Retail & E-Commerce

  • August 23, 2024

    Western Union Seeks To Toss Most Claims In $8M Breach Suit

    Western Union looks to shake off the bulk of a point-of-sales device manufacturer's $8.1 million breach of contract case, telling a Colorado federal court that much of the suit arose from purchase orders to which the financial services company hadn't been party.

  • August 23, 2024

    Google Args Don't Erase 'History Is On, Jesus,' DOJ Says

    Google employees were so conscious of hiding evidence of conduct "that leads to law suits" that they reacted quickly when forgetting to let internal chats delete automatically, the Justice Department said, pushing to punish the search giant for those policies in the looming advertising technology monopolization trial.

  • August 23, 2024

    Class Wants $2.1M In Fees In Home Depot Hose Fight

    A class suing Home Depot Corp. and Reliance Worldwide Corp. asked a Georgia federal judge to award them $2.1 million in attorney fees, more than $160,000 in expenses and $35,000 for class representative service awards in connection with a settlement that was preliminarily approved in March.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ga. Worker Received Lewd Pics From Boss's Son, Suit Says

    An Atlanta-area industrial machinery manufacturer was hit with a sex discrimination lawsuit by an employee who says she was berated by her boss after reporting the boss' son for sexual harassment.

  • August 23, 2024

    Illinois Car Dealers Can't Stop Direct EV Sales

    An Illinois state appeals court threw out a suit by franchise car dealerships and trade associations aiming to block two electric vehicle makers from selling directly to customers, saying Friday that neither the Illinois Vehicle Code nor the Motor Vehicle Franchise Act require carmakers to sell through a franchise dealership.

  • August 23, 2024

    The Biggest Texas Trial Rulings Of 2024: Midyear Report

    Trial courts in Texas saw a series of high-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in suits over patent infringement and personal injuries, but appellate courts tempered some plaintiffs' successes, backing a large retail employer in a harassment suit and tossing a verdict based on a lawyer's remarks. Here's a look at some of the biggest trial decisions in Texas in the first half of 2024.

  • August 23, 2024

    Brokerage Startup Challenges NAR Listing Rules

    A Utah-based residential brokerage startup has accused the National Association of Realtors, an affiliated Utah multiple listing service and several major brokerages including Keller Williams Realty Inc. of engaging in an antitrust conspiracy that involved the defendants blocking the startup from accessing the NAR's MLS because the startup offers cheaper commission fees.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ex-Pot Shop Worker Says Sex Harassment Drove Her From Job

    A former employee at a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary is suing her ex-employer, saying she was subjected to "persistent and horrible" sexual harassment and denied her promised pay and benefits, leading to what she describes as wrongful constructive termination.

  • August 23, 2024

    Grocery Chain Wants 'Scandalous' Claims Out Of Allergy Suit

    The estate of a professional dancer who died after eating a mislabeled cookie that contained peanuts should revise its Connecticut state court complaint against a grocery chain and several of its employees to remove "scandalous" and "immaterial" allegations, the defendants said in a new filing.

  • August 22, 2024

    Popular Mich. Sushi Bar Sues Hacker Who Deleted Instagram

    A popular Michigan sushi restaurant is hoping a federal lawsuit will help it track down and hold accountable the person who hacked into and deleted its Instagram account, the loss of which the company said cost it thousands of dollars and harmed its reputation.

  • August 22, 2024

    11th Circ. Nixes Hyundai's Appeal Of $16M Dealership Verdict

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday rejected Hyundai Motor America's attempt to void a $16 million verdict awarded to a Florida dealership in a contract dispute over Hyundai's efforts to launch a separate dealer network for its luxury Genesis line of vehicles.

  • August 22, 2024

    Influencer-Backed Wine Glass Co. Sues Over Trade Dress

    A small startup that sells colorful wine glasses is suing other companies that sell similar glasses in Colorado federal court, calling those companies "counterfeiters" that are trying to capitalize on the startup's popularity stemming from the endorsement of a popular TikTok influencer.

  • August 22, 2024

    UK Antitrust Arm Pauses Google, Apple Probes For New Law

    United Kingdom antitrust authorities hit pause on investigations into Google and Apple policies allegedly locking app developers into their in-app payment systems, preferring to wait until new powers come online even as officials said commitments offered by Google aren't enough to address their concerns.

