State AG Pulse | Vermont: Small Is Mighty
On August 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a putative class action brought by two homeowners who alleged violations of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act (WCPA). The...more
On July 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit blocked the “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have required companies to make it as easy to cancel subscriptions as it was to sign up, including obtaining consent...more
Just days before the “Click to Cancel” negative option rule was to go into effect, the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the rule in its entirety. As explained in our previous alert, the rule, which would have gone into...more
On April 17, the Washington Supreme Court held that RCW 19.190.020(1)(b) prohibits sending Washington residents commercial emails that contain any false or misleading information in the subject lines of such emails. In Brown...more
In Powers v. Receivables Performance Management, LLC, the First Circuit Court of Appeals considered the defendant’s interlocutory appeal of the denial of a motion to reconsider an underlying denial of its motion to compel...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed and remanded a summary judgment ruling, finding that there were genuine disputes of material fact regarding whether the plaintiff’s alleged trade dress was functional and...more
As COVID-19 has led to supply chain issues and labor shortages, Americans have seen the price of cars both new and used skyrocket to new heights. Used car prices are currently 43 percent higher than projected levels without...more
On May 18, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (the “Fifth Circuit”) dealt a major blow to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) enforcement program. In Jarkesy v. SEC, the Fifth...more
Litigation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is an active area with frequent developments important to the consumer finance space. Two recent cases are worthy to note. In Loyhayem v. Fraser Fin. & Ins. Servs.,...more
A recent decision from the Maryland Court of Appeals provided somewhat surprising new guidance on the permissibility of confessed judgment clauses in consumer contracts. In Goshen Run Homeowners Association, Inc. v. Cisneros,...more
Last week, the defendant filed its answer brief in Bratton v. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Inc., an appeal now pending before the Montana Supreme Court involving a challenge to the defendant’s use of...more
One of the more frustrating things about the American legal system is that it permits people to sue for anything and, sometimes, nothing at all. Our courts groan under the weight of endless claims. Some of those claims move...more
At both the state and federal level, antitrust enforcement agencies continue to pursue successful challenges to physician practice transactions. This article summarizes two recent enforcement actions, as well as a new state...more
On March 18, 2019, the Washington Court of Appeals upheld a trial court’s decision that three advertising campaigns for 5-Hour Energy® made by Living Essentials, LLP and Innovative Ventures, LLP (collectively, Living...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini discussed a case centered around three IRA accounts and the duty that UBS had to the beneficiary following the death of the client/IRA account holder. Prior to the client’s death,...more
A Washington appeals court recently permitted claims to be brought against an individual insurance claim adjuster for (1) insurance bad faith, and (2) Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA) violations, in Keodalah v....more
On January 3, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to adopt “administrative feasibility” as an independent requirement for class certification. It held that Rule 23 does not require class counsel to show at the...more
One of the most common questions I get from my clients is whether they can recover their legal expenses for having to defend a meritless case. The short answer is that in most cases, no. That may seem unfair, especially...more
On June 3, 2015, in Marshall v. United Furniture Warehouse Limited Partnership (Marshall), the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the plaintiffs’ appeal from the application judge’s denial of certification of a proposed class...more