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Consumer Protection
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August 28, 2024
Feds Say Multimillion-Dollar 'Surge' Scheme Bilked Uber Riders
New York federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused two men of leading a yearslong scheme that allowed hundreds of Uber drivers to use illicit apps, including some named Screwber and FakeGPS, to manipulate the rideshare market and gain millions of dollars from riders in fraudulent surge fees.
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August 28, 2024
Raymond James Hit With Suit Over 'Cash Sweep' Programs
Financial services giant Raymond James faces a proposed class action in Florida federal court alleging its so-called cash sweep programs offer interest rates "significantly lower" than those offered by competitors, in violation of federal law.
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August 28, 2024
Mich. Pot Co. Says Court Can Hear Suit Against IP Atty
A Michigan cannabis company can maintain its lawsuit against an attorney and his wife who it claims badmouthed it on social media, a federal judge ruled, after the business showed the court has jurisdiction over the couple.
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August 28, 2024
Capital One Says Merger's Pending Approval Tanks Challenge
Capital One urged a Virginia federal judge to toss or pause a lawsuit challenging the bank's proposed $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services, saying the suit's claims are too speculative and contingent on unknown future events since they depend entirely on the acquisition receiving regulatory and government approval.
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August 28, 2024
NJ Law Firm Sues TD Bank Over Bounced $149K Check
A New Jersey personal injury firm has sued TD Bank, alleging that it lost over $146,000 as a result of its bank's failure to give it timely notice about a bad six-figure cashier's check deposited to the firm's business account.
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August 28, 2024
'Smoking-Gun' Flaw Found In New Ark. Hemp Law, Say Cos.
In a legal fight over a recent Arkansas state law restricting hemp-derived intoxicants, the hemp companies who brought the challenge told a federal judge Wednesday they found "smoking-gun evidence" from regulators showing the 2023 law is unconstitutionally vague.
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August 28, 2024
ACLU Offers Harris 'Roadmap' To Rein In Gov't Surveillance
The American Civil Liberties Union is urging the Democratic presidential nominee to stop what the group calls exploitation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by the federal government by ending unwarranted surveillance of Americans if she wins office in November.
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August 28, 2024
NFT Platform OpenSea Says SEC May Bring Registration Suit
The CEO of nonfungible token marketplace OpenSea said Wednesday that the firm was ready to "stand up and fight" after it received a notice that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was considering an enforcement action claiming that the "creative goods" on its platform are unregistered securities.
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August 28, 2024
Injured Driver Asks 6th Circ. To Revive Hyundai Car-Theft Suit
An Ohio motorist who was injured in a crash involving a stolen Hyundai vehicle driven by a teenager told the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday that the automaker must be held liable for knowingly selling defective theft-prone vehicles, and ineffectively combating a viral TikTok trend that launched a car-theft "epidemic."
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August 28, 2024
US, Canada Agree To Work Together On Privacy Enforcement
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it has inked an agreement with Canada's privacy regulator to share information and cooperate on enforcement actions to protect consumers' data.
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August 28, 2024
Rural Carriers Say Broadband Map Errors Undermine 5G Fund
Rural wireless carriers are urging the Federal Communications Commission to verify broadband map data on its own in order to resolve long-standing concerns that inaccurate industry maps of the country's broadband coverage threaten the effective distribution of the FCC's recently revived 5G Fund.
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August 28, 2024
Wash. AG Fears Kroger Will Move Goalposts For Merger Trial
The Washington Attorney General's Office told a state court Wednesday that Kroger refuses to commit to sticking with the current terms of its divestiture package in its merger with Albertsons, which the state fears would unfairly "move the goalposts" less than three weeks before a trial on the state's merger challenge kicks off.
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August 28, 2024
BofA Hit With Suit Alleging 'Exploitative' Trust Insurance Costs
A trust beneficiary accused Bank of America in Georgia federal court of charging a trust it manages "unnecessarily expensive" insurance coverage for a residential property, arguing the bank breached its duties both as a trustee and a fiduciary.
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August 28, 2024
NY Biz Group Rips FTC Suit Over $8.5B Luxury Handbags Deal
A New York City business group is urging Empire State Democratic lawmakers to oppose the Federal Trade Commission's "ideologically motivated litigation" to block an $8.5 billion deal that would bring together brands including Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Coach.
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August 28, 2024
Tech Co. Defends GoDaddy Antitrust Claims
The maker of a tool for connecting domains to third-party applications is defending its antitrust case against GoDaddy, telling a Virginia federal court the world's largest domain registrar is forcing customers to use its own configuration product.
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August 28, 2024
Yelp Sues Google Over Reviews Self-Preferencing
Yelp sued Google in California federal court Wednesday, targeting the self-preferencing of Google's own local search offerings as illegal monopolization after years of public lobbying against the search giant.
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August 28, 2024
TikTok Lawsuit, Kids' Privacy Bills Push Cos. 'Back To Basics'
The federal government's lawsuit challenging TikTok's policing of kids on its platform and mounting efforts to boost online protections for teens is ramping up pressure on a broad range of website operators, highlighting the importance for companies to think beyond existing legal frameworks to avoid growing legal scrutiny.
