The SEC Signs on to Arbitration

The SEC Signs on to Arbitration

September 29, 2025

The SEC Signs on to Arbitration

By: George Calhoun

Early last week, on September 17, 2025, the SEC announced that it will no longer consider the presence of a mandatory arbitration provision in a company’s charter or bylaws when deciding whether to accelerate the effectiveness of a registration statement.  This policy shift will permit companies to include arbitration clauses in their governing documents to require securities litigants (including class action plaintiffs) to pursue their claims in arbitration proceedings rather than court cases.  The decision leaves open how arbitration provisions might apply in direct actions versus derivative actions.  Nonetheless, this could result in a significant reduction in private securities litigation. The SEC focused its decision on the recent trend in U.S. Supreme Court precedent concerning the Federal Arbitration Act and…

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Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule

August 19, 2025

Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule

By: Robert Ward

California law has often tested just how much room the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) leaves for states to regulate consumer arbitration agreements. Last week, in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court,[1] the California Supreme Court determined that at least one claimant-favoring provision of the California Arbitration Act (CAA), California Code of Civil Procedure § 1281.98 comes close to, but does not cross, that line. At the same…

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Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws

July 30, 2025

Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws

By: Nicole Kardell

Note the below chart was updated on July 24, 2025 to reflect recent developments. The number of U.S. states that have adopted privacy laws grows regularly. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover, at least when it comes to thresholds that companies must meet in order to trigger compliance requirements. We provide below a chart that summarizes these thresholds by state, including…

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Keeping Your Privacy Promises: Retail Tracking and Opt-Out Choices

May 26, 2015

Keeping Your Privacy Promises: Retail Tracking and Opt-Out Choices

By: Michelle Cohen

  As children, many of us were taught how important it is to “keep your word.” Similarly, it is black letter privacy law that if a company commits (for instance, in a privacy policy or in website statements) to certain actions or practices, such as maintaining certain security features or implementing consumers’ choices on opt-outs, the organization must abide by those practices. Many companies have…

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Yelp Fights for the Right to Complain Anonymously

May 20, 2015

Yelp Fights for the Right to Complain Anonymously

By: Ifrah Law

  In e-commerce, user reviews can make or break a business.  Review sites such as Yelp are a double edged sword for merchants and service providers: on one hand satisfied customers can generate buzz about the company and bring in new customers, and on the other hand dissatisfied customers can use it as a very public platform to air their grievances and discourage new business….

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Even In The UK, Think Twice Before Using Celebrity Endorsements

April 13, 2015

Even In The UK, Think Twice Before Using Celebrity Endorsements

By: Ifrah Law

Photo at vi.wikipedia.org A recent legal case in the UK between singer Rihanna and fashion retailer Topshop has highlighted differences between publicity rights in the UK and some US jurisdictions. Rihanna sued Topshop for its sale of a t-shirt bearing a large photograph of her.  Rihanna had not approved or endorsed the sale of the t-shirt; rather, an independent photographer had taken the picture and licensed…

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Telemarketing Tips: What We Can Learn From Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Excursion With The FTC

April 2, 2015

Telemarketing Tips: What We Can Learn From Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Excursion With The FTC

By: Michelle Cohen

  The FTC’s “Do Not Call” and “robocall” rules do not apply to political survey calls.  So, if Hillary Clinton sought to “voice blast” a survey about international issues, she could do so without violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule (“TSR”).  (Though under FCC rules she would have an issue calling wireless numbers).  However, companies may not telemarket under the guise of exempt political calls.  Caribbean…

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Why the FTC Can Go After Companies For Insufficient Data Security Allegations

March 6, 2015

Why the FTC Can Go After Companies For Insufficient Data Security Allegations

By: Jeffrey Hamlin

  FTC seems more confident than ever in its authority to go after companies with insufficient data security measures. As of January 2015, FTC had settled 53 data-security enforcement actions, and FTC Senior Attorney Lesley Fair expects that number to increase. Not everyone is sanguine about FTC’s enforcement efforts. Companies targeted for administrative action complain that the Commission is acting beyond its delegated powers under…

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Articles and Presentations by Our Firm Attorneys

The SEC Signs on to Arbitration

The SEC Signs on to Arbitration
By: George Calhoun

Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule

Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule
By: Robert Ward

Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws

Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
By: Nicole Kardell

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