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Consumer Protection
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November 26, 2024
Bojangles' Restaurants Sued Over Weekslong Cyberattack
A former employee of Southern-style fast-food chain Bojangles' Restaurants Inc. said the company negligently failed to protect his and his proposed class members' personal information, allowing hackers to access it earlier this year in a cyberattack that lasted for weeks.
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November 25, 2024
Drake Says UMG Paid To Boost Kendrick Lamar's Diss Track
Universal Music Group conspired with Spotify to blast Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" single to the top of the airwaves by using bots, pay-to-play agreements and other shady tactics at the expense of Drake and other artists, the Canadian rapper alleged Monday in a Manhattan court filing.
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November 25, 2024
Geico, Travelers To Pay NY $11.3M To Settle Data Security Row
New York's financial services regulator and attorney general revealed Monday that they've hit Geico and Travelers with $11.3 million in penalties for the auto insurers' alleged failure to adequately secure driver's license numbers, birth dates and other personal information that was compromised as part of a hacking campaign targeting online rate quote tools.
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November 25, 2024
Pom Juice Maker Trims But Can't Nix 'Forever Chemicals' Suit
A Manhattan federal judge on Monday pared down a putative class action alleging the makers of Pom pomegranate juice misled consumers about whether its products contained harmful "forever chemicals" while allowing claims of negligence and violation of New York's business laws to go forward.
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November 25, 2024
'Shameful': Dems Rip Credit Bureaus Over Scrapped Hearing
Democratic senators on Monday lit into the Big Three credit bureaus for allegedly backing out of preelection commitments to testify last week before the Senate Banking Committee, calling the move "shortsighted and shameful."
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November 25, 2024
SEC Secured Historic $8.2B Enforcement Haul In 2024
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained $8.2 billion in civil penalties and disgorgement via successful enforcement actions in 2024, the highest amount in the history of the agency despite a significant decline in total enforcement actions, the SEC has announced.
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November 25, 2024
Ad Tech Judge Says Google 'Completely Different' From Amex
The Virginia federal judge weighing the fate of Google's display advertising placement business cast doubt Monday on a key element of the company's defense, asserting during closing arguments that the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Amex decision, requiring consideration of two-sided markets, is far removed from Google's ad tech stack.
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November 25, 2024
Tuna Price-Fixing MDL Lead Attys Awarded $86M In Fees
A California federal judge has agreed to award a combined total of $86 million in fees and costs to lead counsel representing two classes of canned tuna buyers who reached settlements in recent months with StarKist, Dongwon Industries and Lion Capital in a decadelong price-fixing case.
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November 25, 2024
Cruz Calls Digital Equity Program Rules 'Unlawful'
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is criticizing the U.S. Commerce Department's grant program created to encourage broadband use among minorities, saying it unlawfully discriminates based on race in distributing broadband funds.
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November 25, 2024
Grayscale Seeks Win In Rival's $2M Unfair Practices Suit
Digital asset management firm Grayscale Investments LLC seeks a quick finding in its favor that certain securities-related conduct it is being sued over did not violate Connecticut's unfair trade practices law because the law has a securities matters carveout.
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November 25, 2024
Red Cross Misused $500M Haiti Earthquake Aid, Fla. Suit Says
The Red Cross misused more than $500 million in donations intended to help Haiti recover following the country's 2010 earthquake, instead spending the money on covering a financial deficit and unrelated projects, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in Florida federal court.
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November 25, 2024
Credit Bureaus Freed From VantageScore Antitrust Suit
An Illinois federal judge has ruled there is no evidence the three major credit bureaus conspired with the Fair Isaac Corporation to engage in a monopoly, reasoning there was no impetus for them to do so, but also found that credit score buyers sufficiently backed some of their antitrust claims against FICO.
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November 25, 2024
Colo. Law Could Imperil Dual Banking System, 10th Circ. Told
Texas, Utah and other Republican-led states have joined industry calls for the Tenth Circuit to affirm a court-ordered hold on a Colorado law targeting higher-cost online lending, warning the measure could lead to the unraveling of the dual banking system.
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November 25, 2024
Monsanto Attacks 'Frankenstein' Ruling In $185M PCB Verdict
Even though a lower state appellate court upended a $185 million jury verdict in a PCB tort brought by schoolteachers, Monsanto says Washington's high court should reject the part of the ruling that created a "Frankenstein's monster" that could let the teachers get around the state's ban on punitive damages in product liability cases by relying on Missouri law.
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November 25, 2024
Spectrum, Rip And Replace Are Top FCC Priorities, Carr Says
Congress needs to focus next year on restoring the Federal Communications Commission's authority to auction spectrum bands and figure out how to pay for adequate telecom cybersecurity, says Brendan Carr, the agency's upcoming Republican chair.
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November 25, 2024
Kalshi's Election Contracts Are Here To Stay, DC Circ. Told
Prediction market advocates and legal scholars have told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission stretched existing statutes too far in its bid to block KalshiEx's election wagering market, and now that the votes are in, the agency's concerns that the markets would threaten election integrity have not borne out.
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November 25, 2024
FCC To Bar Fla. Telecom From Aid After Fraud Conviction
The Federal Communications Commission is looking to block a Florida-based wireless service provider from participating in any universal service programs for at least three years after it was convicted of conspiring to defraud the federal government through the agency's Lifeline Program for low-income phone users.
