Legal

Online retail giant Amazon.com is closing a suburban Dallas distribution center and scrapping plans to expand Texas operations after a dispute with the state over millions of dollars in sales taxes, an executive informed employees in an email obtained by The Associated Press.

To resolve a privacy lawsuit brought by Amazon and the ACLU, the state of North Carolina has agreed to stop asking all e-commerce sites for information about state residents who have made online purchases.

Illinois is dangerously close to making an already challenging economy even more difficult for thousands of small businesses with a new e-commerce tax. Lawmakers recently passed the measure without regard for the potential impact on Illinois' technology businesses.

Rugged Bear, which operates 32 children's clothing stores, joins fellow retailers Anchor Blue, Orchard Brands and Ultimate Electronics in the bankruptcy courts in 2011. The retailer has $10 million to $50 million in debt and assets in the same range, according to court documents.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer denied eBay's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Craigslist in 2008, and rejected eBay's contention that the lawsuit was precluded by the findings of a Delaware court.

BJ's Wholesale Club said that it's decided "to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company." That only confirms what the market has known for months: there's an auction going on for the retailer.

Wal-Mart has reached a deal in principle with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York that guarantees union workers will construct or renovate any stores that the retailer opens in the city during the next five years. The deal is a coup for Wal-Mart, which faces stiff opposition from grocery and retail unions worried that the retailer's entry into the New York City market will put downward pressure on the salaries of their members.

Thursday Friday, an accessories company, is being sued by Hermes for copying its Birkin bag design. We're not talking about replica handbags here — we're talking about a picture of the Birkin bag itself.

For the second time in less than a year, Groupon is facing a lawsuit from a disgruntled customer. Last week Anthony Ferreira filed a class-action suit against Groupon, citing that the company issues "gift certificates" with relatively short expiration dates, knowing that many consumers will not use the gift certificates prior to that expiration date.

The Federal District Court in Denver has sided with the Direct Marketing Association over the Colorado Reporting Law violating the Constitution.