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Consumer Protection
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September 30, 2024
Google Investors' Attys Snag $66.5M In $350M Privacy Deal
A California federal judge on Monday gave final approval to Alphabet's $350 million deal settling a Google data breach securities suit and awarded $66.5 million for attorney fees amid objections, calling the deal "an excellent result" and noting the 19% cut was below the benchmark for similar cases.
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September 30, 2024
2 Crypto Think Tank Execs To Step Down At End Of Year
Crypto policy think tank Coin Center said Monday that its executive director and one of its senior lawyers plan to step down at the end of the year.
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September 30, 2024
Alaska-Hawaiian Merger, An Aviation Anomaly
A promise to keep their distinct brands and a smaller national market share with few overlapping routes helped Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines seal their merger, a rare feat amid the Biden administration's tough antitrust enforcement and zealous opposition to consolidation, experts say.
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September 30, 2024
FCC Approves Audacy's Soros Deal, Triggering GOP Anger
The Federal Communications Commission has given the green light to the purchase of an ownership interest in bankrupt radio station owner Audacy Inc. by a fund manager with ties to George Soros.
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September 30, 2024
Chancery Sidelines Squarespace Merger Doc Suit For Now
A Delaware Court of Chancery action to compel stockholder access to website builder Squarespace Inc.'s corporate records remained under a stay Monday, after a court finding that the suit aimed to preserve future review rights focused on a proposed $7.2 billion company take-private deal.
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September 30, 2024
Indiana's TikTok Kids Safety Suit Revived On Appeal
An Indiana appeals court on Monday revived the state's suit against TikTok Inc. alleging it violated state law by downplaying the risks of personal data being accessed by the Chinese government, finding that state courts do have jurisdiction over the company.
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September 30, 2024
T-Mobile To Pay $31.5M In FCC Data Breach Settlement
T-Mobile has agreed to settle a group of Federal Communications Commission data breach cases for $31.5 million, the agency announced Monday.
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September 30, 2024
AGs, Academics Back Media Giants In Sports Streaming Fight
ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. have picked up allies in their push to move ahead with a "sports-first" broadcasting service, with six state attorneys general and a host of respected economics professors urging the Second Circuit to undo a New York court order that blocked the service's launch.
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September 30, 2024
Smart Car Equipment Makers Call For C-V2X rules
High-tech automakers are pushing the Federal Communications Commission to finalize cellular vehicle-to-everything rules, telling the commission that the wait for clear regulation has delayed the technology's rollout.
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September 30, 2024
Schwab Nears Deal In Antitrust Suit Over TD Ameritrade Buy
Charles Schwab Corp. has reached "an agreement in principle" with retail investors who filed a proposed class action alleging increased transaction costs for trades and other antitrust injury following the Schwab-TD Ameritrade merger, the parties told a Texas federal judge Friday.
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September 30, 2024
GM Asks Full 6th Circ. To Rehear Transmission Defect Case
General Motors LLC is asking the full Sixth Circuit to hold an en banc rehearing of a panel decision last month affirming class certification in a suit alleging it sold vehicles with defective transmissions that caused shaking and shuddering, saying the panel ignored precedent in allowing the class claims to go forward.
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September 30, 2024
Alaska Seeks Toss Of Challenge To New Hemp Regulations
The state of Alaska is asking a federal court to throw out a bid by a hemp industry group to block enforcement of regulations prohibiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products, saying the regulations are not preempted by federal law.
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September 30, 2024
Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote
The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.
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September 30, 2024
Epic Accuses Samsung Of Helping Google Block App Fix
Epic Games filed a new federal lawsuit Monday against Google and Samsung, alleging the search giant and the phonemaker have teamed up "to preemptively undermine" a looming order forcing Google to permit competition with its Play Store.
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September 30, 2024
Helene-Hit NC Alters Court Deadlines, Flags Price-Gouging
Hurricane Helene's wrath in North Carolina prompted the extension of state court filing deadlines and price-gouging warnings by state and federal enforcers as the legal community grappled with what Chief Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby lamented as "catastrophic conditions" caused by the vicious storm.
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September 27, 2024
Binance Founder Zhao Released From Federal Custody
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was released from a California correctional facility Friday after he was sentenced to four months in prison for his failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program at the global cryptocurrency exchange, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Law360.
