- Central District of California dismisses lawsuit alleging that a third-party’s interception of communications over a website’s live chat feature violated California’s wiretapping and eavesdropping prohibitions.
- Important to the Court’s holding was its finding that the code used by the third party to acquire and transmit the contents of the chat communications was not necessarily used to intercept the communications while they were “in transit” but rather to store them after they were received.
The Emerging Legal and Regulatory Risks of Loyalty Programs
As part of our commitment to keeping you informed of new regulatory developments and their potential implications, we have highlighted recent statements by federal officials concerning loyalty programs, such as those involving airline miles and credit card points. These comments signal a potential shift in how these programs are viewed under consumer protection laws, and the plaintiffs’ bar is likely to take notice.
From Skincare to Spyware: L’Occitane’s CIPA War Against the Plaintiffs’ Bar
By Aaron Francis on
While French skincare company L’Occitane (the “Company”) successfully thwarted a mass arbitration effort by plaintiffs’ firm Zimmerman Reed and approximately 3,000 customers (the “Claimants”), the Southern District of California Court presiding over the matter indicated that the Company’s case against them was on the verge of dismissal. L’Occitane v. Zimmerman Reed, et al., No. 2:24-cv-01103 (C.D. Cal. April 15, 2024).
Bidding Farewell, For Now: Google’s Ad Auction Class Certification Victory
By Aaron Francis on
A federal judge in the Northern District of California delivered a blow to a potential class action lawsuit against Google over its ad auction practices. The lawsuit, which allegedly involved tens of millions of Google account holders, claimed Google’s practices in its real-time bidding (RTB) auctions violated users’ privacy rights. But U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers declined to certify the class of consumers, pointing to deficiencies in the plaintiffs’ proposed class definition.
Privacy Class Action Spotlight: Latest Wave of Wiretap Class Actions Continues Despite Dismissals as Plaintiffs Try New Approaches
By Danielle Brooks, Leslie Shanklin & Ryan P. Blaney on
- Over a hundred cases are pending from the wave of privacy class actions that commenced last year alleging violations of state wiretap statutes based on use of website session replay, chatbot and pixel technologies.
- Plaintiffs’ firms are continuing to file new cases based on chatbot and pixel tech despite an increasing number of dismissals while also trying new approaches focused on email marketing tech and identity graphing.
HHS Publishes Roadmap of New Strategy for Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Sector
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a strategy paper highlighting key aspects of its plan to revamp cybersecurity requirements in the healthcare industry. Citing a 93% increase in large data breaches in healthcare from 2018 to 2022 and a rapid increase in ransomware attacks against…
OIG Issues Final Information Blocking Enforcement Rule and Highlights the Potential for Referrals to the FTC and FCA Liability
By Ryan P. Blaney & Jonian Rafti on
On June 27, 2023, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released its final rule (“Final Rule”) implementing penalties for information blocking.
The Final Rule codifies the prohibition on “information blocking” introduced by the 21st Century Cures Act (“Act”), which was…