Consumer Law

Cooley is praised for refusing to fire associate disliked by Elon Musk because of past SEC work

Cooley has reportedly refused to fire an associate at the behest of its client Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla, and it is apparently losing some Tesla business as a result, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Jan 19, 2022 10:29 AM CST

FTC’s revised antitrust suit against Facebook survives motion to dismiss

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday allowed the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with its revised antitrust lawsuit against Facebook.

Jan 12, 2022 11:09 AM CST

Marriott agrees to post resort fees in upfront pricing in settlement with state AG

Marriott International has reached a settlement agreement to post “resort fees” that are added to its hotel pricing as part of the total room rate on the first page of its booking website.

Nov 24, 2021 12:47 PM CST

America’s fights over medical treatment choices didn’t start with COVID-19 and ivermectin

Like the legal profession, the practice of medicine in the United States is highly regulated. But it hasn't always been, and the idea that a person has the right to try the medical therapies of their choice has a much longer history. In Choose Your Medicine: Freedom of Therapeutic Choice in America, law professor Lewis A. Grossman introduces readers to a fractious history with some unexpected combatants—and comrades.

Nov 24, 2021 8:48 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: Steven Bannon indicted for contempt of Congress; DC Circuit gives Trump initial records victory

Steve Bannon is indicted for contempt of Congress Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump, was indicted Friday for contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Bannon is charged with…

Nov 12, 2021 3:43 PM CST

9th Circuit tosses Massage Envy settlement, says judge must consider warning signs of lawyer collusion

A federal appeals court has tossed a $10 million voucher settlement and $2.6 million in attorney fees in class action litigation over increased membership fees charged by Massage Envy franchises.

Oct 22, 2021 9:08 AM CDT

Suppliers of unwashed poppy seeds face suits over overdose deaths and injuries

Lawsuits are being filed around the country on behalf of people who brewed tea with unwashed poppy seeds in search of a home remedy for anxiety, arthritis or diarrhea.

Sep 14, 2021 2:57 PM CDT

Was your turkey raised by ‘independent family farmers’? Activists increasingly target food claims

An increasing number of class action lawsuits are being filed against the food and beverage industry as activists challenge corporate claims about their humane and sustainable practices.

Sep 7, 2021 1:17 PM CDT

5th Circuit rules for ‘The Hammer’ in lawyer’s trademark suit over purloined keywords and click-to-call ads

A Texas lawyer should get a chance to prove that consumers who entered his trademarked keywords in search engines were confused when they saw unlabeled advertisements, clicked on them, and found themselves calling a number that belonged to a legal referral group, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 12, 2021 9:51 AM CDT

Judge scrutinizes BigLaw firm in ruling on evidence from blood-testing company Theranos that may be ‘irretrievably’ lost

The founder of blood-testing company Theranos can’t exclude government evidence at her fraud trial on the basis of lost, purportedly exculpatory evidence because her company was responsible for the destruction, a federal judge in San Jose, California, has ruled.

Aug 5, 2021 1:15 PM CDT

Zoom agrees to $85M settlement in litigation over privacy and ‘Zoombombings’

Zoom Video Communications has agreed to pay $85 million to settle nationwide litigation alleging misrepresentations and broken promises regarding customers’ security and privacy.

Aug 2, 2021 3:28 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: The SCOTUS sleeper cases of the October 2020 term

The U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2020 term, which ended on July 1, had major rulings that attracted media attention, such as its narrow interpretation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its ruling expanding the protections of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. There also were some cases that attracted relatively little attention but that have the potential to have significant effects on the work of lawyers and judges throughout the country. Here are two of them.

Aug 2, 2021 8:55 AM CDT

Doctrine of laches, ‘speculative’ claim doom antitrust suits against Facebook; FTC gets second chance

In a pair of decisions Monday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., tossed antitrust lawsuits filed against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and the vast majority of state attorneys general.

Jun 28, 2021 4:22 PM CDT

Thomas, liberal justices dissent in SCOTUS standing decision: ‘Pithy catchphrase’ limits Congress’ power

In a 5-4 decision on constitutional standing, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday limited which consumers can sue over erroneous TransUnion credit reports that flagged them as potential terrorists, drug traffickers and other serious criminals.

Jun 25, 2021 12:10 PM CDT

Consumer suit alleges ‘Hint of Lime’ packaging overstates the fruit amount in Tostitos chips

A federal lawsuit filed last month against Frito-Lay North America Inc. has alleged that the maker of the corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods misleads consumers by touting a “Hint of Lime” in Tostitos chips that apparently contain only a “negligible amount of lime.”

Jun 9, 2021 4:16 PM CDT