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November 25, 2024
Hemp Sellers Say Conn. Cannabis Laws Violate Constitution
A dozen Connecticut hemp retailers filed a federal lawsuit against the governor and attorney general challenging a number of state laws meant to regulate so-called high-THC hemp products, claiming the statutes are so vague they are unconstitutional.
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November 25, 2024
FTC's Antitrust Case Against Meta Gets April Trial Date
A D.C. federal court has set an April 14 trial date for the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case accusing Meta of monopolizing personal social networking through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
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November 25, 2024
TMX Moves For Emergency Block On $52M Pa. Fine Hearing
An affiliate of TMX Finance asked a Texas federal court to pause Pennsylvania regulators' efforts to enforce the state's anti-usury laws against it, claiming it faced a "Hobson's choice" of responding to an enforcement proceeding whose legality was being questioned, or waiving its arguments and facing a $52.7 million fine.
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November 25, 2024
Calif. Board Seeks Comment On AI Rules Amid Pushback
The California Privacy Protection Agency on Friday opened the public comment period for its latest rulemaking package proposing expansive draft rules regulating technologies fueled by artificial intelligence — including in the employment, education, healthcare, consumer protection, banking and insurance contexts — which business groups have already criticized as being overly broad and burdensome.
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November 25, 2024
Medical Info. Co. Beats Junk Fax Suit Over Free E-Book Offer
A medical information company has once again defeated a long-running Telephone Consumer Protection suit over unsolicited faxes it sent in 2013, with a West Virginia federal judge ruling the plaintiffs produced no evidence that the company got paid when recipients responded to their faxes.
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November 25, 2024
4th Circ. Stands By HELOC 'Offset' Ruling Against PNC
The full Fourth Circuit has declined to reconsider a panel decision that extended protections under the Truth In Lending Act by barring banks from dipping into a cardholder's deposit account to cover outstanding payments on a home equity line of credit without the borrower's consent.
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November 25, 2024
DOJ Says Realtor Commissions Deal Is No Antitrust Shield
The U.S. Department of Justice warned the National Association of Realtors that changes to broker commission rules agreed to in a settlement with home sellers do not shield the industry from government antitrust scrutiny.
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November 25, 2024
Jury Finds Natera Owes Guardant $292.5M In False Ad Suit
A California federal jury on Monday awarded $292.5 million in actual and punitive damages to medical test maker Guardant Health after finding that its rival Natera falsely advertised its colorectal cancer test Signatera as superior to Guardant's competing product Reveal.
Expert Analysis
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8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
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How To Safely Leverage AI In The Digital Assets Industry
Digital asset businesses that use or plan to implement artificial intelligence should assess their risk management frameworks to ensure that AI-related business areas, including customer support and fraud detection, are in compliance with applicable laws and regulatory guidance from the last year, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.
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What Cos. Can Learn from Water Microplastics Class Actions
Class actions against companies whose bottled spring water allegedly contains microplastics, challenging claims such as "natural" and "100% spring water," seem to be drying up — but these cases serve as a good reminder to other businesses to review regulatory standards, and carefully vet plaintiff allegations at the outset, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.
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$3B TD Bank AML Settlement Is A Wake-Up Call For All Banks
TD Bank’s historic settlement over anti-money laundering violations, resulting in over $3 billion in penalties, reminds banks of all shapes and sizes why they need to take financial crime compliance seriously, and highlights three areas that may be especially vulnerable to enforcement, says Jack Harrington at Bradley Arant.
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Opinion
The Right Kind Of Deregulation In Commercial Airline Industry
Similar to the economic deregulation that occurred more than four decades ago during the Carter administration, the incoming Trump administration should restore the very limited federal regulatory role in the economics of the airline industry, says former U.S. transportation secretary James Burnley at Venable.
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Unpacking The CFPB's Personal Financial Data Final Rule
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's personal financial data rights rule includes several important changes from the proposed rule, and hundreds of pages of supplementary information that provide important insights into the manner in which the bureau will enforce the final rule, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Opinion
Feds May Have Overstepped In Suit Against Mortgage Lender
The U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Rocket Mortgage goes too far in attempting to combat racial bias and appears to fail on the fatal flaw that mortgage lenders should be at arm's length from appraisers, says Drew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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The AI Consumer Class Action Threat Is Not A Hallucination
As regulators scrutinize whether businesses can deliver on claims about their artificial intelligence products and services, the industry faces a wave of consumer fraud class actions — but AI companies can protect themselves by prioritizing fundamental best practices that are often overlooked, say Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein and Richard Torrenzano at the Torrenzano Group.
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Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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The Do's And Don'ts Of Commercial Debt Under Calif. FDCPA
Lenders, servicers and attorneys collecting on their behalf should pay careful attention to the consumer protections under the newly expanded California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that may apply going forward to some commercial debts, say attorneys at Womble Bond.
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Series
Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.
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Video Privacy Law Claims After 2nd Circ. NBA Ruling
The Second Circuit's recent ruling in Salazar v. National Basketball Association expanded the definition of what constitutes a consumer under the Video Privacy Protection Act, breathing new life into the law by making any newsletter subscriber to a platform that hosts video content a potential plaintiff, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Next Steps In The $2.8B Blue Cross Payout To Providers
Healthcare providers deciding whether to participate in Blue Cross Blue Shield network's recent $2.8 billion antitrust class action settlement must weigh key recovery factors, including provider type and litigation cost, say attorneys at Hall Render.