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Consumer Protection
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December 11, 2024
FTC, DOJ Pull Antitrust Competitor Collaboration Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that they are withdrawing Clinton-era antitrust guidelines for collaborations among competitors, saying they "no longer provide reliable guidance" about how collaborations are assessed.
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December 11, 2024
MDL Judge Rejects Meta's Claim Discovery Is Burdensome
A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in multidistrict litigation over social-media platforms' allegedly addictive designs on Wednesday rejected Meta Platforms' arguments additional discovery sought by personal-injury plaintiffs is overly burdensome, noting that Meta's discovery production pales in comparison to the millions of documents that Meta has demanded from plaintiff states.
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December 11, 2024
Big Tech, 'Censorship' Animate Trump FTC Picks
President-elect Donald Trump's picks Tuesday to lead and join the Federal Trade Commission show he plans to continue Washington's focus on antitrust enforcement against major technology platforms, while also signaling a potential shift toward more populist Republican concerns alleging that Big Tech censors conservative voices.
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December 11, 2024
Grocery Store Rulings Back Enforcers' Merger Approach
Federal and state enforcers scored key victories Tuesday with a pair of court rulings blocking the planned $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons that largely adopted their allegations about the deal and rejected a proposal to unload nearly 600 stores to save it.
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December 11, 2024
Texas Sues 3M And DuPont Over Forever Chemicals
Texas launched a suit against 3M and DuPont for "misrepresentations and key omissions" the companies made about so-called forever chemicals, telling a state court on Wednesday that the companies lied to the public about the harmful chemicals for over 50 years.
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December 11, 2024
Dems, GOP Agree That China Cyberspying Is A Problem
For all their disagreements, Republicans and Democrats were largely singing the same tune Wednesday afternoon at a Senate hearing on the security of the nation's communications networks — that they're worried, and the government needs to get to work on a solution.
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December 11, 2024
Wyoming Defends Hemp Law At 10th Circ.
Wyoming's hemp law, which imposes new restrictions on hemp-derived THC and bans products with more than 0.3% THC, should continue uninterrupted, the state told the Tenth Circuit, saying the statute is neither unconstitutional nor preempted by federal law.
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December 11, 2024
Ga. Judge Refuses To Reconsider Toss Of Patient Data Suit
A Georgia federal judge has refused to reconsider the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging Piedmont Healthcare Inc. unlawfully shared patients' health data with Facebook via the company's tracking pixel tool.
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December 11, 2024
DOJ Tells Justices To Preserve Antitrust Probe Into NAR
The U.S. Department of Justice told the U.S. Supreme Court that it made no commitment not to reopen its investigation into the National Association of Realtors as part of its 2020 consent decree with the company, urging the justices to reject the association's bid for a day before the high court.
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December 11, 2024
High Court Bar's Future: Haynes Boone's Daniel Geyser
Daniel L. Geyser of Haynes and Boone LLP is an unconventional U.S. Supreme Court advocate in every respect, from the path he forged to become one of the high court's frequent arguers to the way he runs his current practice from more than half a country away from the nation's capital.
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December 11, 2024
Legal Ed Cos. Shared Customers' Data, Suit Claims
Two companies offering continuing legal and professional education content have been hit with a class action in Georgia federal court over allegations that they nonconsensually disclosed customers' identities and video viewing information to Meta Platforms Inc. for its advertisers' use.
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December 11, 2024
LA Fitness Fights To End DOJ's Gym Accessibility Suit
LA Fitness urged a California federal judge to toss the U.S. Department of Justice's civil enforcement lawsuit alleging the gym chain failed to accommodate patrons with disabilities at its nearly 700 locations across the country, arguing the lawsuit relies on "isolated" incidents and doesn't show "a pattern and practice."
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December 11, 2024
Mixed 5th Circ. Backs $14M Exxon Texas Air Pollution Fine
A mixed Fifth Circuit on Wednesday backed a $14 million fine against ExxonMobil Corp. over air pollution in southeast Texas, with a per curiam opinion stating the court wouldn't have reheard the case if it had known it would take more than 18 months to issue an opinion.
