Consumer Protection

  • September 03, 2024

    Bill-Pay Co. Says Judge Already Scrapped Wash. CPA Claims

    An online bill-pay platform has urged a Washington federal judge to throw out a consumer's proposed class action accusing the company of disguising itself as an official processor for legitimate service providers, pointing to disclosures on its website that the district court has already highlighted when dismissing comparable claims.

  • September 03, 2024

    FCC Urged To Trim Rule Proposal For Blocking Spam Texts

    Wireless carriers want the Federal Communications Commission to scale back a proposed rule for blocking spam texts to ensure legitimate messages can still go through despite tighter standards.

  • September 03, 2024

    FCC Bans Kaspersky Software In Authorized Equipment

    The Federal Communications Commission is banning the use of certain Russian-made cybersecurity and antivirus software from Kaspersky Labs in agency-authorized telecommunications equipment, months after the U.S. Department of Commerce said the software could pose national security risks.

  • September 03, 2024

    Colo. AG Says Tenants Can Sue Blackstone Over Lease Terms

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser urged the state's Supreme Court on Friday to find that tenants can sue a group of Blackstone subsidiaries for deceptive trade practices over lease agreements that allegedly misrepresent the rights of tenants.

  • September 03, 2024

    6th Circ. Revives Suits Over Fatal Kia Optima Crash

    A split Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday reinstated a pair of suits alleging that a malfunction in the cruise control of a 2008 Kia Optima caused it to accelerate and hit a van, killing the Kia's driver and twin boys in the van, saying the trial court wrongly excluded portions of the plaintiffs' experts' opinions.

  • September 03, 2024

    Gov't Backs 9th Circ. Bid To Revive Invisalign Monopoly Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice has told the Ninth Circuit that a lower court applied the wrong standard when tossing a pair of class actions accusing the maker of Invisalign of monopolizing markets for clear dental aligners and teeth scanners.

  • September 03, 2024

    Alaska Says Nothing's Changed As Flyers Try Merger 'Do-Over'

    Alaska Airlines wants a nixed flyer challenge to its $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines to stay nixed, telling a Hawaii federal judge that declarations from the plaintiffs about their travel plans could have been submitted months ago and are "too little, too late" to overcome the judge's ruling that they had no standing.

  • September 03, 2024

    Ex-Miami Atty's Countersuit Tossed Due To Litigation Privilege

    A Florida state judge has tossed an ex-Miami city attorney's countersuit against a constituent, saying her suit fighting real estate fraud allegations that she says led to her termination is barred by the state's litigation privilege doctrine in which absolute immunity protects certain statements made in court proceedings.

  • September 03, 2024

    Calif. Eyes New Heavy-Duty Autonomous Truck Testing Regs

    California is forging ahead with plans to test and deploy more heavy-duty autonomous trucks, at the same time that state lawmakers are seeking to ban autonomous trucks from operating without a human driver behind the wheel.

  • September 03, 2024

    Glenmark Hit With $50M Suit Over Potassium Pill Death

    A proposed class of buyers is suing Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc. for more than $50 million, alleging that the company's extended-release potassium chloride capsules are defective and instead deliver the potassium too fast, which resulted in the death of the lead plaintiff's mother.

  • September 03, 2024

    Pot Co. Stiiizy Hit With New Lawsuit Over High-Potency Wares

    California cannabis giant Stiiizy has been accused again of marketing dangerous, high-potency THC products to young people, allegedly resulting in cannabis-induced psychosis in a user who brought a product liability and fraud suit in Los Angeles state court.

  • September 02, 2024

    Microsoft To Face UK Class Action Over License Pricing

    Microsoft is set to face a multibillion-pound class action case brought by a former U.K. prosecutor over allegations that the tech giant illegally inflated the prices of software licenses, lawyers who plan to represent consumers said on Monday.

  • August 30, 2024

    3M Swept 'Forever Chemicals' Under The Rug, Buyers Say

    3M Co. and two chemical companies sold stain- and dirt-repellents made with so-called forever chemicals to carpet manufacturers without disclosing the health risks posed by the chemicals, which were then installed in millions of homes and businesses, according to a proposed consumer class action filed Friday in Minnesota federal court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Flint Water Firm Wants To Keep PR 'Sideshow' Out Of Trial

    One of the last remaining defendants in Flint water crisis litigation urged a Michigan federal judge to exclude from an upcoming bellwether trial evidence about its public relations efforts, which included an alleged smear campaign against the lawyer for Flint children that led to another attorney getting referred to the California bar.

  • August 30, 2024

    CrowdStrike VP Called To House Hearing On Global IT Outage

    A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee will dig into the faulty CrowdStrike software update that caused a massive global tech outage, revealing plans Friday for a September hearing that will feature testimony from a senior executive at the cybersecurity firm. 