  • August 22, 2024

    Williams-Sonoma Infringes Fabric TMs, Michigan Co. Claims

    A supplier of moisture-resistant textiles and fabric treatments sued Williams-Sonoma Inc. in Michigan federal court Thursday, alleging the retailer is infringing three trademarks with its Pottery Barn furniture.

  • August 22, 2024

    Consumers Will Appeal Tossed Apple Web App Antitrust Case

    Consumers have told a California federal court they plan to appeal the dismissal of a case accusing Apple of violating antitrust law by preventing iPhones from running web-based apps, instead of amending the proposed class action.

  • August 22, 2024

    Consumer Rebuffs Reynolds' Bid To Nix 'Made In The USA' Case

    A woman challenging Reynolds Consumers Products LLC's aluminum foil's "Made in the U.S.A." labeling urged a New York federal court against freeing the company from her lawsuit, arguing that she had sufficiently shown how the label could harm consumers.

  • August 22, 2024

    Appeals Court Revives DC AG's Amazon Antitrust Suit

    A Washington, D.C., appeals court ruled Thursday that the D.C. attorney general can pursue an antitrust suit against Amazon, overturning a lower court order that tossed district enforcers' complaint against the e-commerce giant.

  • August 22, 2024

    Fla. Court Urged To Penalize Furniture Chain In Docs Dispute

    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has urged a Florida federal court to levy an attorney fees penalty against a furniture chain over its failure to produce documents in an employment discrimination lawsuit, saying the company continues to skirt its obligation to produce information such as emails and financial records.

  • August 22, 2024

    Memorabilia Biz Sues Atlanta Braves For Maligning Reputation

    Auctioneer Heritage Vintage Sports has accused the Atlanta Braves in a defamation lawsuit of purposely maligning its image by leaking to the press that it did not have the right to sell certain items, including memorabilia connected to Hank Aaron.

  • August 22, 2024

    Kroger-Albertsons Wrong On Labor Law In FTC Row: NLRB

    The National Labor Relations Board used an amicus brief Wednesday to call out Kroger and Albertsons for their "mistaken" citation to labor law as a defense against Federal Trade Commission claims that the grocery giants' $25 billion megamerger threatens union bargaining leverage.

  • August 22, 2024

    Missouri Gov. Clashes With Secretary Of State Over Hemp Ban

    Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday blasted the state's secretary of state for declining to implement an emergency rulemaking that would have banned psychoactive consumable cannabis products manufactured outside the state's regulated adult-use marijuana market.

  • August 22, 2024

    Gunmaker, Web Developer Eye Mediation In Data Breach Suit

    A federal magistrate judge in Connecticut on Thursday agreed to slide expert witness deadlines into January 2025 and class certification deadlines into March, April and May so that a proposed class of customers can pursue mediation with gunmaker Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. and a web developer in a data breach lawsuit.

  • August 21, 2024

    Tobacco Cos. Ask Justices To Review FDA's New Warnings

    R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fifth Circuit decision affirming an FDA rule mandating new health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertisements, arguing that the court created an unjustified circuit split when it found the graphic warnings are "purely factual and uncontroversial."

  • August 21, 2024

    No Coverage For CVS In Additional Opioid Actions

    A Delaware state court ruled that CVS cannot get coverage for over 200 opioid-related actions that remained at issue after the pharmacy chain and its insurers agreed that thousands of other opioid suits aren't covered, finding the remaining suits asserted claims for economic harm, not bodily injury or property damage.

  • August 21, 2024

    Northern Trust's $2.5M Deal Approved In AutoZone 401(k) Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge on Wednesday granted preliminary approval to a $2.5 million deal to end class claims from participants in AutoZone's 401(k) employee plan who alleged Northern Trust shirked its duties as their 401(k)'s investment adviser.

Expert Analysis

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Antitrust In Retail: The Meaning Of 'Accessible Luxury'

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    In order for the Federal Trade Commission to block a deal that would put six "accessible luxury" brands, including Coach and Michael Kors, under one roof, the agency will need to prove that this category is distinct from the true luxury or mass-market categories, says David Kully at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • In Biz Account Breaches, Look Beyond The Payment Platform

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    A business's legal path to recovering funds after bad actors access a payment platform account and engage in unauthorized transactions can lead into murky legal territory where liability is unclear, and pursuing the payment platform itself will be an uphill, if not insurmountable, struggle, say Edward Marshall and Morgan Harrison at Arnall Golden.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance

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    With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

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