New state age verification and parental consent laws are slated to take effect in 2026 to shield children from harmful online content, creating significant compliance obligations and heightened enforcement risk for both app developers and app stores.
What Happened:
A unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit revived a suit against certain pharmaceutical distributors brought under West Virginia public nuisance law. The panel held that the effects of over-distributing prescription opioids may constitute a public nuisance under West Virginia law, defined distributors’ duties under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and held that abatement may include monetary funding to remediate alleged community harm. Notably, the Fourth Circuit’s decision comes after the West Virginia Supreme Court declined to determine the scope of West Virginia public nuisance law, and as a result, the decision refused to limit the scope of public nuisance law without guidance from the West Virginia Supreme Court.
What Happened
HCA Healthcare Inc., a major U.S. hospital operator with more than 180 hospitals across 20 states, announced a $3.5 million settlement to address allegations of state consumer protection and labor law violations brought by the attorneys general (AG) of California, Colorado, and Nevada. The allegations centered on HCA’s enforcement of training repayment agreements (TRAs) with new nurses.
This article was originally published on August 4, 2025 on Law360 and is republished here with permission.
The digital age presents a complex challenge: protecting children online while also allowing free speech to continue to be a thriving marketplace of ideas.
What Happened
California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta faces a legal challenge from a union representing state-employed attorneys over his decision to hire an outside law firm for a high-profile climate lawsuit against major oil companies. The California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges, and Hearing Officers in State Employment (CASE) argue that this decision violates Article VII of the California Constitution, which implicitly mandates that state work traditionally performed by civil service employees should not be outsourced to private entities.
Connecticut Attorney General (AG) William Tong has taken legal action against two online distributors, Triggered Brand and Made In China, for allegedly selling research-grade GLP-1 weight loss drugs directly to Connecticut consumers without prescriptions or medical oversight. These drugs, marketed as research compounds, lack Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for human use. The lawsuit against Triggered Brand alleges violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) and seeks civil penalties. Additionally, Tong has issued a civil investigative demand to Made In China to gather information regarding its marketing and sales practices.
Illinois Attorney General (AG) Kwame Raoul and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison have joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a lawsuit to block the acquisition of Surmodics Inc. by GTCR BC Holdings LLC, two major manufacturers of critical medical device coatings. The regulators allege that the merger is anticompetitive, violating Section 7 of the Clayton Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act.