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September 27, 2024
'So What?': OnlyFans' Dismissal Bid Faces Skeptical Judge
A San Francisco federal judge indicated Friday that he won't dismiss a proposed class action against OnlyFans' parent company alleging the video platform dupes customers into automatically renewing their subscriptions, waving away arguments that a Los Angeles federal judge dismissed a similar suit and asking its lawyers, "So what?"
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September 27, 2024
Bread's Banks Fork Over $2M To FDIC Over Rewards Issue
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has fined Bread Financial's Comenity bank units a total of $2 million as part of a pair of consent orders made public Friday that resolve unfair practices claims tied to their rewards programs and automatic payments processing.
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September 27, 2024
FCC Chief Quotes Taylor Swift In Tough Stance On Deepfakes
Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed during a speech Friday to take a strong position on enforcing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act against AI-generated robocalls and noted the FCC is considering new AI election-related disclosure regulations, quoting pop singer Taylor Swift who said, "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."
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September 27, 2024
Fla. Timeshare Biz Wins $1.3M Fee Award In False Ad Suit
A Florida federal judge has awarded more than $1.3 million in attorney fees to a timeshare company that prevailed in a lawsuit against a Wyoming company over a false advertising scheme encouraging customers to stop paying for their properties, after agreeing the marketers pursued an "exceptionally weak case" that would not succeed.
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September 27, 2024
Claims Trimmed In Delaware Jeep Hybrid Defect Class Action
A Delaware federal judge threw out a number of claims Friday from a proposed class action against automaker FCA US LLC alleging it sold Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid vehicles with a defective feature that renders electric driving unavailable, adopting the bulk of a magistrate judge's report filed in July.
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September 27, 2024
SEC Fines Firms, Sues Ex-Reps' Over Cherry-Picking Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday that Illinois-based Cetera Investment Advisers LLC and formerly California-based First Allied Advisory Services Inc. have each agreed to pay $200,000 to settle claims that two investment advisers formerly associated with both firms ran separate, multiyear, cherry-picking schemes that harmed investors.
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September 27, 2024
Banks Beat Credit Line Disclosure Suit After CFPB Weighs In
An Illinois federal judge has thrown out a proposed class action accusing two Midwestern banks of failing to provide required repayment disclosures to borrowers, agreeing with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that these disclosures aren't actually required for the type of account at issue.
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September 27, 2024
9th Circ. Says Stem Cell Treatment Not Exempt From FDA Rule
Two California clinics' experimental stem cell treatments are "drugs" subject to Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulations, the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday, reviving the federal government's bid to stop the clinic from marketing the products as cures for certain diseases without U.S. Food and Drug Administration review.
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September 27, 2024
Meta's Password Storage Flub Draws €91M Irish Fine
Ireland's data protection authority has hit Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. with a €91 million ($101.5 million) penalty for allegedly storing users' passwords without encryption or other necessary safeguards, the regulator announced Friday.
Expert Analysis
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'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG
A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.
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Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews
The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.
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5 Credibility Lessons Trial Attys Can Learn From Harris' Run
In launching a late-stage campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris must seize upon fresh attention from voters to establish, or reestablish, credibility — a challenge that parallels and provides takeaways for trial attorneys, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Opinion
A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing
The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination
As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.
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A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President
For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Opinion
Big Oil Climate Ruling Sets Dangerous Liability Precedent
The recent Maryland court dismissal of Baltimore's case seeking to hold BP responsible for climate damage mischaracterized the city's injuries as divorced from the conduct that caused them, and could allow companies that conceal the dangers of their products to escape liability, says Randall Abate at George Washington University Law School.
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DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.
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What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms
A recent circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a growing effort across government agencies to address overbroad confidentiality agreements, and gives employers insight into the bureau's perspective on the issue as it relates to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, say Holly Williamson and Elizabeth King at Hunton.
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Opinion
3rd. Circ. Got It Right On Cancer Warning Claims Preemption
The Third Circuit's recent, eminently sensible ruling in a failure-to-warn case against Roundup manufacturer Monsanto, holding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act preempts state law claims, provides a road map that other courts should adopt, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions
Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.
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5 Ways To Confront Courtroom Technology Challenges
Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of our reliance on digital infrastructure, meaning attorneys must be prepared to navigate technological obstacles inside the courtroom, including those related to data security, presentation hardware, video playback and more, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Legal Strategies.
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The State Law Landscape After Justices' Social Media Ruling
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent NetChoice ruling on social media platforms’ First Amendment rights, it’s still unclear if state content moderation laws are constitutional, leaving online operators to face a patchwork of regulation, and the potential for the issue to return to the high court, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.