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Consumer Protection
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November 19, 2024
Senators Blast Visa, Mastercard, Promise Action On Fees
A group of bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee members blasted executives from Visa and Mastercard over swipe fees charged to merchants Tuesday morning, promising to rein in what they called the companies' monopoly on credit card payments if they do not change their practices.
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November 19, 2024
Calif. Man Wants 9th Circ. To Rehear LG Battery Decision
A California man who alleges that a faulty LG Chem Ltd. 18650 lithium-ion battery melted the skin off his hand is asking the Ninth Circuit for an en banc rehearing of a decision dismissing his defect claims against the company, saying the panel broke with other circuits and binding precedent by finding that California courts did not have jurisdiction over the Seoul-based company.
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November 19, 2024
Ballard Spahr Brings On Former Federal Prosecutor In LA
Ballard Spahr LLP is expanding its consumer finance services team, announcing Tuesday that a former assistant U.S. attorney is joining its Los Angeles office as of counsel.
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November 19, 2024
1st Circuit Won't Pause Prison Phone Rate Caps
The First Circuit said it won't stop the Federal Communications Commission from enforcing new caps on rates charged for prison phone calls while service providers challenge the rules in court.
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November 19, 2024
Unjust PJM Power Auction Rules Must Be Redone, FERC Told
State consumer advocates want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rewrite the electricity capacity auction rules for the nation's largest regional grid operator, saying PJM Interconnection's existing rules unjustly saddle consumers with billions of dollars of extra costs.
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November 19, 2024
FDIC's Gruenberg To Exit On Eve Of Trump's Inauguration
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s embattled chairman, Martin Gruenberg, said Tuesday that he will step down and retire from the agency before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, clearing the way for a new, likely Republican leader at the deposit insurer.
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November 18, 2024
Meta, Netflix Shook Hands On Illicit Streaming Deal, Suit Says
Meta Platforms and Netflix made an unlawful agreement where the social media giant would cede the video-streaming market to Netflix by hobbling its competing service and the streaming giant would funnel its customers' data to boost Facebook's advertising algorithms, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in Illinois federal court.
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November 18, 2024
Monsanto PCB Jury Hears About Ex-Schoolchildren's Illness
Four teenagers and a mother suing Monsanto over PCB damage at their former school took the stand Monday to testify, some tearfully, about physical and mental maladies they believe stem from exposure to decades-old light fixture fluid.
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November 18, 2024
Plaintiffs Dispute Ruling Applying BIPA Change To Past Cases
Workers suing over the allegedly unlawful collection of their fingerprints are urging an Illinois federal court to reject a recent ruling that a legislative amendment limiting damages under the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act applies to previously filed disputes, arguing that several state courts have reached the opposite conclusion.
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November 18, 2024
'You Stepped Over The Line': Judge Rips Quinn Emanuel Atty
A California federal judge told a Quinn Emanuel partner defending Natera Inc. at trial Monday in Guardant Health Inc.'s false advertising case that she'd be sanctioned over her questioning of a Natera expert about Guardant's alleged damages, saying, "You stepped over the line, and you did it several times."
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November 18, 2024
Apple Gets Some AirTag Stalking Claims Tossed, For Now
The California federal judge overseeing a proposed class action accusing Apple of failing to safeguard its AirTag tracking device from being abused by stalkers on Monday tossed product liability claims brought by consumers outside of California, saying Golden State law calls for the "place of the wrong" to take precedence.
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November 18, 2024
5th Circ. Indicates DOT Airline Fees Rule May Need Reworking
A pair of Fifth Circuit judges signaled Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation may have to rework its rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose add-on fees upfront, suggesting that it might be too costly for airlines to comply with the mandate and consumers would be overloaded with information.
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November 18, 2024
Judge Won't Release Kraken To Appeal Order In SEC Suit
A California federal judge on Monday refused to let the operator of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken make an immediate appeal of his order denying its motion to dismiss a suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying it would only delay resolution of the case.
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November 18, 2024
Justices Urged To Pass On 3rd Circ. CFPB Loan Trust Case
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny an appeal by a group of student loan trusts fighting an enforcement action by the agency, arguing that industry concerns about the Third Circuit case are overblown and unavailing.
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November 18, 2024
Will AG-Elect Stick To NC Dems' Playbook, Or Take New Path?
