Consumer Protection

  • October 11, 2024

    Ill. Judge Trims Labeling Suit Over Coca-Cola's Soda Water

    An Illinois federal judge essentially halved on Friday two consumers' false advertising suit targeting artificial sweeteners allegedly found in Coca-Cola's Fresca soda water, cutting one plaintiff and one focus of their consumer fraud claims from the case. 

  • October 11, 2024

    With Swipe At Attys, CFPB's Chopra Defends Use Of Guidance

    At a tough-talking appearance in Utah on Friday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said he doesn't sweat potential legal challenges to his agency's rules and suggested some industry-side attorneys can be "leeches" who relish compliance uncertainty if it boosts their billable hours.

  • October 11, 2024

    High Court's TCPA Grant Set To Broaden Loper Bright's Blow

    On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court dealing a major blow to the power of federal agencies to interpret laws, the justices are poised to again boost judicial authority and potentially release a torrent of litigation challenging the established tome of regulations crafted under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    5th Circ. Broke Precedent In FCC Subsidy Case, Justices Told

    The Fifth Circuit not only split with two other appeals courts when it overturned the revenue base for the Federal Communications Commission's telecom subsidy programs, but also broke with U.S. Supreme Court precedent, advocacy groups told justices Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    Apple Judge OKs New Schedule But Pans 'Burden' To Court

    A California federal judge Friday issued an order in antitrust litigation against Apple that permits the plaintiffs and the tech giant to push out discovery deadlines, but said the change "shifts the burden to the court," so they'll have to prepare for trial "with or without" rulings on filed motions.

  • October 11, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: CBD Injuries & The Clean Water Act

    The U.S. Supreme Court will be closed Monday, but the justices will return to the bench Tuesday to hear arguments over whether the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act allows litigants to pursue claims of economic harm tied to personal injuries, and how specific pollutant discharge limits have to be under the Clean Water Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    Ill. Restaurants Fire Back At Banks' Bid To Halt Swipe Fee Law

    Trade groups for restaurants and retailers have urged an Illinois federal judge to reject a proposed preliminary injunction to block a first-of-its-kind state law restricting swipe fees, arguing that relief from such fees is badly needed for small family businesses and consumers.

  • October 11, 2024

    Phone Unlocking Advances Digital Equity, Civic Group Says

    Setting federal rules that dictate when mobile providers have to unlock a customer's device, allowing people to switch providers without having to buy a new phone, would improve digital equity, says a group that promotes Black civic participation.

  • October 11, 2024

    Monsanto Inks $35M Deal With LA For Waterway Cleanup

    Los Angeles announced Friday it inked a $35 million settlement with Bayer AG's Monsanto Co. and two other companies over their alleged contamination of the city's bodies of water with toxic chemicals, ending the 2½-year-old lawsuit, with the companies agreeing to various cleanup efforts and reimbursement for previous costs.

  • October 11, 2024

    GoDaddy Must Face Lawsuit Over Exclusion Of Tech Co.

    The world's largest domain registrar, GoDaddy, will not be able to walk away from antitrust claims that it blackballed a tech company from its platform, a Virginia federal judge has ruled after being swayed by arguments about the vastness of GoDaddy's market share.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cable Biz Says Feds Need To Remove Barriers To Broadband

    The cable industry is making its case at the Federal Communications Commission that while advanced telecom service is being deployed in a "reasonable and timely" fashion, the feds should remove regulatory barriers to hasten deployment.

  • October 11, 2024

    Sleep Machine Maker Sued Over Recalled Baby Devices

    A New Yorker hit a California-based sleep product manufacturer on Thursday with a proposed class action alleging that one of the company's products for babies — which has been recalled — has a defective power adapter that can cause shocks.

  • October 11, 2024

    Google Appeals Epic Injunction To 9th Circ.

    Google is appealing a California federal judge's recent order that it allow for third-party app distribution on its Android phones, taking the company's long-running fight with Fortnite-maker Epic Games to the Ninth Circuit with just weeks before the injunction is set to take effect.

  • October 11, 2024

    Apple Pushes To Duck DOJ's Antitrust Suit

    Apple Inc. continued to cast the Justice Department's monopolization lawsuit as an attempt to control how the technology giant deals with iPhone app developers, telling a New Jersey federal judge that the government's case against app access restrictions is "one and the same" as deciding who it does business with and thus warrants dismissal.

