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Consumer Protection
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July 05, 2024
NYC Developer To Pay $272M To Settle SEC Investment Suit
A New York City developer and his wife agreed on Friday to pay $272 million to settle claims brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they'd schemed to raise money from hundreds of Chinese investors using false statements.
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July 05, 2024
Full 5th Circ. Urged To Revisit Fight Over CFPB Payday Rule
Payday lender trade groups have formally asked the Fifth Circuit to take another look at parts of their long-running challenge to a payday loan regulation issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, filing a petition that seeks to reopen the case after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned their prior win.
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July 05, 2024
H&R Block Users Must Arbitrate Meta Privacy Claims
Two H&R Block customers must arbitrate their claims that the company shared their private data with Meta Platforms Inc. and Google, a Pennsylvania federal court ruled, saying they agreed to arbitrate any disputes under the tax services provider's terms of agreement.
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July 05, 2024
The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court
This U.S. Supreme Court term featured high-stakes oral arguments on issues including gerrymandering, abortion and federal agency authority, and a hot bench ever more willing to engage in a lengthy back-and-forth with advocates. Here's a look at the law firms that argued the most cases and how they fared.
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July 05, 2024
Atty Sheehan, Client Must Pay Fees in 'Frivolous' Big Lots Suit
A Florida federal judge has ordered prolific consumer advocate lawyer Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC to pay attorney fees in a proposed class action against Big Lots Inc. over deceptive coffee labels, citing bad faith conduct in pursuing a "frivolous" lawsuit similar to one that was dismissed in New York.
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July 03, 2024
6 Things To Know About The Post-Chevron Finreg Impact
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Chevron deference last week may make it tougher for financial regulators to defend a range of rules and regulations pursued by the Biden administration, although experts anticipate the ruling will have an uneven impact across the financial services industry.
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July 03, 2024
Broiler Chicken Buyers' Attys Get $51.6M Fees In Antitrust Suit
An Illinois federal judge overseeing sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers awarded class counsel more than $51.6 million in attorney fees in a $181 million deal for chicken buyers after the initial $57 million award was tossed by the Seventh Circuit last year, according to an order Wednesday.
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July 03, 2024
24 AGs Urge High Court To Preserve Ghost Gun Regs
A coalition of 24 attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a new federal regulation regarding the weapon parts kits consumers can purchase and use to build ghost guns — firearms without serial numbers — treating them the same way preassembled firearms are, saying the new rule is "crucial to preventing and solving violent, firearm-related offenses."
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July 03, 2024
SEC Says Apparel Co.'s Preemptive Crypto Suit Is Unripe
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Texas federal judge on Wednesday a crypto industry group and apparel company can't sue the regulator over its alleged "digital-asset policy" since the parties can't point to any rule or action to challenge.
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July 03, 2024
FCC Says No To Rethink Of $25M Aid Denial For Cell Towers
The Federal Communications Commission says it's not going to rethink its decision to say no to $25.5 million in aid to build 16 cell towers, because even though it's a group of California school districts that is asking, the funds are earmarked for schools, and it was never explained how the towers would benefit the students or staff.
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July 03, 2024
FTC Warns Cos. Over Warranties That Limit Right To Repair
The Federal Trade Commission is warning a group of air purifier sellers, treadmill makers and gaming tech companies not to scare their customers from using independent dealers to repair their products, saying their use of "warranty void" notices might be in violation of federal right-to-repair laws.
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July 03, 2024
Appliance Co. Must Face Stove Pollutant Risk Claims
Sub-Zero Group Inc., a maker of luxury kitchen appliances, can't get out of a proposed class action accusing it of selling gas stoves that emit pollutants, a Wisconsin federal judge has ruled, saying federal energy efficiency laws do not "at this point" invalidate the state law claims.
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July 03, 2024
One Judge Not Enough For TCPA Deal's Toss, 11th Circ. Told
An Alabama woman has said a recent Eleventh Circuit decision tossing her and other class members' $35 million settlement with GoDaddy.com should get another look from a three-judge panel because outstanding questions about which of the panel's opinions control are poised to sow confusion with the district court.
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July 03, 2024
FCC Denies 'Blanket Amnesty' If Cos. Drop Network Projects
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it will not provide blanket relief from FCC penalties against broadband providers that pull out of rural deployment commitments, but will weigh companies' individual circumstances.
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July 03, 2024
SentinelOne Beats Investor Suit Over $27M Revision, For Now
Cybersecurity company SentinelOne Inc. has beaten a proposed investor class action filed after its $27 million downward revision of one of its key business metrics for its 2023 fiscal year, though a California federal judge gave the shareholders a chance to revise their suit.
