Legal

At Home Group, a chain of stores that sells furniture, rugs and other home goods, said Friday that it plans to become a publicly traded company. The company, founded in 1979, was formerly called Garden Ridge until it changed its name last year. At Home has 94 stores around the country. The retailer didn't say how many…

Kmart, a discount department chain owned by Sears Holdings Corp , has paid $1.4 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. The retailer illegally used drug manufacturer coupons and gasoline discounts to convince beneficiaries of the Medicare healthcare insurance program for the elderly to fill their…

The small grocery store chain Haggen on Tuesday sued Albertsons for more than $1 billion in damages, alleging the supermarket giant engaged in systematic efforts to eliminate it as a viable competitor in five states. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Delaware, accuses Albertsons of anti-competitive practices. Haggen, based in Bellingham, Wash., says those efforts…

RadioShack's unsecured creditors are suing all the people they blame for the company’s demise. The official committee of unsecured creditors is suing one of the company’s former shareholders, its lender, chief executive and board of directors. The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in RadioShack’s hometown of Fort Worth. The creditors committee is asking for a…

The old adage about looking a gift horse in the mouth may have a corollary regarding gift cards issued by retailers: use it or lose it. In the latest case of gift card holders caught up in the bankruptcy of a major retailer, attorneys on Wednesday outlined a plan under which some holders of RadioShack gift…

Target Corp. has agreed to pay $2.8 million to thousands of rejected job candidates for upper-level positions because tests they were given disproportionately screened out applicants based on their race or gender. The payout was announced Monday by the Minneapolis Area Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and will be disbursed among more…

Only months after one of the country’s biggest retailers of dog food and catnip went private, another is planning a return to the public markets. Petco filed on Monday to stage an initial public offering, becoming the latest company owned by private equity firms to pursue a stock listing. Going public will give Petco’s private…

Dozens of the nation’s largest retailers including Macy’s, Amazon.com and Home Depot have quickly moved to disassociate themselves from new discount retail website Jet.com. The retailers complained to Jet after discovering it had placed links to their sites without permission, promising its own members cash back for making purchases after clicking the links. A comparison of Jet’s…

As sales at smaller, niche-oriented online retailers continue to grow, above-board online retailers must carefully navigate the treacherous waters of intellectual property infringement. By asserting broad and vague intellectual property claims, aggressive boy bands, TV and movie stars, and the media giants that promote them can crush an entirely reputable business that may be using…

A U.S. judge rejected American Express’ settlement with merchants over credit card fees after finding the plaintiffs’ lawyer tainted the deal by exchanging confidential information with an attorney for MasterCard Inc. The rejection means that merchants and the card firm may have to renegotiate the deal or possibly go to trial. A conference is scheduled…