On March 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of a motion to compel arbitration in two class-action lawsuits. The decision potentially has far-reaching implications for the...more
3/14/2025
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Contract Modification ,
Contract Terms ,
Credit Cards ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Illusory Contracts ,
Interest Rates ,
Maryland ,
Motion to Compel ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On February 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s denial of a petition to compel individual arbitration against Starz Entertainment, LLC. The court held that the plaintiff, who...more
3/5/2025
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Breach of Contract ,
Case Consolidation ,
Class Action ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motion to Compel ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
Terms of Service
Recently, the Eastern District of Kentucky denied a motion to dismiss under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) after finding the plaintiffs alleged sufficient facts to support a reasonable inference that credit reports were...more
1/8/2025
/ Class Action ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Credit Reports ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgage Lenders
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently dismissed an appeal in the case of Lewis v. Becerra, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The appellants sought...more
8/16/2024
/ Appeals ,
Article III ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Class Representatives ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Judicial Review ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare ,
Standing
On March 14, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed House Bill (HB) 418 that would have created a vehicle for class actions in Virginia state courts and would have broadened statutory damages under the Virginia Consumer...more
Virginia is currently one of only two states that does not allow class-action lawsuits in its courts. However, that could change soon as House Bill (HB) 418, originally introduced on January 10, 2024, seeks to create a...more
We are pleased to share our annual review of regulatory and legal developments in the consumer financial services industry. With active federal and state legislatures, consumer financial services providers faced a challenging...more
2/1/2024
/ Automotive Loans ,
Banks ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Debt Collection ,
Digital Assets ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Mortgages ,
Student Loans ,
Tribal Loans ,
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
Information furnishers, beware. A potential rule under consideration by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is explicitly aimed at opening a new era of Fair Credit Reporting Act class actions against companies that...more
On October 18, Judge Rebecca Beach Smith of the Eastern District of Virginia approved a $70 million settlement in an antitrust case, with more than $23.3 million awarded to the plaintiffs’ attorneys. This case helpfully...more
12/18/2023
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Class Action ,
Drug Pricing ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price-Fixing ,
Settlement ,
Settlement Negotiations
A new enforcement action provides more detail on the expectations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (collectively, the agencies) for the content of tenant screening reports....more
10/17/2023
/ Civil Penalty Fund ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Rental Property ,
Screening Procedures ,
Tenants ,
TransUnion ,
TransUnion LLC v Ramirez
In response to a petition filed last week by a number of consumer advocacy groups, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) announced that it will be seeking public input on a possible rule that would curtail...more
9/20/2023
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Petition for Rulemaking ,
Pre-Dispute Arbitration ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether a homeowner association (HOA) assessment constitutes a “credit transaction” under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which would open up an inquiry to the fundamental...more
What are the most significant judicial decisions affecting class action litigation, and how might they impact your business?...more
8/11/2023
/ Appeals ,
Article III ,
ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Facebook Inc v Duguid ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Robocalling ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing
The modern “Information Age” has been defined by rapidly increasing interconnectivity and dependence on the internet by consumers and businesses alike. One side effect of these technological advances has been the increasing...more
In Wood v. Omni Financial of Nevada, Inc., the plaintiffs filed a class action complaint alleging violations of the Military Lending Act (MLA). Specifically, the plaintiffs, two active duty service members who had entered...more
On April 12, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals vacated an $8 million class-action settlement for lack of standing. While the issue was not raised by the district court or either party on appeal, the court ruled that the...more
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis in this inaugural crossover episode with Partner Dave Gettings of FCRA Focus in welcoming their guests and fellow Partners Cindy Hanson and David Anthony. Dave,...more
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Dave Gettings in this inaugural crossover episode with Partner Chris Willis of The Consumer Finance Podcast in welcoming their guests and fellow Partners Cindy Hanson and David...more
On December 15, 2022, the parties in TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez — a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2021 to resolve questions of Article III standing — obtained final approval of their class settlement...more
More than two years ago, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Johnson v. NPAS Solutions, LLC, 975 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. 2020) that incentive payments for lead plaintiffs in class-action lawsuits are improper. After...more
Recently, the Ninth Circuit joined its sister circuit, the Eleventh, in vacating class settlements on standing grounds. In Harvey v. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, the court vacated the district court’s approval of the...more
Class-action plaintiffs do not get a free pass on constitutional standing requirements, as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reminded litigants sua sponte in Drazen and Godaddy.com, LLC v. Pinto last week when it vacated...more
On July 6, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted final approval of a multimillion-dollar, class-action settlement in Parker v. Stoneledge Furniture, LLC, et al., No. 21-740 (M.D. Fla.) to resolve...more
On May 26, preliminary approval was sought to resolve a proposed class action, pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, against background screening company Inflection Risk Solutions LLC (Inflection)....more
Editor’s Note: Connecticut became the fifth state in the nation to successfully pass a comprehensive privacy bill (now awaiting its governor’s signature), following California, Colorado, Utah, and Virginia. Meanwhile,...more
5/13/2022
/ Advisory Committee ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Class Action ,
Connecticut ,
Data Privacy ,
Digital Services ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Employee Tracking ,
EU ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
GINA ,
Personal Data ,
State Privacy Laws ,
Stored Communications Act ,
U.S. Commerce Department