One of the most followed corporate trials of the decade is drawing nearer to a close. Johnson & Johnson’s Red River Talc subsidiary in Texas filed a third time for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas while a majority of affected plaintiffs have indicated they wish to settle. With more than 75 percent of plaintiffs on board, this case should be allowed to conclude instead of being held…
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Consumers dudded by secret class action suits
We are no strangers to settling our problems in court. Indeed, it is a core function of citizens in free societies. Staffed by esteemed judges and sometimes juries, people who believe they’ve been wronged can take their claims before a neutral tribunal to plead their case in hopes of a positive outcome and settlement, whether on behalf of a class of litigants or just themselves….
FCC Comments to protect radio frequency for open-source projects and ham radio
This week, the Consumer Choice Center submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on its proposal to reconfigure parts of the 900 MHz band, opposing the effort that would end up granting exclusive use for one specific company. The lower end of the 900 MHz band is popular with open-source radio projects, amateur radio operations, and next-level drone and spectrum technologies, and has remained free…
Third-Party Litigation Finance: Chinese Interference with the US Judicial System?
The commodification of lawsuit funding is a somewhat ingenious concept that may indeed help smaller companies win their day in court, but it also opens the door to even more bad faith participation in the justice system. That’s why this industry needs a second look, and needs some guardrails to ensure consumers don’t end up facing higher prices because every company on the market is…
Banning algorithms won’t reduce rents or create more homes
Artificial intelligence may be all the rage in the business world, but to the feds, AI-enabled algorithms are being cast as the main villain behind skyrocketing housing costs in this country. Last month, the Department of Justice joined the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington to sue RealPage, blaming the software company’s property data services for rising rents nationwide….
Plummeting Smoking Rates Mean a Paradigm Shift for Nicotine
In every gas station and convenience store, a new category of addictive products is flying off shelves. This new thorn in the side of public health advocates is tobacco nicotine pouches. These pouches are made of wood pulp and salt, filled with nicotine, and flavors placed under the upper lip to give the user a buzzing sensation. What do we make of this new nicotine…
Gambling on Lawsuits: New Industry or Threat to the Fairness of Our Courts?
As the 2024 election grinds on, you’ll hear a lot more about the online betting markets which have become all the rage amongst politicos and statisticians. These days, you can bet on election outcomes and even the weather. But should you be able to gamble on courtroom verdicts? That is essentially what’s happening within a new trend of litigation finance by third parties, where outsiders not directly involved in lawsuits…
The Progressive Bitcoiner Podcast – U.S. Bitcoin Strategic Reserve w/ Yael Ossowski and Pierre Rochard
This week I was invited on The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast to discuss the latest proposals for a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve with Pierre Rochard of Riot and the podcast host Trey Walsh. I had a great time, and hope you listen and provide your reactions. In this episode we explore the debate around a potential US Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, including legislation introduced by Representative Cynthia Lummis, discussing its…
Breton’s Elon Musk regulatory troll earns one of the most epic ratios of all time
Yesterday, hours before American entrepreneur Elon Musk sat down with former President Donald Trump on a live “X space,” EU Commissioner Thierry Breton fired off a snarky letter to “remind” Musk of his obligations to the European Union’s Digital Services Act. As of publication, this X post has garnered over 67 million views, 15,000 retweets, and over 72,000 direct replies, resulting in one of the…
Give Lawsuit Plaintiffs the Final Say, Not Lawyers Hungry for More Cash
In a protracted eight-year-long legal battle, lawsuits against pharmaceutical and beauty giant Johnson & Johnson seem to be finally coming to a resolution. These cases have been some of the largest and most expensive in recent history and are providing memorable lessons for companies, consumers, and legal firms as to how massive claims can be best adjudicated to render justice. LTL Management, J&J’s Texas-based subsidiary, is being pursued for…