I recently discussed the Ninth Circuit appeal in Cabral v. Supple, a fascinating case about consumer fraud class actions, infomercials, snake oil, the placebo effect, and behavioral economics. Our opening brief was filed last week. Yesterday, three organizations filed amicus briefs supporting us: AARP focused on the effect of marketing techniques aimed at making false health-benefit claims to […]
Author Archives: PC Litigation Group Office Assistant
by Deepak Gupta Should a defendant in a consumer fraud class action be able to defeat certification through evidence that its customers say they are "satisfied," even when the the allegation is that the product is snake oil? Or would that transform the placebo effect into a defense to fraud? That's the question the Ninth […]
by Deepak Gupta In a much-anticipated decision, the Fifth Circuit held today that the National Labor Relations Board overstepped its authority when it ruled that an employer violated federal labor law by requiring its employees to sign an arbitration agreement containing a class-action ban. Judge Leslie Southwick, joined by Judge King, isssued the opinion for the court. Here's […]
Last week, the CFPB filed an amicus brief in the Second Circuit in Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians et al. v. New York Department of Financial Services, a case in which online tribal payday lenders are challenging regulation by New York State. The CFPB's brief takes issue with the lenders' argument that Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act and […]
For those in New Haven: I'll be giving a talk about plaintiff-side appellate advocacy at noon tomorrow (Thursday) at Yale Law School. Among other things, I'll discuss the advocacy imbalance facing consumers, workers, and other plaintiffs in the appellate courts and touch on the fate of class actions in the Roberts Court. Hope to see you there. […]
by Deepak Gupta Jeff and Brian have already posted on the news of a final settlement in Mount Holly. Although we've known all along that a settlement was likely, this is still big news. Let's put this in perspective: For the second time in just two years, an eleventh-hour settlement before oral argument has denied the […]
by Deepak Gupta If you'll be in New Orleans tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 15), I hope you'll drop by the Hyatt French Quarter for the Louisiana Bar's consumer law seminar. Among other things, Professor Dalie Jimenez of the University of Connecticut (a former CFPB colleague) will discuss her research on debt buyers. At 4pm, you can watch […]
by Deepak Gupta We've blogged before about Mount Holly–the Supreme Court case about the future of disparate impact in housing and lending discrimination. (My firm represents current and former Members of Congress in the case). All along, it's seemed possible that Mount Holly would settle before the December oral arguments. This morning, that's looking even […]
by Deepak Gupta On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. His killing sparked a fresh round of riots in cities nationwide. Nearly two dozen representatives immediately changed positions and urged passage of the Fair Housing Act. Within a week, with […]
by Deepak Gupta In a 70-page opinion by Justice Goodwin Liu, the California Supreme Court on Thursday issued its eagerly anticipated decision in Sonic-Calabasas v. Moreno. Addressing the impact of both AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion and American Express v. Italian Colors for the first time, the court makes clear that unconscionability — focused on whether […]