Articles Posted in Consumer Law

First Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Juul After Teen Dies Updated: Published by:

The mother of an 18-year-old Juul user who passed away due to respiratory complications has filed what appears to be the first wrongful death lawsuit against vaping company Juul. The lawsuit alleges that the teen was first exposed to Juul's advertising in 2015, became strongly addicted to its nicotine vaping…

Former FCC Counselor Advocates for Federal Consumer Privacy Law Updated: Published by:

Gigi Sohn, a former counselor to the Federal Communications Commission during the administration of President Barack Obama, has urged the federal government to pass a law to protect the privacy of consumers. Sohn argued that consumers may suffer more than just financial losses due to violations of their privacy. She…

FTC Sues Match Dating App Sued for Alleged Fraud Updated: Published by:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Match Group for fraudulent business practices. The agency alleges that Match, which owns most major online dating platforms, has knowingly profited from deceiving hundreds of thousands of users into purchasing subscriptions on Match.com, and also exposed them to potential fraud.

New York Governor Takes Emergency Action to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes Updated: Published by:

Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an emergency executive order aiming to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in New York. Announcing the action this past weekend, Cuomo accused e-cigarette manufacturers of recklessly and intentionally targeting young people with fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes in an effort to get them addicted…

Facebook Facing Multi-State Investigation for Potential Antitrust Violations Updated: Published by:

Led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, the attorneys general of eight states and the District of Columbia will investigate Facebook for possible violations of antitrust laws. The investigation arises from concerns over the dominance of Facebook in its industry, and it will examine whether Facebook may be…

Facebook Fights Lawsuit Based on Facial Recognition Data Collection Updated: Published by:

The technology giant could face billions of dollars in damages after a panel of federal judges allowed a class action lawsuit by Illinois users to move forward.

GitHub and Capital One Sued Following Data Breach Updated: Published by:

In the aftermath of a March 2019 Capital One data breach that reportedly compromised the data of over 100 million Capital One customers and credit card applicants, plaintiffs are suing not only the credit card company but also the software development platform where the alleged perpetrator posted information about the…

FCC Complaint Filed Against Telecommunications Giants Following Alleged Sale of Phone Location Data Updated: Published by:

Recent investigations have revealed that telecommunications companies have sold the real-time location data of their customers without the informed consent of the customers. In other situations, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint simply have allowed third parties to access the data, rather than actively selling it to them. As a result,…

iPhone Users to Proceed With Lawsuit Against Apple, Inc. for Alleged Monopolization of the App Market Updated: Published by:

On Monday, May 13, 2019, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Apple, Inc. v. Pepper, 587 U.S. __ (2019). Four iPhone users sued Apple, Inc., alleging that the company monopolized the app market, which resulted in higher-than-competitive prices for apps. Apple argued that the consumer-plaintiffs were barred from…

Congress Backs Criticized “Taxpayer First Act of 2019” Updated: Published by:

On April 2, the US House Ways and Means Committee passed H.R.1957, the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 (the “Act”). Widely cited as a win for private online tax preparation companies such as TurboTax, opponents claim it will prohibit the IRS from creating competing free software to assist citizens in…