

  • March 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Another Shot At DOJ Specifics

    Agri Stats is continuing to ask a Minnesota federal court to force the U.S. Department of Justice to identify specific data fields in the company's industry reports that allegedly allow chicken, pork and turkey producers to exchange competitively sensitive information.

  • March 05, 2025

    'Hot Damn' To FCC Taking On Pole Cost Fixes, Cable Biz Says

    A Republican on the Federal Communications Commission told cable leaders Wednesday it should be a key FCC priority to reform cost sharing rules for upgrading utility poles to accommodate broadband equipment.

  • March 05, 2025

    FCC Could Weigh Network Options To Back Up GPS

    The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote this month on whether to dig deeper into proposals to set aside spectrum for an Earth-based broadband network and backup to the Global Positioning System.

  • March 05, 2025

    AME Church, Plan Admin To Pay $60M To Exit Retirement Suit

    The African Methodist Episcopal Church and a retirement plan manager will pay a combined $60 million to resolve claims that they failed to prevent a rogue church employee from embezzling nearly $90 million from its retirement plan, according to a filing in Tennessee federal court.

  • March 05, 2025

    Igloo Must Pay For Finger-Chopping Coolers, Consumer Says

    A California man is suing beverage storage company Igloo over its popular coolers and ice chests that he says have pinched, broken and even amputated fingertips, saying in a federal suit that the company's remedial efforts haven't been enough.

Expert Analysis

  • Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar

    Author Photo

    A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.

  • How Fintechs Can Respond To New CFPB Supervisory Rule

    Author Photo

    Even though a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule pulling large payment apps into supervision faces an uncertain fate in the new administration, providers should still examine the rule's definitions and prepare for increased compliance costs and more consumer-friendly practices, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Courts Must Stick To The Science On Digital Addiction Claims

    Author Photo

    A number of pending personal injury and product liability lawsuits allege that plaintiffs have developed behavioral addictions to the use of social media and video games — but this is not yet recognized by relevant authorities as an addiction, so courts must carefully scrutinize such claims, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

    Author Photo

    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • How FTC Sent A $5.6M Warning Against Jumping The Gun

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's recent record $5.6 million "gun jumping" action against Verdun Oil, for allegedly exerting control over EP Energy before the mandatory waiting period under U.S. antitrust law expired, warns companies that they must continue to operate independently during review, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Predicting Where State AGs Will Direct Their Attention In 2025

    Author Photo

    In 2025, we expect state attorneys general will navigate a new presidential administration while continuing to further regulate and police financial services, artificial intelligence, junk fees and antitrust, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • The Blueprint For A National Bitcoin Reserve

    Author Photo

    The new administration has the opportunity to pave the way for a U.S.-backed crypto reserve, which could conceptually function as a strategic asset akin to traditional reserves like gold markets, hedge against economic instability, and influence global crypto adoption, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

    Author Photo

    In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.

  • Student Loan Entities In Hot Seat After CFPB Goes To College

    Author Photo

    While the direction of student loan servicer oversight in the new presidential administration is unclear, recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau actions still signal heightened regulatory scrutiny at both the federal and state levels of college institutional loan programs, along with their service providers, says attorney Jonathan Joshua.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

    Author Photo

    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling

    Author Photo

    Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.

  • Roundup

    Banking Brief: State Law Recaps From Each Quarter Of 2024

    Author Photo

    In this Expert Analysis series, throughout 2024 attorneys provided quarterly recaps discussing the biggest developments in banking regulation, litigation and policymaking in various states, including New York, California and Illinois.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

    Author Photo

    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Consumer Protection archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!