  • October 11, 2024

    Court Allows Calif. Hemp Ban To Remain In Effect

    A California state judge on Friday ruled that the Golden State's new ban on hemp products with THC will remain in effect, rejecting a bid by a leading hemp industry trade organization and the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech and Chong to halt the emergency rules.

  • October 11, 2024

    New Squarespace Suit Filed For Take-Private Docs

    A second shareholder of website builder Squarespace Inc. has sued in the Delaware Court of Chancery for books and records on the company's proposed $7.2 billion take-private deal with private equity giant Permira Advisors LLC, less than two weeks after the sidelining of an earlier books suit focusing on the same deal, which is set to expire late Oct. 11.

  • October 11, 2024

    Bellwether Plaintiffs Let Halliburton Escape Pollution Dispute

    Two bellwether plaintiffs in litigation seeking to hold the owners and operators of a former pipe manufacturing facility liable for contamination have agreed to permanently drop their claims against Halliburton Energy Services.

  • October 11, 2024

    High Court Bar's Future: Stanford Law's Easha Anand

    Fresh off her shot-from-a-cannon debut during the U.S. Supreme Court's previous term, Easha Anand of Stanford Law School is moving full steam ahead into the new term, arguing Tuesday against one of the nation's most accomplished oral advocates. If things go as usual, Anand says she'll have nerves "out the wazoo" before and even after the showdown — but none at all when staying calm matters most.

  • October 11, 2024

    Judge Doubts FTX Alum Needs Further Dog Bite Recovery

    A Manhattan federal judge has denied a bid from former FTX executive Ryan Salame to further postpone the start of his 7½-year prison sentence, saying he had already benefited from "extremely generous" delays, and agreeing with prosecutors that Salame appeared to have largely recovered from a dog bite that he said he suffered in June.

  • October 11, 2024

    Justices Will Evaluate RICO Scope In Trucker's CBD Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a case brought by a trio of CBD companies asking the justices to establish whether a trucker can bring a personal injury claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

  • October 11, 2024

    DC's Amazon Antitrust Suit Gets January 2027 Trial Date

    The District of Columbia attorney general's newly revived antitrust lawsuit against Amazon will go to trial in January 2027, a D.C. judge decided Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    Swiss Officials Clear Novartis IP Suits As 'Common Practice'

    Swiss authorities have dropped their antitrust probe into patent suits Novartis lodged against rival Eli Lilly and others over psoriasis treatment Cosentyx, saying Novartis' actions were aboveboard.

  • October 11, 2024

    FCC Pressed To Revisit Local Network Unbundling Rules

    An organization representing schools and libraries is once again urging the Federal Communications Commission to restore unbundling rules for local telecom incumbents, telling the agency that the FCC's Trump-era move to loosen the regulations has reduced competition among E-rate providers.

  • October 11, 2024

    BofA Must Face Iranian Bias Claims At 9th Circ.

    A Bank of America customer wants the Ninth Circuit to revive his proposed class action alleging the financial giant discriminates against Iranian citizens, according to a notice of appeal.  

  • October 11, 2024

    Promises Of Metaverse Art Club Were A Sham, Investors Claim

    A group that claimed it would start a members-only art collection club in the Metaverse has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it misled investors about the value of the project and the benefits and returns investors would see.

Expert Analysis

  • HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk

    Author Photo

    The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

    Author Photo

    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

    Author Photo

    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next

    Author Photo

    The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

    Author Photo

    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

    Author Photo

    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

    Author Photo

    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races

    Author Photo

    This year's 10 attorney general elections could usher in a wave of new enforcement priorities and regulatory uncertainty, but companies can stay ahead of the shifts by building strong relationships with AG offices, participating in industry coalitions and more, say Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Challenge To Ill. Card Fee Law Explores Compliance Hurdles

    Author Photo

    A recent federal lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that will soon forbid electronic payment networks from charging fees for processing the tax and tip portions of card transactions, fleshes out the glaring compliance challenges and exposure risks financial institutions must be ready to face next summer, says Martin Kiernan at Amundsen Davis.

  • Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures

    Author Photo

    Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.

  • Harris Unlikely To Shelve Biden Admin's Food Antitrust Stance

    Author Photo

    A look at Vice President Kamala Harris' past record, including her actions as California attorney general, shows why practitioners should prepare for continued aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly in the food and grocery industries, if Harris wins the presidential election, says Steve Vieux at Bartko.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

    Author Photo

    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

    Author Photo

    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!