Legal

T.J. Maxx Sued Over Misleading Price Tags
July 23, 2015 at 2:20 pm

Two skeptical T.J. Maxx customers looked into the retailer's signature "compare at" price tags and found that the retailer basically guesses at what each item might go for at full retail and marks that as the comparable price for each discount item it sells. Law360 reports that they're now suing the company in California federalโ€ฆ

A&P Grocery Chain Files Bankruptcy Again
July 21, 2015 at 1:53 pm

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc., which controls the A&P supermarket chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy overnight Monday and threatened to liquidate without approval for a sale of some of its stores. The filing marked the second Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the 156-year-old A&P chain in the past five years, giving theโ€ฆ

Tory Comes Out On Top in Court
July 16, 2015 at 3:03 pm

Tory Burch has been awarded $41.2 million after winning a trademark infringement lawsuit against Lin & J International Inc., who the designer successfully proved had copied her trademarks and designs. The judgement, which was made by the US District Court on Friday, draws a line under a battle between the two brands that started in 2013โ€ฆ

Wal-Mart Accused of Same-Sex Bias in Class-Action Lawsuit
July 15, 2015 at 3:12 pm

A Massachusetts woman filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing Wal-Mart of wrongly denying employee benefits for same-sex spouses. Jacqueline Cote says Wal-Mart repeatedly denied medical insurance for her wife before 2014, when the retail giant started offering benefits for same-sex spouses. The couple incurred at least $150,000 in medical costs after Cote's wife, Dee Smithson,โ€ฆ

Troubling Trademark Ruling Over Amazon's Internal Search Results
July 14, 2015 at 2:26 pm

When a consumer searches for a product a retailer doesnโ€™t carry, how should the retailer respond? A recent federal appellate court opinion suggested that Amazon.com gave the wrong answers to consumers searching for a watch brand that it didnโ€™t carry. Multi Time Machine makes high-end military-style watches under brand names including โ€œMTM Special Ops.โ€ MTMโ€ฆ

A Guide to Sales Tax Collection and Filing to Avoid Costly Problems
July 13, 2015 at 2:36 pm

Owning and running your own company can be tremendously exciting, especially when you start to generate business in new markets and regions. When your business strategy is working like a charm, and customers from other states are beating a path to your door, itโ€™s important to remember administrative obligations that can cause major problems andโ€ฆ

Skechers Sues Steve Madden Over Footwear Patents
July 10, 2015 at 1:56 pm

Skechers USA Inc. said it filed a lawsuit alleging that a footwear style sold by rival Steven Madden Ltd. infringes patents for the company's walking-shoe line and other products. Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Skechers is seeking an injunction against the Setta line of footwear sold under the Steven by Steve Madden line. Skechers also is seekingโ€ฆ

Procter & Gamble Settles Lawsuit Over Olay Packaging
July 9, 2015 at 2:19 pm

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Co. has settled a lawsuit alleging that the company used oversized packaging to make its Olay beauty products seem larger than they are. The civil complaint, which was filed by district attorneys in Riverside, Yolo, Fresno and Shasta counties in California, said the Cincinnati-based company violated California's slack fillโ€ฆ

Postal Union Scores a Win in War Against Staples Counters
July 7, 2015 at 2:55 pm

Whether you find postal counters at retail chain stores to be convenient or ill-conceived, it's not a sure thing they will continue. A judge found last year that the USPS violated the National Labor Relations Act by withholding certain information from the American Postal Workers Union. The Union requested the information in connection with bargainingโ€ฆ

Searsโ€™ REIT Goes Public as Others Consider Similar Moves
July 7, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Seritage Growth Properties, the real estate spinoff of Sears Holdings Corp., made its debut Monday on the New York Stock Exchange and estimated that it raised about $1.6 billion from the offering. Sears, which is dealing with slumping retail sales, formed the real estate investment trust to extract more revenue from its properties. It plansโ€ฆ