Insights

In August 2024 judge’s decision to dismiss a major class action claim against bottled water makers will likely do little to stem the flow of microplastics litigation in the year ahead, says Meshach Rhoades, managing partner of Crowell & Moring’s Denver office.

Class actions are alive and well in the world of employment law. Much is happening, and there’s plenty more to come, says Rebecca Springer, a Crowell & Moring partner who serves as talent and inclusion lead in the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice.

A cross-border lawsuit filed in Italy in 2024 could be the first test of how recently imposed, plaintiff-friendly changes in European Union law will impact class actions in the EU.

A nascent trend is forming in the world of health care class actions. Plaintiffs’ attorneys are taking the excessive-fee concept pioneered in retirement plan litigation and applying it to self-funded corporate health insurance plans.

Class action litigation remained strong in 2024, on pace to match the past two years. Last year expanded the trend of class action litigation driven by technology, regulatory changes, and consumer expectations. Class action litigation based on privacy and data security breaches increased last year—including recent high-profile cases and significant settlements. Similarly, consumer rights and product liability cases have continued to increase and to drive large settlements due to consumer awareness of their rights and amendments to consumer protection laws. These developments and increasing trends in class action litigation provide numerous opportunities for litigation in many sectors.

After a surge in privacy class action lawsuits in 2024, San Francisco-based Crowell & Moring partner Kristin Madigan says she expects to see more of the same in the year ahead, as plaintiffs’ lawyers continue testing out new legal theories to bring claims against any company that collects, uses, or sells customer data.

A trend in product liability litigation has emerged over the past few years: Plaintiffs’ attorneys are increasingly choosing to bring class actions based on “economic loss” instead of the more traditional personal injury claim.

Key developments expected this year, as the FDA ramps up the implementation of major new cosmetics regulations, could shape the class action landscape for the beauty and wellness industry for years to come, says Crowell & Moring partner Robbie Rogart Jost.

Expect the recent surge in class actions challenging sustainability claims made by consumer goods companies to continue in the year ahead, says Crowell & Moring partner Jason Stiehl, who is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Advertising and Brand Protection groups.

Expect the recent surge in class actions challenging sustainability claims made by consumer goods companies to continue in the year ahead, says Crowell & Moring partner Jason Stiehl, who is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Advertising and Brand Protection groups.

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program is a collaborative initiative between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and several foreign patent offices, created to speed up the examination process. Through the PPH, a patent application initially filed with a participating patent office (Office of Earlier Examination, or OEE) can be expedited in another participating intellectual property office, provided it meets specific requirements. According to the USPTO, PPH leverages fast-track examination procedures already in place among participating patent offices to allow applicants to reach final disposition of a patent application more quickly and efficiently than standard examination processing.