Consumer Law

Customer should have known boneless chicken wings can contain bones, top state court says in tossing suit

A restaurant customer can’t sue for negligence after a chicken bone became lodged in his throat while eating boneless chicken wings, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled in a 4-3 decision affirming summary judgment for the defendants.

Jul 29, 2024 12:05 PM CDT

Lawyer who sued Big Lots over coffee labeling has ‘dubious modus operandi,’ federal judge says

A lawyer who alleged that retail chain company Big Lots used labeling that inflated the number of servings in cans of its Fresh Finds coffee had made a similar claim in a prior tossed lawsuit that was “indistinguishable” from the new case “but for a new plaintiff and heading,” according to a federal judge in Florida.

Jul 9, 2024 9:28 AM CDT

Did FDA engage in unfair ‘regulatory switcheroos’ when rejecting flavored vapes? SCOTUS will decide

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s refusal to approve the marketing of new flavored vaping products.

Jul 2, 2024 2:38 PM CDT

Lawyers suing Johnson & Johnson in baby powder suits seek privileged attorney-client communications

Co-lead counsel in a lawsuit filed last month against Johnson & Johnson are asking a judge to allow access to communications among some top in-house lawyers in a bid to show that the company abused the bankruptcy process in litigation over talcum powder alleged to cause cancer.

Jun 24, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

‘Robot lawyer’ DoNotPay reaches settlement in suit alleging it’s neither robot nor lawyer

“Robot lawyer” DoNotPay has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the website engaged in the unauthorized practice of law and provided substandard legal services.

Jun 11, 2024 3:47 PM CDT

With reclassifying proposal for cannabis, companies are seeing green

The smoke is finally clearing on decades of stigma. On Thursday, the White House Office of Management and Budget signed off on a proposal for the reclassification of marijuana, puffing the way forward from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug.

May 17, 2024 12:11 PM CDT

SCOTUS upholds funding scheme for consumer agency; ‘the framers would be shocked,’ Alito dissent says

A federal law authorizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to draw funding from the Federal Reserve System does not violate the appropriations clause, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

May 16, 2024 10:25 AM CDT

Are tacos and burritos sandwiches? A judge in Indiana ruled yes

Are tacos considered sandwiches? According to one judge in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the answer is yes. And he says burritos are sandwiches, too.

May 16, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

Ice cream lover ‘stated her case for pistachio pretention,’ federal judge says in refusing to toss suit

A federal judge has allowed a disappointed pistachio ice cream consumer to proceed with her deceptive-practices case against the corporation that owns Cold Stone Creamery.

May 13, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS winds up term with rulings expected on major cases about government power, accountability

The Supreme Court heard the last oral arguments of the term on April 25, and now we wait for the decisions with the expectation of the usual flurry of rulings at the end of June. In thinking about the pending cases, a significant number involve the scope of government power and how to hold the government accountable.

May 1, 2024 12:08 PM CDT

Data breach suit against ABA tossed by federal judge

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit filed against the ABA by two members who feared that their data was exposed in a March 2023 data breach.

May 1, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

Second groundbreaking ABA AI and economic justice webinar set for April 26

On April 26, the ABA, in partnership with the National Association of Consumer Advocates, will host “AI and Consumers: The Invisible Impact on Economic Justice”—the ABA’s second webinar in an ongoing series on artificial intelligence and economic justice issues.

Apr 23, 2024 8:53 AM CDT

Pulling the Weed: Bankruptcy opinion shows debt restructure path for cannabis workers

While 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana use, it remains a criminal activity under the federal Controlled Substances Act, and bankruptcy courts generally have been a rather hostile forum for debtors employed in the marijuana industry.

Apr 18, 2024 11:35 AM CDT

‘Venue Is Not a Continental Breakfast’: Judge transfers case as district declares it won’t adopt anti-‘judge shopping’ policy

The federal courts in the Northern District of Texas won’t implement a new policy that aims to curb "judge shopping" by randomly assigning some civil cases filed in single-judge divisions to judges throughout the district.

Apr 1, 2024 10:18 AM CDT

Cadillac owner’s driving data was shared with insurers without his knowledge or consent, suit claims

A Florida driver alleges in a lawsuit that the sale of misleading driving data to insurers without his knowledge or permission violated consumer laws and his right to privacy.

Mar 19, 2024 1:13 PM CDT