WA high court reinstates $18 million GMA laundering penalty
April 16, 2020, SeattlePI
State AG Bob Ferguson (above): Will not treat violating campaign finance laws as a “cost of doing business.” GMA led opposition to 2013 ballot initiative on labeling foods and seeds.
Amazon settles lawsuit over unsafe, counterfeit hoverboard
April 14, 2020, Securing Industry
Amazon has settled a lawsuit alleging that a house fire and injuries were caused by a defective, counterfeit hoverboard. The suit claimed family’s $1m home was destroyed by a fire caused by the battery in the FITURBO F1 hoverboard toy.
Opinion: America still needs Walmart to do more
April 15, 2020, Forbes
I lauded Walmart for wanting to help people work and shop as safely as possible. There are 3 more things that it can do to reach this goal.
Trump and Cuomo finally agree on one thing: Wear masks
April 16, 2020, Market Watch
There’s a mandatory push for Americans to wear masks, but do they actually work? And are the government’s ever-changing policies on face masks reliable or helpful? Unlike Cuomo’s executive order, federal guidelines are voluntary.
Businesses warn fear of lawsuits could stall rebooting of economy
April 15, 2020, Insurance Journal
Litigation surrounding coronavirus responses is already underway and businesses are warning that the fear of more lawsuits could hinder the reboot of the U.S. economy. Returning America to work will require coordination between government and business and resolution of a number of regulatory, legal and liability issues, according to the Chamber of Commerce.
Opinion: COVID-19 starts societally-safe product design
April 14, 2020, Venture Beat
“I am convinced, that, when this pandemic ends, we won’t see the back to normal closure we all hope for.” A change in consumer habits will find a whole new category of products emerge.
The importance of social media in communicating changes and delays to recall remedies and information
April 13, 2020, JDSupra
While the CPSC has long suggested to consumer product manufacturers that they use websites, customer service phone numbers and social media to relay recall information to consumers, the latter will most certainly be an important consideration in the weeks and months ahead.
The Health 202: Coronavirus means Americans are finally embracing virtual health care
April 8, 2020, Washington Post
Millions of Americans being quarantined may be what finally gets telemedicine widespread acceptance in the United States. The pandemic is prompting a seismic shift among policymakers, providers and patients as they contemplate how to ensure Americans can get needed care even as most of the country practices social distancing.
Law Enforcement COVID-19 Guidance: Cybercrime, Scam, and Fraud Trends
April 16, 2020, Morrison Foester Client Alert
As in-house counsel, compliance, and security teams worldwide are adjusting to life amid the global pandemic, so too are criminal and nation-state cyber actors. These actors are now leveraging the pandemic, public fear and an expanded remote-work attack surface to conduct hacking campaigns. The Department of Justice, FBI and other law enforcement organizations have prioritized the detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct seeking to exploit the pandemic.
Study: Treatment of workers impacts consumer shopping decisions
April 14, 2020, WDRM.com
How essential retailers treat their employees during the coronavirus is having a significant impact on consumer shopping decisions according to a new study by First Insight. The company found that overall, 59 percent of respondents surveyed in early April stated that they would shop less at an essential retailer that has sick employees come to work.
