Legal

U.S. officials on Wednesday sued J.C. Penney, accusing the retailer of deceiving consumers by advertising textile fiber products as containing bamboo and bamboo fiber, when they actually contain rayon. According to a complaint filed by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, J.C. Penney in "numerous instances" deceptively advertised products such as men's socks,…

Four U.S. retailers agreed to pay $1.3 million of fines to settle U.S. civil charges that they deceived consumers by falsely labeling and advertising textile products as containing bamboo, when they were actually made from rayon. Bed Bath & Beyond will pay $500,000, Nordstrom will pay $360,000, J.C. Penney will pay $290,000 and outdoor gear…

eBay sellers should be on the lookout for Good 'Til Cancelled credits on their statements thanks to a lawsuit filed in 2011. Did eBay deliberately trick customers into paying recurring fees for its "Good 'Til Cancelled" listings, which automatically renew every 30 days until the seller cancels the listing or the item is sold? That…

The Federal Trade Commission has taken the first step toward blocking the proposed $6.3 billion merger of Staples and Office Depot, saying the deal would hurt competition in the market for office supplies sold to large corporations. The commission filed an administrative complaint charging that the merger between Massachusetts-based Staples, the world's largest seller of…

The Puerto Rico unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sued the island’s government, seeking to overturn a new tax the retailer calls unfairly high. Enacted in May, Puerto Rico’s Act 72-2015 increases to 6.5 percent from 2 percent the tax on goods imported from offshore affiliates to local companies with gross revenues of more than $2.75 billion.…

Staples Inc. is ready to offer additional concessions to resolve U.S. antitrust concerns that its proposed takeover of Office Depot Inc. — which would leave one national office-supply chain — would threaten competition, according to two people familiar with the matter. Representatives from Staples and Office Depot are meeting this week with Federal Trade Commission…

Target agreed to a $39 million settlement with several U.S. banks on Wednesday over a data breach that affected roughly 40 million customers. The banks lost millions when they were forced to reimburse customers who lost money in the massive 2013 hack of Target's database. The banks, which service MasterCard, filed a class-action lawsuit against…

The Home Depot has reached a contingent settlement with MasterCard over the home improvement giant's massive 2014 data breach. The deal was disclosed Nov. 30 in court filings in federal court in Atlanta. Banks have reached out to see if their members are interested in participating in the settlement.

Federal regulators scrutinizing Staples’ $6 billion-plus bid to buy rival Office Depot are leaning against the deal and are preparing to block it, The Post has learned. Regulators are wary of a tie-up that will result in a single nationwide office supply giant to serve big corporate and government clients, two sources said. The Federal Trade Commission…

A U.S. investigation into potential foreign bribery by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has unearthed evidence of possible misconduct by the retailer in Brazil, after investigators found little to support the sweeping allegations involving Mexico that initially prompted the probe, according to documents and people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors are examining $500,000 in payments that…