Incoming North Carolina Attorney General and "TikTok candidate" Jeff Jackson may be the latest in a long line of Democrats to serve as the state's top cop, but questions remain as to how closely he might follow in the footsteps of his powerful predecessors when it comes to issues like pursuing the very social media app that bolstered his campaign.
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November 18, 2024
Industry Group Wants Trump-Era SEC Proxy Rules Reinstated
The National Association of Manufacturers has urged the D.C. Circuit to reverse a ruling that struck down a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulation on proxy voting, arguing the ruling severely limits the agency's regulatory power without any statutory backing.
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November 18, 2024
Hacker's Wife Gets 18 Months For Laundering Stolen Crypto
The wife of a hacker who stole what is now billions of dollars' worth of bitcoin from the crypto exchange Bitfinex was sentenced in D.C. federal court Monday to 18 months in prison for her role in helping to launder the stolen funds.
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November 18, 2024
Live Nation Says Ticket Buyers Must Arbitrate Antitrust Suit
Live Nation moved to arbitrate a proposed consumer antitrust class action alleging it monopolizes concert promotions and secondary ticketing services for major venues, arguing in New York federal court Friday the customers agreed to arbitrate any dispute each time they logged in to their accounts or accepted secondary ticket transfers.
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November 18, 2024
Justices Urged To Deny TCPA Class Certification Challenge
A Florida-based financial services company found to have violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for sending fax ads to nearly 60,000 recipients is telling the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a petition from one of those respondents that sought to turn the case into a class action.
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November 18, 2024
Brokerage Startup Defends Suit Over NAR Listing Rules
A residential brokerage startup defended its antitrust lawsuit from dismissal motions filed by the National Association of Realtors and multiple brokerages, arguing in Utah federal court that it has standing to bring its suit "as an excluded competitor" and that it's not required to make specific claims about the roles of the defendants in the alleged antitrust conspiracy.
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November 18, 2024
Meta Can Ditch Mike Huckabee's CBD Fake Ad Suit
Former Arkansas governor and conservative pundit Mike Huckabee can't sue Facebook after an unidentified company posted advertisements implying he endorsed a brand of CBD gummies, a Delaware federal judge ruled Monday, saying he can't prove the social media giant was actually aware the ads were bogus.
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November 18, 2024
Dems Probe Treasury On Effects Of Crypto Mixer Sanctions
A group of House Democrats pressed the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Monday to provide information on how effective its sanctions regime against cryptocurrency mixing services has been at detecting and curbing illicit finance.
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November 18, 2024
Pa. Lab Seeks Ad Coverage For Libel Suit Over COVID Tests
A Pennsylvania laboratory told a federal court Monday that its insurer must cover it in an underlying lawsuit brought by a COVID-19 test manufacturer in which the manufacturer alleged that the lab sent 19,000 letters to test kit users wrongfully stating that the tests were unreliable.
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November 18, 2024
FCC's Carr Likely To Test Agency's Ability To Rein In Big Tech
Brendan Carr's selection as the next Federal Communications Commission chair prompted a wave of plaudits from industry and some dismay from liberal groups, but one thing stands out among experts: He will push to counter what he sees as out-of-control conduct by tech platforms.
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November 18, 2024
Electronics Co. Hit With Default In $2B Price Fixing Case
A California federal court will enter a default judgment against Irico Group on claims that could total $2 billion in damages in long-running litigation over an alleged conspiracy to fix cathode ray tube prices after finding the Chinese electronics company failed to preserve evidence.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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OCC Recovery Guidance Can Help Banks Bounce Back Better
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recently finalized recovery guidelines add to the constellation of exercises that larger banks must undertake, while also aiding information-gathering and preparedness efforts that can help prevent — or better manage — bank failures, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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EPA's New Lead Pipe Rule Leaves Key Questions Unanswered
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released update to its Lead and Copper Rule is a major step forward in the elimination of lead from drinking water systems, but it lacks meaningful guidance on alternative materials, jurisdictional concerns, cost allocation and other topics, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.
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What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes
Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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3 Policyholder Lessons From NY Bad Faith Ruling
A New York appellate court's recent decision finding that Rockefeller University alleged viable bad faith claims against its insurers reinforces the principle that insurers may not elevate their own economic interests over those of their insureds, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.