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August 28, 2024
Pa. Justices To Mull 'Click-Through' Arbitration Agreements
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will review a ruling that so-called "click-through" terms of service for apps and online forms don't give users adequate notice that they are often waiving their rights to a jury trial, according to an order issued Tuesday.
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August 28, 2024
Conn. Dental Practices Settle False Claims Case For $1.7M
Three dental practices in Connecticut and their owners have paid a $1.7 million settlement after federal and state authorities accused them of using an illegal patient recruiting tactic and paying kickbacks that ripped off Medicaid.
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August 28, 2024
Justices Won't Revive Student Debt Relief Plan Right Now
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to reinstate President Joe Biden's latest student loan debt relief program, leaving the $475 billion plan on ice until the Eighth Circuit decides whether the administration has the authority to continue its new push to reduce student loan bills for millions of people.
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August 27, 2024
No Section 230 Shield For TikTok's Algorithm, 3rd Circ. Says
The Third Circuit Tuesday revived a lawsuit alleging TikTok's algorithms recommended a "blackout challenge" to a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl that led to her unintentional hanging death, saying the social media platform curates recommendations through its "For You Page" algorithm, which is not protected by a law shielding traditional publishers.
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August 27, 2024
Miss. Seafood Co. Pleads Guilty To 'Fish Substitution' Scheme
The largest seafood wholesaler in the Mississippi Gulf Coast and two of its managers pled guilty Tuesday to scheming with others to market and sell cheap frozen fish imports as premium and locally sourced, federal prosecutors in Mississippi announced.
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August 27, 2024
Wells Fargo Says 'Good Faith' Efforts Ax Investors' Bias Suit
Wells Fargo & Co. urged a California federal judge Tuesday to toss a derivative lawsuit filed by a putative class of shareholders claiming the bank's board of directors failed to address its discriminatory lending and hiring practices, saying there's evidence of "good-faith" efforts to monitor compliance in those areas.
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August 27, 2024
Tile, Stalking Victims Asked To Weigh In On Appellate Ruling
A San Francisco federal judge mulling tracking device manufacturer Tile Inc.'s bid to arbitrate some claims that its Bluetooth trackers are dangerous because they empower stalkers asked the parties at a hearing Tuesday to brief her on the effect of a recent California appellate court decision regarding arbitrability.
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August 27, 2024
CFPB Late Fee Rule Has Slim Ties To Fort Worth, Judge Says
A Texas federal judge had stern words for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a Tuesday hearing over a lawsuit challenging the CFPB's new credit card late fee rule in Fort Worth, saying that if judges' impartiality is in question "we need to just turn it in" as a country.
Expert Analysis
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Considerations When Using Publicly Available Data To Train AI
To maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of using publicly available data to train artificial intelligence models, companies should maintain a balance between openness and protection, and consider certain best practices, says Michael Cole at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America.
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Del. Dispatch: Director Caremark Claims Need Extreme Facts
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed Caremark claims against the directors of Centene in Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Brinkley, indicating a high bar for a finding of the required element of bad faith for Caremark liability, and stressing the need to resist hindsight bias, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Illinois BIPA Reform Offers Welcome Relief To Businesses
Illinois' recent amendment to its Biometric Information Privacy Act limits the number of violations and damages a plaintiff can claim — a crucial step in shielding businesses from unintended legal consequences, including litigation risk and compliance costs, say attorneys at Taft.
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Gilead Drug Ruling Creates Corporate Governance Dilemma
If upheld, a California state appellate court's decision — finding that Gilead is liable for delaying commercialization of a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on another drug — threatens to undermine long-standing rules of corporate law and exposes companies to liability for decisions based on sound business judgment, says Shireen Barday at Pallas.
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Class Action Law Makes An LLC A 'Jurisdictional Platypus'
The applicability of Section 1332(d)(10) of the Class Action Fairness Act is still widely misunderstood — and given the ambiguous nature of limited liability companies, the law will likely continue to confound courts and litigants — so parties should be prepared for a range of outcomes, says Andrew Gunem at Strauss Borrelli.
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Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing
Branko Jovanovic and Monica Zhong at Edgeworth Economics discuss the Federal Trade Commission's recent advice for multilevel marketers on how MLMs should approach their income and earnings reports, including participants costs, typical proceeds and distributor gains.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases
Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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How Courts' Differing Views On Standing Affect PFAS Claims
Two recent opinions from New York federal courts — in Lurenz v. Coca-Cola, and Winans v. Ornua Foods North America — illustrate how pivotal the differing views on standing held by different courts will be for product liability litigation involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly consumer claims, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape
Businesses are feeling immense pressure to deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to accelerate profits and demonstrate their technological superiority to investors and consumers, and there are a few steps they can take when using AI tools to mitigate liability risks, say B. Stephanie Siegmann and Julianna Malogolowkin at Hinckley Allen.
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Addressing The Growing Hazards Of Mass Arbitration
Though retail companies typically include arbitration provisions in their terms of service, the recent trend of costly mass arbitrations filed by plaintiffs may cause businesses to rethink this conventional wisdom, say attorneys at BCLP.
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CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.