U.S. Supreme Court Rulings related to Consumer Law.

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  1. Henson v. Santander Consumer USA Inc. (2017)

    • Details: This case centered on whether companies that buy delinquent debt are subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Act traditionally targets debt collectors, not creditors.
    • Significance: The court ruled that companies collecting on purchased defaulted debt aren’t necessarily “debt collectors” under the law. This decision potentially reduced the regulation on some entities that buy and collect debt.

  2. Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins (2016)

    • Details: The primary issue was whether a person can sue a company for violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act if the person hasn’t suffered any actual harm.
    • Significance: The Court sent the case back to the lower court to determine if the plaintiff had the necessary “standing” by showing he suffered “concrete” harm.

  3. AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion (2011)

    • Details: This case dealt with arbitration agreements in contracts and whether they can prevent class action lawsuits.
    • Significance: The Court ruled in favor of AT&T, stating that the Federal Arbitration Act preempts state laws that deem such arbitration agreements unconscionable.

  4. American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant (2013)

    • Details: Small businesses alleged that American Express used its monopoly power to force them into a contract that had unfavorable terms.
    • Significance: The Court ruled that arbitration agreements can prevent class action lawsuits even if the cost of individual arbitration might be prohibitive.

  5. POM Wonderful LLC v. Coca-Cola Co. (2014)

    • Details: POM Wonderful accused Coca-Cola of misleading labeling on one of its juice blends.
    • Significance: The Supreme Court ruled that companies can bring Lanham Act claims like this one against competitors for false or misleading product descriptions.

  6. FTC v. Actavis, Inc. (2013)

    • Details: The issue revolved around “pay-for-delay” agreements where brand-name drug makers pay generic rivals to postpone releasing cheaper versions.
    • Significance: The Court held that these agreements can violate antitrust laws but did not declare all such agreements unlawful.

  7. Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017)

    • Details: The challenge was to a New York law that let businesses offer cash discounts but prohibited imposing surcharges for credit card purchases.
    • Significance: The Court stated that the law regulates speech, thus highlighting First Amendment concerns.

  8. Samsung Electronics Co. v. Apple Inc. (2016)

    • Details: This case was about the damages for design patent infringement. Apple claimed Samsung copied its iPhone design.
    • Significance: The Court ruled that an infringer of a design patent doesn’t always have to fork over its entire profits from sales, but rather an amount based on the specific component that was copied.

  9. Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International, Inc. (2017)

    • Details: Lexmark tried to prevent the resale of its printer cartridges through patent law.
    • Significance: The Court decided that once a product is sold, its patent rights are exhausted, and it cannot control the product’s use.

  10. Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis (2018)