  • August 30, 2024

    Calif. Legislature OKs Ban On 6 Food Dyes In Public Schools

    California's State Legislature on Thursday passed the nation's first-ever bill aimed at banning public schools in the state from serving foods to children that contain Red 40 and other synthetic food dyes, sending the law to the governor's desk.

  • August 30, 2024

    Steel Distributor Exec Pleads Guilty To Price-Fixing

    A second steel distributor executive pled guilty Friday in Puerto Rico to criminal charges for allegedly participating in an eight-year-long scheme to fix the prices of steel products, including while the island was recovering from a pair of hurricanes.

  • August 30, 2024

    Supply, Worker Shortages Prompt 'Rip And Replace' Leniency

    Citing shortages of network gear and work crews, the Federal Communications Commission granted additional time, generally six months, for several telecom carriers to comply with their obligations to "rip and replace" Chinese network equipment.

  • August 30, 2024

    UK Drops Antitrust Probe Into School Software Co.

    A United Kingdom school software company is no longer facing antitrust scrutiny over alleged litigation threats against schools looking to switch providers, but the firm continues to suggest that it may take action against the "misuse of its intellectual property" that it says complaints to authorities were meant to hide.

  • August 30, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    Appeals courts have awakened from summertime slumber and crammed their early autumn calendars with arguments of national significance, which Law360 previews in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing. We're also recapping August's top appellate decisions, exploring new polling about U.S. Supreme Court opinions and testing your knowledge of Fifth Circuit history.

  • August 30, 2024

    Align Tech Cuts $27.5M Antitrust Deal With 1.45M Consumers

    A proposed class of nearly 1.45 million SmileDirectClub teeth-aligner buyers urged a California federal judge Thursday to preliminarily sign off on Align Technologies Inc.'s $27.5 million cash and coupon settlement to resolve antitrust claims alleging the company colluded with the now-bankrupt SmileDirecClub to illegally restrict competition.

  • August 30, 2024

    Missouri Ban On Some Psychoactive Foods To Hit Sept. 1

    Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's ban on consumables "containing psychoactive cannabis products" will go into effect Sunday, according to an announcement by state health regulators.

  • August 30, 2024

    Axon Pushes FCC Again For New Surveillance Device OKs

    Police body cam maker Axon again pressed the Federal Communications Commission to approve the use of three surveillance devices, emphasizing they will only be used briefly for law enforcement situational awareness.

  • August 30, 2024

    Mich. Justices Reject College Students' COVID Refund Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court said Friday it won't revive college students' lawsuits seeking refunds over the switch to virtual instruction during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, cementing wins for three universities.

  • August 30, 2024

    Cable Cos. Seek Latitude To Define BEAD Service Areas

    If Texas wants to make the most of its $3.3 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program money, it should allow participants the latitude to craft their own project areas when deciding which locations to build broadband infrastructure for, a major cable trade group told the state's broadband office.

Expert Analysis

  • What TikTok's Race Against The Clock Teaches Chinese Firms

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    The Biden administration's recent divestiture deadline on TikTok parent ByteDance provides useful information for other China-based companies looking to do business in the U.S., including the need to keep products for each market separate and implement firewalls at the design stage, says Richard Lomuscio at Stinson.

  • Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs

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    The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Unlocking Blockchain Opportunities Amid Legal Uncertainty

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    Dozens of laws and legal precedents will come into the fore as Web3, metaverse and non-fungible tokens gain momentum, so organizations need to design their programs with a broader view of potential exposures — and opportunities, say Teresa Goody Guillén and Robert Musiala at BakerHostetler and Steve McNew at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Ways Businesses Can Address Threat Of Mass Arbitration

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    Attorneys at DLA Piper examine the rise of mass arbitration in light of JAMS' new procedures and guidelines, and provide four steps e-commerce businesses can take when revising their dispute resolution provisions to maximize the chances those revisions will be held enforceable.

  • The Uncertain Scope Of The First Financial Fair Access Laws

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    With Florida and Tennessee soon to roll out laws banning financial institutions from making decisions based on customer traits like political affiliation, national financial services providers should consider how broadly worded “fair access” laws from these and other conservative-leaning states may place new obligations on their business operations, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

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    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

  • Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture

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    In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.

  • Debate Over CFPB Definition Of Credit Is Just Beginning

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently worked to expand the meaning of credit, so anyone operating on the edges of the credit markets, or even those who assumed they were safely outside the scope of this regulatory perimeter, should pay close attention as legal challenges to broad interpretations of the definition unfold, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond

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    Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.

  • How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving

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    Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • 10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep

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    Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.

  • A Look At US-EU Consumer Finance Talks' Slow First Steps

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    The unhurried and informal nature of planned discussions between the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the European commissioner for justice and consumer protection suggests any coordinated regulatory action on issues like AI and "buy now, pay later" services is still a ways off, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • 5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits

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    Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.

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