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December 11, 2024
Nigerians Impersonated US Brokers For $3M Scam, Feds Say
Three Nigerian nationals were charged on Wednesday with running a nearly $3 million internet investment fraud scheme in which they impersonated legitimate securities brokers and investment advisers, misappropriated the seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and stole from at least 28 investors.
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December 11, 2024
Cross-Border Criminal Antitrust Trial Will Stay In Houston
A case against a group of defendants accused of using violence to monopolize the cross-border sale of used cars from the U.S. into Central America must stay in Houston, a federal judge ruled this week.
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December 11, 2024
Class Action Co. Will Reform Biz Practices, DC AG Says
A third-party class action claims filer will change its business practices to boost transparency as part of a settlement with Washington, D.C., enforcers, the state attorney general's office announced Wednesday.
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December 11, 2024
FCC Eases Some Credit Rules For Rural Broadband Funds
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday changed letter of credit requirements for broadband subsidy programs in order to make it easier for rural providers to access capital.
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December 11, 2024
Nippon Offers $5K Bonuses To Ease US Steel Deal Concerns
Nippon Steel Corp. has committed to providing $5,000 closing bonuses to employees of U.S. Steel in hopes of easing concerns about the controversial $14.9 billion merger between the two companies, which both the sitting and incoming president have said they oppose.
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December 11, 2024
Toyota Must Face 'Parasitic Drain' Claims, Ga. Judge Says
A proposed class action alleging that Toyota's RAV4 SUV suffers from a known defect that drains the car's battery while shut off was largely preserved Wednesday by a Georgia federal judge, who declined to dismiss all but one of the claims against the manufacturer.
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December 11, 2024
FCC Allows Full 6 GHz Band For Unlicensed Wireless Devices
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday opened two more slices of the 6 gigahertz airwaves to power unlicensed wireless uses ranging from augmented reality to body-worn technologies.
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December 11, 2024
3M Gets Georgia Man's $850M PFAS Remediation Bid Denied
A Georgia federal judge has shut down a proposed injunction requiring 3M Co. and other companies to pay $850 million for remediation of water sources in Dalton contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, saying the named plaintiff doesn't have standing to call for the remediation.
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December 11, 2024
CORRECTED: Jury Finds Poultry Co. Owes $10.5M For Bony Chicken
Pilgrim's Pride owes Washington-based grocery vendor Innovative Solutions Inc. $10.5 million for consumer protection and negligence claims, a federal jury said Wednesday, capping off a weeklong trial in which Innovative accused the poultry producer of selling it bony chicken that ultimately ruined a chicken burger deal with Trader Joe's. Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated the verdict amount. The error has been corrected.
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December 11, 2024
CFPB's Chopra Won't Head For Exit Ahead Of Trump's Arrival
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra signaled Wednesday that he won't leave his post early unless and until the incoming Trump administration fires him next month, indicating that he plans to keep running the agency in the meantime.
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December 11, 2024
Albertsons Sues Kroger In Chancery After Blocked Megadeal
Grocery giant Albertsons, in a Wednesday lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery, said Kroger did not put forth its "best efforts" into getting their planned $24.6 billion megamerger cleared while also announcing official plans to nix the deal, moves that came just one day after two judges blocked the proposed acquisition.
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December 10, 2024
Major Food Cos. Push 'Addictive' Foods On Kids, Suit Says
The Kraft Heinz Co., Nestle USA, General Mills and other major food companies are putting profits above all else by making highly addictive ultra-processed foods and aggressively marketing the products to children, leading to skyrocketing levels of chronic disease, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Philadelphia court.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Navigating New Enforcement Scrutiny Of 'AI Washing'
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent lawsuit against Joonko Diversity, its first public AI-focused enforcement action against a private company, underscores the importance of applying the same internal legal and compliance rigor to AI-related claims as other market-facing statements, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.