News from December 2023
Arby's defends size of its sandwiches in ads as not misleading to reasonable people
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - Arby's is hoping to cut off the lawsuit over the size of its sandwiches before it gets going.
Parents suing Minnesota schools must prove racial imbalance caused education gap
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - Parents who sued the State of Minnesota over racially imbalanced schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul must show the racial differences caused educational shortfalls in order to prove a violation of the state constitution, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled.
Tennessee sues BlackRock for 'deceiving consumers' with ESG strategy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - Grabbing a page from the climate-litigation playbook, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has accused asset-management giant BlackRock of violating state consumer protection laws by failing to inform investors about how widely it has adopted Environmental, Social and Governance principles that can hurt investment returns.
VIDEO CONSUMER ALERT: Beware of Holiday Heists, Porch Pirates Are on the Prowl
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—With the holiday season in full swing, porch pirates are on the prowl. According to recent reports, 44 million Americans have had a package stolen in the last three months, with the average value of the stolen items amounting to $50. Opportunistic thieves are targeting unattended packages left on doorsteps as many consumers turn to online shopping for their holiday needs.Attorney General Ashley Moody is issuing a Consumer Alert urging Floridians to stay vigilant and take precautions against the rising threat of holiday heists. She emphasizes the...
Attorney General Kaul Announces $700 Million Settlement with Google over Play Store Misconduct
Attorney General Josh Kaul, along with a bipartisan group of 52 other attorneys general, has reached a $700 million settlement with Google in a lawsuit that addressed Google's anticompetitive conduct with the Google Play Store. The settlement aims to address concerns about Google's monopolistic practices and protect consumers from paying extra due to anticompetitive behavior.In the settlement, Google has agreed to pay $630 million in restitution to consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were affected by Google's...
Ballard Spahr, Partner Marjorie Peerce Recognized in Chambers Fintech Guide 2024 Rankings
Ballard Spahr has been ranked as a top firm for advising fintech companies by Chambers FinTech Guide 2024, a comprehensive directory of the leading professionals in the fintech and payments industry.
Steptoe & Johnson’s Stephen Houston Selected as Chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Equine Law Section
Stephen A. Houston, an attorney in Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s Louisville office, was selected to serve as Chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Equine Law Section.
Troutman Pepper Advises CINC Systems in Investment from Hg
Troutman Pepper client CINC Systems (CINC), a leading cloud-based software company serving the community association management sector, has secured a strategic growth investment from Hg, a leading investor in European and North American software and services businesses.
Maryland Judiciary recognizes young artists for conflict resolution themed bookmarks
The Maryland Judiciary's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) held its 18th annual bookmark art contest on December 7, honoring nine student winners and recognizing 15 honorable mentions.
Polsinelli Advises Lifelock Medical Supply in Acquisition by Safe Life
Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli is pleased to share that it advised Lifelock Medical Supply LLC, which specializes in making AEDs accessible for both public and private use and does business as AED Market and First Aid Market, in its acquisition by Safe Life.
Google to pay $700M to end Google Play store class actions; Lawyers to get up to $128M, states get $70M
The lawsuits accused Google of monopolizing control of the Android smartphone operating system and environment. About 71 million consumers could see $2-$7 each in refunds from the deal
Medical marijuana firm seeks to counter cannabis legalization ballot measure
Signs of discord between medical marijuana advocates and recreational cannabis supporters are emerging in a legal battle now before the Florida Supreme Court that will determine whether the Smart & Safe initiative goes before state voters.
FCC Adopts One-to-One Consent Rule to Protect Consumers from Unwanted Telemarketing Robocalls and Robotexts
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has amended a rule governing telemarketing communications to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls and robotexts. The new rule, known as "one-to-one consent," requires businesses to obtain written consent from consumers before sending such communications.Under the previous rule, lead generating businesses were able to mislead consumers by obtaining consent for one company's telecommunications, only to bombard them with unwanted calls and text messages from industry competitors. This practice left consumers frustrated and...
AG Moody and St. Johns County Sheriff Announce Opening of New Seniors vs. Crime Office to Help Older Floridians
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody and St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick have announced the opening of a new Seniors vs. Crime office. Located within the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office South Regional Operations Center, this new facility will provide assistance to older Floridians. The Seniors vs. Crime program, which has already secured approximately $7.9 million in recoveries, refunds, realized gains, and savings for consumers since 2019, will now have a dedicated space to assist seniors in St. Johns County.Previously, older Floridians in St. Johns...
Attorney General Miyares Announces $700 Million Settlement with Google over Play Store Misconduct
Attorney General Jason Miyares and a bipartisan group of 52 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million settlement with Google in their lawsuit regarding the tech giant's anticompetitive conduct with the Google Play Store. The settlement aims to address Google's manipulation of the free market and provide relief to affected developers and consumers."Ensuring big corporations are playing fair and not manipulating the free market is one of my priorities as Attorney General. Google took advantage of developers and consumers by monopolizing this niche market, breaking...
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Injunction to Stop Destruction of Border Barriers
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully obtained an injunction pending appeal against the Biden administration, preventing the federal government from continuing to destroy vital border barriers in the state. These concertina wire barriers were put in place by Texas in response to the influx of unvetted foreign aliens entering the state.Previously, a federal district court had ruled that the Biden administration enjoyed sovereign immunity, allowing Border Patrol agents to resume the destruction of Texas-owned barriers. However, Attorney General Paxton...
Attorney General Moody Secures $700 Million From Google over Play Store Misconduct
Attorney General Ashley Moody, together with a coalition of 52 other attorneys general, has reached a settlement with Google, securing $700 million from the tech giant over allegations of anticompetitive conduct. The lawsuit alleged that Google unlawfully monopolized the market for the distribution of Android apps, as well as the in-app payment market, and tied Google Play Billing to the use of Google Play.As part of the settlement, Google will pay $630 million in restitution to consumers who were harmed by the company's anticompetitive practices and made purchases on the...
MDL created for dozens of phenylephrine class actions
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The flurry of lawsuits that followed an FDA advisory declaring phenylephrine ineffective for treating congestion have been grouped together for a multidistrict litigation proceeding.
Two years later, defendant in sexual assault lawsuit finds out who the plaintiff is
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - It took two years for a Florida Islamic society to find out who is suing it for sexual assault.
Judge OKs class action settlement with Grande Cosmetics
CAMDEN, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a class action settlement with Grande Cosmetics over its eyelash-enhancing products.