“Gut Health” and the Wellness Lie
"Gut health" is everywhere. It's on drink labels, in sponsored posts, and across entire grocery aisles. In the last decade, it's become one of the most persuasive—and pervasive—phrases in food and beverage marketing, especially in the so-called "wellness" space. The term sounds scientific. It suggests legitimacy. But in most cases, it's ...
LA’s Hotel and Airport Worker Minimum Wage Increase Suspended Indefinitely
On July 23, 2025, a press release from the city clerk of Los Angeles, California announced that Ordinance 188610, enacted in May 2025 to increase the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers, is being suspended indefinitely while a referendum against the law is under review. Ordinance 188610 contains scheduled minimum wage increases to take ...
Fired or Treated Unfairly After Requesting Family Leave? You May Have a Legal Claim
If you've been punished at work for taking—or even just requesting—paternity or maternity leave, you should know that what happened to you may be illegal. A recent decision from a Brooklyn court demonstrates how New York law protects workers who are caregivers or new parents from unequal treatment in the workplace. In Naulla v. WrkArt ...
A Changing of the Guard in the Market?
Retail accounts for 20% of total trading volume in the U.S., just shy of the 24% peak reached in early 2021 when meme stocks such as GameStop and AMC Entertainment entered the world stage. Ever since then, retail investors have been resilient and fully participating in this rally. For example, retail investors are pouring billions into low-cost ...
Synthetic Access, Real Risk: The Trouble with Robinhood’s Stock Tokens
On June 30, 2025, Robinhood Markets, Inc. announced a program aimed at democratizing access to equity in private companies. At the center of this initiative is what Robinhood has termed "stock tokens"—digital assets that closely resemble traditional equity shares in both form and function. However, Robinhood's tokens diverge from conventional ...
America for Sale
Every summer, American brands roll out the stars and stripes like it's a new product line. Familiar brands re-style their signature products in red-white-and-blue, star-spangled forms, trading on seasonal trends and the persistent popularity of the Fourth of July holiday. This year, over 86 percent of Americans reported plans to celebrate ...
Supreme Court Levels the Field for Civil Rights Plaintiffs Under Title VII
In a decision with important implications for civil rights plaintiffs, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a judicially created doctrine that made it harder for some people to sue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The case, Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, focused on a rule that a number of federal courts had been using ...
Pirani v. Slack Technologies Inc.: The Ninth Circuit Extends The Tracing Requirement
Companies that issue false and misleading statements in support of their public stock offerings face penalties under Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act"). Section 11 of the 1933 Act imposes civil liability for misstatements or omissions contained in registration statements. Section 12(a)(2) of the 1933 Act ...
Finance and Legal Influencer Settles FTX Promotion Claims
On June 18, 2025, Plaintiffs and Defendants, the finance and law influencer, Erika Kullberg, along with her talent management agency Creators Agency LLC, filed a joint notice of settlement in the FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange Collapse Litigation. The case arises out of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange's collapse in 2022. Plaintiffs had alleged ...
Senate Passes Stablecoin Legislation With Bipartisan Support
The Senate's proposal to regulate stablecoins passed the chamber in June with support from both parties, sending it on to the House where lawmakers are still working on their own proposal. The so-called GENIUS Act passed the floor with 68 votes, 18 of which came from Democrats. The bill now moves on to the House, which so far has created its ...
NYC’s Taxi & Limousine Commission Approves Minimum Pay Hike and Lockout Protections for Rideshare Drivers
On June 25, 2025, the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) voted to raise minimum pay standards for drivers in "high-volume for-hire services," including Uber and Lyft, by 5%. The TLC also adopted new regulations to curb the use of "lockouts" within the apps that prevent drivers from logging into the platforms mid-shift. An earlier ...
Meme Coin Pump and Dumps
With the proliferation of outstanding cases and investigations into major cryptocurrency exchanges, the SEC made an unofficial stance through their staff statement published on February 27, 2025—most meme coins are not considered securities. A "meme coin" is a type of "crypto asset inspired by internet memes, characters, current events, ...
Reddit Beats Trademark Claim By WallStreetBets Founder
On June 11, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of an intellectual property suit brought by Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of Reddit, Inc.'s r/WallStreetBets message board. According to his complaint against Reddit, Mr. Rogozinski started the forum in 2012 to help those recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. ...
New York’s Retail Worker Safety Act Goes into Effect
On June 2, 2025, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act ("NYRWSA") went into effect, which New York State enacted to protect retail workers from the higher risks of violence which they unfortunately endure at work. The NYRWSA also covers workers contracted to work in the employer's retail setting, such as third-party cleaners or maintenance ...
US House Introduces Bipartisan Digital Asset Regulation Bill
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn Thompson and House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill introduced bipartisan legislation to regulate digital assets, the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. • Legislation proposes requiring customer-facing digital assets firms, including brokers and dealers, to segregate customer ...
Justice Preserved For Elderly Investors In SEC Case Against Silver and Gold Coin Dealer
During times of economic unrest, elderly investors are particularly vulnerable to swindlers who prey on investors' mistrust of volatile stocks for the certainty of precious metals. After all, securities have a history of devastating retirement funds whereas gold and silver have buoyed their value since ancient times. On February 1, 2022, the ...
Tariffs will trigger SEC Disclosure Obligations
In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that imposes tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China. In May 2025, the Court of International Trade granted a permanent injunction on the tariff orders nationwide.[1] The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal of that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the ...
SEC warns investors of Relationship Investment Scams
On April 16, 2025 the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") published a press release regarding the unveiling of the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy's ("OIEA") new anti-fraud public service campaign. The campaign warns investors of relationship investment scams and the dangers they pose on investors' financial future. Relationship ...
Second Circuit Confirms Alignment Between New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws in Race Discrimination Case
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a racial discrimination claim brought under the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), offering a notable interpretation of the law that aligns it with the more liberal standards of the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). The ruling came in Flanagan v. Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, ...
Judge Vacates Abortion Accommodations in EEOC Rule
On May 21, 2025, a federal judge in Louisiana ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to remove mandates in its Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) rules that provided reasonable accommodations to employees who underwent abortion procedures. The PWFA requires covered employers to provide a "'reasonable accommodation' ...