In 2018, the Ninth Circuit held in Lusnak v. Bank of America, N.A. that California’s interest-on-escrow law was not preempted by the National Bank Act because the California law did not prevent or significantly interfere with the bank’s exercise of its powers. 883 F.3d 1185 (9th Cir. 2018). Six years after Lusnak, the Supreme Court
Class Action & Mass Torts
Post-Cantero, First Circuit Sets Demanding National Bank Act Preemption Test
Lenders often require borrowers to keep money in a mortgage escrow account, and those funds are used to pay taxes, mortgage insurance, and other costs throughout the year. At least 12 states require lenders to pay the borrower interest on the money held in these escrow accounts. And for more than a decade, certain national…
District Court Requires Specific Testing Allegations in Dismissing PFAS Class Action
A court in the Southern District of New York recently dismissed a proposed class action alleging that consumers paid a premium for juice products advertised as “made simply” with “all natural ingredients,” reasoning that the plaintiff lacked standing in light of flaws in his testing allegations. See Lurenz v. Coca-Cola Co., 2025 WL 2773188 (S.D.N.Y.…
Federal Court Fries Data Breach Class Action for Lack of Standing
A federal court in North Carolina dismissed a putative data breach class action against Bojangles because the plaintiffs failed to show that there was an actual or imminent misuse of their personal information as a result of the breach. Dougherty v. Bojangles’ Restaurants, Inc., 2025 WL 2810673 (W.D.N.C. Sept. 30, 2025).…
California Court Dismisses Hotel Website Wiretapping Suit Based on “In Transit” Requirement
Recently, a California federal judge dismissed a suit alleging that Sojern, Inc., a travel marketing platform, violated the Federal Wiretap Act and California law by allegedly installing “tracking technology” on two hotel websites. Crano v. Sojern, Inc., 2025 WL 2689267 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 19, 2025).…
District Court Junks Ultra-Processed Foods Lawsuit
A court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the food and beverage industry “implemented addiction science techniques and predatory marketing campaigns” related to ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Martinez v. Kraft Heinz Co., No. 2:25-cv-00377, 2025 WL 2447793, at *1, (E.D. Pa. Aug. 25, 2025). While acknowledging concerns about the alleged…
Ninth Circuit Affirms Denial of Class Certification Finding Lack of Predominance
By Daniel Esses
A divided Ninth Circuit panel recently affirmed a district court’s denial of class certification based on a lack of predominance. See Ambrosio v. Progressive Preferred Ins. Co., 2025 WL 2628179 (9th Cir. Sept. 12, 2025). The plaintiffs sought to represent a class of drivers asserting breach-of-contract and other related claims against an auto insurer. The…
Sixth Circuit Rejects Food Contamination Claims for Lack of Standing
By Anand Balaji
In Ward v. J.M. Smucker Co, No. 24-3387, 2025 WL 2613489 (6th Cir. Sept. 10, 2025), the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision to dismiss a putative consumer class action regarding allegedly contaminated peanut butter because Plaintiffs did not have standing to bring their claims. …
Ninth Circuit Rejects Vegas Hotel Algorithmic Price Fixing Claims
On August 15, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a class action complaint in Gibson v. Cendyn Group, No. 24-3576, rejecting plaintiffs’ arguments that Las Vegas hotels violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act through their common use of revenue management software. The decision follows two previous orders by a Nevada…
Third Circuit Rejects “Reasonable Indication” Opt-Out Standard
The Third Circuit recently rejected the so-called “reasonable indication” opt-out standard, which refers to whether a class member can opt out of a class action by merely providing a “reasonable indication” of their intent to do so, regardless of whether this indication adheres to the letter of the procedures established by the district court. See…