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Consumer Protection
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July 22, 2024
DuPont, NC To Drop Docs Dispute In 'Forever Chemicals' Case
North Carolina and DuPont have come to terms in a dispute over allegedly missing documents as part of the state's lawsuit alleging the predecessor of Chemours and other chemical companies poisoned North Carolina's environment with "forever chemicals."
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July 22, 2024
NC State Resolves Cancer Patient's Fight To Test Building
North Carolina State University and a professor with cancer have ended a dispute over testing a campus building that contains cancer-causing chemicals, with the school telling the state's highest court the parties are ready to move on from that part of the legal dispute.
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July 22, 2024
In Transfer Row, Live Nation Calls DOJ Case Merger Deal 2.0
Live Nation and Ticketmaster formally asked a skeptical New York federal judge to transfer the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit to Washington, D.C., arguing the case clearly grows out of an underlying 2010 deal clearing the merger the government now wants unwound.
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July 22, 2024
Cereal Buyer Claims General Mills' Cocoa Puffs Has Lead
A proposed class of cereal buyers has sued General Mills Sales Inc. in California federal court, alleging its Cocoa Puffs cereal contains undisclosed and high levels of lead.
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July 22, 2024
NC Hospital, Patients Nearing Deal In Hacking Suit
Columbus Regional Healthcare System and the patients who accused it of failing to properly protect their personal information at its North Carolina hospital have reached a tentative settlement agreement, according to a new notice asking the Tar Heel State's business court to pause proceedings while they hash it out.
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July 22, 2024
Lack Of 'Smoking Gun' Sinks J&J's Bid To DQ Beasley Allen
The Beasley Allen Law Firm may represent plaintiffs in multicounty talc injury litigation in New Jersey state court, after a judge found Johnson & Johnson failed to show a former Faegre Drinker outside counsel shared information he learned representing the company in earlier talc litigation.
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July 22, 2024
Boston Fund Can't Duck SEC's Unregistered Dealer Case
A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday kept alive U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that Boston investment firm Auctus Fund violated securities laws by failing to register as a broker-dealer when harvesting deeply discounted shares of cash-strapped public companies through debt agreements.
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July 22, 2024
FCC Waives 5.9 GHz Rules To Allow For Smart Car Tech
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to waive certain restrictive connectivity rules for cars, allowing automobile equipment manufacturers to make use of the 5.9 gigahertz band for Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology.
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July 22, 2024
Conn. AG Accuses Solar Cos. Of Illegal Sales Tactics
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong took three solar companies and two individuals to court for allegedly deceiving consumers into signing long-term contracts without informed consent and impersonating some people who refused so they could enter fraudulent solar contracts on those consumers' behalf.
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July 22, 2024
Meta Hit With Fresh Complaint Over 'Pay Or Consent' Model
Meta has been hit with a complaint from European consumer protection authorities, which fear that the tech giant's "pay or consent" business model for Facebook and Instagram misleads its users, the European Commission said on Monday.
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July 19, 2024
Boeing Judge Indicates Blowout Suit May Not Belong In Calif.
A California federal judge indicated Friday he was leaning toward dismissing a product liability suit against Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems by passengers of an Alaska Airlines flight that experienced a door plug blowout midair, saying he lacked of personal jurisdiction over the defendants.
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July 19, 2024
9th Circ. Judge Open To Reversing Google's Privacy Win
A Ninth Circuit judge appeared receptive Friday to reversing Google's summary judgment win in Chrome users' proposed privacy class action, telling Google's counsel that the standard is what a reasonable consumer would expect and "you have a much higher opinion of the average intelligence of the computer user than I."
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July 19, 2024
House Republican Rips FCC's School Wi-Fi Subsidy
A key House Republican with oversight of the Federal Communications Commission attacked the agency's new subsidy providing Wi-Fi services for school and library patrons, saying it will make consumer costs soar without helping education.
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July 19, 2024
House IP Committee Heads Unveil Drug Pricing Bill
Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., respectively the chair and top Democrat of the House intellectual property subcommittee, on Friday introduced a new bill that would change patent law to increase competition in the prescription drug market in order to lower patient costs.
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July 19, 2024
Class Seeks $1.5B Settlement In Payday Loan Dispute
A class of borrowers has urged a Virginia federal court to approve what would be the largest settlement ever obtained in a challenge to participants in the tribal lending industry, arguing that the agreement would give significant relief to hundreds of thousands in the form of debt cancellations and cash payments.