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July 03, 2024
FCC Says Assurance Failed Blind Customer On Accessibility
T-Mobile unit Assurance made one of its blind customers spend the better part of three years going back and forth with it about getting an accessible device, which it was required to provide under the Federal Communications Commission's rules for the Lifeline subsidy program, the FCC said.
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July 03, 2024
'Who Does That?' 7th Circ. Pans Walmart's Price Audit Theory
The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday revived a class action accusing Walmart of systematically posting lower prices on shelves than it actually charges, rejecting the retailer's argument that the onus is on customers to keep track of prices as they're juggling various distractions during checkout.
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July 03, 2024
Texas Court Puts FTC's Noncompete Ban On Hold
A Texas federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Federal Trade Commission from enforcing its rule banning noncompete agreements against tax preparation company Ryan LLC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and suggested the regulation should be shot down.
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July 03, 2024
Geico To Pay Policyholders $2M To Settle Underpayment Suit
Geico policyholders asked a New Jersey federal judge for preliminary approval of a $1.9 million settlement resolving claims the insurer breached their policies by failing to pay title or registration transfer fees upon the total loss of an insured vehicle.
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July 03, 2024
Hartford Unit Says Software Co. Not Covered For BIPA Claims
A Hartford unit told an Illinois federal court that a software company isn't owed coverage for two underlying class actions alleging that its software was used by two different restaurant chains to collect customers' biometric information, arguing that the alleged Biometric Information Privacy Act violations aren't covered under its policies.
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July 03, 2024
Oil Trading Cos. Ink 'Simple' $13.9M Deal In Gas Price Rig Suit
Oil trading companies Vitol and SK Energy have agreed to shell out $13.9 million to resolve a consolidated proposed class action alleging that they plotted to artificially inflate California gas prices following an ExxonMobil explosion in 2015, buyers told a California federal judge.
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July 03, 2024
NC Appeals Court OKs Hospital's 'Facility Fees' For ER Patient
The North Carolina Court of Appeals has found that Novant Health was allowed to charge an emergency room patient "facility fees" because a contract she signed for healthcare included language requiring payment for anything not covered by insurance.
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July 03, 2024
FCC Relying On Iffy Broadband Marketing Data, Co-Ops Say
Rural broadband providers are telling the Federal Communications Commission that more changes are needed for the agency's national broadband maps to accurately determine where federal funding would have the biggest impact in building out network infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas.
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July 03, 2024
After Chevron Deference: What Lawyers Need To Know
This term, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference, a precedent established 40 years ago that said when judges could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking. Here, catch up with Law360's coverage of what is likely to happen next.
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July 02, 2024
Data Breach Suits Drive Consumer Protection Docket Growth
Federal consumer protection lawsuits are back on the rise after nearly a decade of steady decline, with disputes over increasingly prevalent data breaches fueling the uptick, according to a Wednesday report by Lex Machina.
Expert Analysis
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'Food As Health' Serves Up Fresh Legal Considerations
The growth of food as medicine presents a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations and nontraditional healthcare players to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, though these innovative programs also bring compliance considerations that must be carefully navigated, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law
The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist
Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
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FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs
The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.
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FTC Focus: Exploring The Meaning Of Orange Book Letters
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced an expansion of its campaign to promote competition by targeting pharmaceutical manufacturers' improper Orange Book patent listings, but there is a question of whether and how this helps generic entrants, say Colin Kass and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.
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3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up
Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.
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12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews
Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.
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How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban
As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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CFPB's Expanding Scope Evident In Coding Bootcamp Fine
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent penalty against a for-profit coding bootcamp that misrepresented its tuition financing plans is a sign that the bureau is seeking to wield its supervisory and enforcement powers in more industries that offer consumer financing, say Jason McElroy and Brandon Sherman at Saul Ewing.
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Fintech Compliance Amid Regulatory Focus On Sensitive Data
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent, expansive pursuit of financial services companies using sensitive personal information signals a move into the Federal Trade Commission's territory, and the path forward for fintech and financial service providers involves a balance between innovation and compliance, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.
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4 Arbitration Takeaways From High Court Coinbase Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's May 23 decision in Coinbase v. Suski, which provides clarity to parties faced with successive contracts containing conflicting dispute resolution provisions, has four practical impacts for contracting parties to consider, say Charles Schoenwetter and Eric Olson at Bowman and Brooke.