  • Details: Workers wished to band together to talk about wage issues but were hindered by arbitration agreements.
  • Significance: The Court upheld the enforceability of arbitration agreements that bar collective or class action suits.
  1. Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela (2019)
  • Details: This case centered on whether an ambiguous arbitration agreement can infer mutual consent to class arbitration.
  • Significance: The Court held that ambiguity cannot provide the necessary contractual basis for concluding that parties agreed to class arbitration.
  1. DirecTV, Inc. v. Imburgia (2015)
  • Details: The case challenged a provision in a service agreement that waived the right to class action lawsuits if the “law of your state” made such waivers unenforceable.
  • Significance: The Court held that reference to “state law” in the agreement pertained to valid state law, which means the Federal Arbitration Act would preempt any state law invalidating the waiver.
  1. Sherman Antitrust Act Cases (throughout the years)
  • Details: Several cases have explored the limits and applications of the Sherman Act, focusing on market monopolies, antitrust issues, and consumer impacts.
  • Significance: These rulings have shaped the interpretation of antitrust law in the U.S. and have implications for consumer prices and market competition.
  1. Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (2013)
  • Details: The case revolved around securities litigation and whether plaintiffs needed to show that misleading statements caused stock price inflation for class certification.
  • Significance: The Court ruled that this was not necessary, simplifying the criteria for class certification in certain securities cases.
  1. TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez (2021)
  • Details: It was about the standing of individuals inaccurately flagged by TransUnion as potential terrorists or drug traffickers.
  • Significance: The Court ruled that most of the class plaintiffs did not have standing because they hadn’t suffered a concrete harm, emphasizing the need for tangible harm in such cases.
  1. Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court (2021)
  • Details: Explored whether a state court has jurisdiction over a product liability claim if the company markets, sells, and services the same type of product in that state, but the specific product in the lawsuit wasn’t first sold there or designed/manufactured there.
  • Significance: The Court decided state courts do have jurisdiction in such scenarios, which can impact where product liability lawsuits can be filed.
  1. PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc. (2019)
  • Details: Concerned the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and whether the Hobbs Act required the district court to accept the FCC’s legal interpretation of the act.
  • Significance: The Court didn’t fully resolve the issue and remanded it, highlighting the tensions between administrative interpretations and judicial powers.
  1. Google LLC v. American Blind & Wallpaper Factory, Inc. (2007)
  • Details: This case involved trademark laws and whether Google’s keyword advertising practices violated them.
  • Significance: The parties settled before a decision, but the case raised crucial questions about the intersection of e-commerce, advertisement, and trademark rights.
  1. Apple Inc. v. Pepper (2019)
  • Details: iPhone users sued Apple, claiming the company monopolized the retail market for iOS apps, leading to inflated prices.
  • Significance: The Court held that iPhone users were direct purchasers who could sue Apple for alleged monopolization.
  1. Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology LLC (2019)
  • Details: Concerned the intersection of bankruptcy and trademark law. The main issue was whether a debtor’s rejection of a licensing agreement deprives the licensee of its rights to use the trademark.
  • Significance: The Court ruled that rejection of a licensing agreement in bankruptcy does not terminate the rights of the licensee that would exist outside of bankruptcy.
  1. Lexmark Int’l, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc. (2014)
  • Details: The case revolved around the standing to bring a false advertising claim under the Lanham Act.
  • Significance: The Court established a two-prong test for standing, emphasizing a plaintiff’s need to show economic or reputational injury and that the harms were directly caused by the defendant’s actions.
  1. Comcast Corp. v. Behrend (2013)
  • Details: This case focused on whether a class action can be certified without showing that damages can be determined on a class-wide basis.
  • Significance: The Court held that the class was improperly certified, emphasizing the importance of a common methodology for calculating damages across the entire class.
  1. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht (2019)
  • Details: Patients alleged that the drug company failed to warn about certain risks associated with one of its products.
  • Significance: The Court held that judges, not juries, should decide whether federal law preempts state tort claims based on alleged failures to warn about drug side effects.
  1. China Agritech, Inc. v. Resh (2018)
  • Details: This case addressed the question of whether individuals can continue to bring successive class action lawsuits for the same alleged violation after the expiration of the limitation period.
  • Significance: The Court ruled against such successive claims, stating that the statute of limitations is not extended for new class claims.
  1. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California (2017)
  • Details: Explored the jurisdictional boundaries for state courts in large-scale litigation, focusing on whether out-of-state plaintiffs can sue a company in state court when their claims aren’t directly connected to the company’s activities in that state.
  • Significance: The Court held that the out-of-state plaintiffs couldn’t sue in California, emphasizing the need for a stronger connection between a defendant’s in-state activities and the alleged harms.
  1. Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo (2016)
  • Details: Employees sued for overtime pay, using statistical evidence to show average time spent on specific tasks. The issue was whether such statistical evidence was permissible.
  • Significance: The Court allowed it, emphasizing that representative evidence can be used in class actions under specific circumstances.
  1. Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez (2016)
  • Details: The case concerned whether an unaccepted settlement offer or payment can moot a plaintiff’s claim.
  • Significance: The Court held that an unaccepted settlement offer does not moot a plaintiff’s claim, allowing plaintiffs to proceed with litigation.
  1. Jesinoski v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (2015)
  • Details: Explored the right of rescission in certain loan transactions and what steps borrowers must undertake to exercise that right.
  • Significance: The Court simplified the process, stating that borrowers only need to provide written notice to lenders to exercise their right to rescind.
  1. Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois (1990)
  • Details: Although primarily a First Amendment case, its impact also touched on consumer law. It addressed whether promotions, transfers, recalls, and hirings based on party affiliation and support violate the First Amendment.
  • Significance: The Court held that such practices were impermissible, emphasizing the importance of political neutrality in public employment practices.
  1. Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. (2014)
  • Details: Focused on the awarding of attorney fees in patent litigation cases.
  • Significance: The Court provided a more flexible standard for awarding fees, allowing judges greater discretion to award fees in “exceptional” patent cases.

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