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July 19, 2024
More Airwaves Needed For Power Grid Upgrades, FCC Told
Power companies are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to help free up more spectrum for utilities, telling the agency that opening up spectrum currently committed to public safety use could be a win-win.
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July 19, 2024
Oracle Inks $115M Deal To End Consumer Data Collection Suit
Oracle America Inc. agreed to pay $115 million to resolve a proposed class action alleging the software company illegally sold internet users' electronic profiles, consumers told a California federal judge, putting to rest a case that has stretched on for nearly two years.
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July 19, 2024
Splenda Must Face False Ad Suit Over Diabetes Benefits
The maker of Splenda cannot escape a proposed class action alleging that it has falsely advertised its products as healthy and "suitable for people with diabetes" after a California federal judge found that federal law does not preempt any of claims the consumers made under state laws.
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July 19, 2024
Capital One Critics Lobby To Block 'No Good' Discover Deal
Critics of Capital One's planned $35 billion purchase of Discover Financial Services urged federal regulators on Friday to withhold approval for the tie-up, rejecting a landmark community benefits pledge for the merger as a fig leaf for what they said is really a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" megadeal.
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July 19, 2024
Conn. Hospital Didn't Heed Insulin Pen Warnings, Maker Says
A Connecticut hospital "ignored" clear warnings from the manufacturer of insulin pens and federal regulators to avoid using the devices on multiple patients, leading to a $1 million class settlement, Novo Nordisk Inc. told a federal judge in urging the dismissal of a lawsuit against the pharma giant.
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July 19, 2024
Berkshire Bank Says It's Not At Fault For $90M Ponzi Scheme
Berkshire Bank asked a New York federal judge to toss a proposed class action seeking to hold it liable for providing financial services to a bankrupt local business person whom the investor accused of operating a $90 million Ponzi scheme, saying the investor does not show Berkshire did anything more than provide routine banking services.
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July 19, 2024
FTC Wants To Block Kroger & Albertsons' 'Principal Defense'
Federal Trade Commission staffers want to block Kroger and Albertsons from using their main defense to an in-house merger challenge — the plan to sell off 579 stores — or otherwise force the companies to produce documents so far protected as privileged, according to a recently public filing.
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July 19, 2024
Bank Regulators Ask 5th Circ. To Unfreeze New Lending Rules
Federal banking regulators have urged the Fifth Circuit to rescind a Texas district court's injunction blocking implementation of new community lending rules, arguing in a filing that the district court's finding essentially rewrote the Community Reinvestment Act.
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July 19, 2024
Judge Won't Consider CFTC Sanctions Spat In Gemini Case
The New York federal judge overseeing the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's claims that Gemini Trust Co. misled the regulator on a proposed bitcoin futures contract said Friday that he will not consider whether the regulator is taking contradictory positions as it defends its own alleged misstatements in another enforcement suit.
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July 19, 2024
House AI Report Is 'Blueprint' For Coming Committee Action
The House Financial Services Committee is poised to take on a "leading role" in regulating the use of artificial intelligence in financial services, according to a new congressional report highlighting the importance of antidiscrimination and data privacy guardrails.
Expert Analysis
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6 Lessons From DOJ's 1st Controlled Drug Case In Telehealth
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s first-ever criminal prosecution over telehealth-prescribed controlled substances in U.S. v. Ruthia He, healthcare providers should be mindful of the risks associated with restricting the physician-patient relationship when crafting new business models, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Series
After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies
The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation
As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Series
After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.
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Supreme Court's ALJ Ruling Carries Implications Beyond SEC
In its recent Jarkesy opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the types of cases that can be tried before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house administrative law judges, setting the stage for challenges to the constitutionality of ALJs across other agencies, say Robert Robertson and Kimberley Church at Dechert.
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2nd Circ. ERISA Ruling May Help Fight Unfair Arb. Clauses
The Second Circuit recently held that a plaintiff seeking planwide relief under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act cannot be compelled to individual arbitration, a decision that opens the door to new applications of the effective vindication doctrine to defeat onerous and one-sided arbitration clauses, say Raphael Janove and Liana Vitale at Janove.
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Series
NC Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
After federal banking agencies last quarter released a supplemental final rule updating the Community Reinvestment Act, North Carolina banks involved in community development should consider how the new rule might open up opportunities for investment and services that can benefit underserved areas, says Adam Goldblatt at Michael Best.
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Series
Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.
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Series
After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC
The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.
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Opinion
Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.