Covington & Burling LLP | Practices, Industries & Regions

Many of the legal issues our clients face include potential litigation involving “consumer” claims. We represent clients in a wide variety of consumer litigation matters involving alleged unfair trade practices, privacy and security protection issues, product liability and mass tort claims, and other disputes under state and federal consumer protection laws.

Our consumer litigation practice relies on a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on the firm’s expertise in pertinent regulatory disciplines and knowledge of our clients’ industries. Our lawyers have particular experience with the state consumer protection laws that often provide the basis for class action consumer lawsuits.

Representative Matters

Represent Wells Fargo Bank in several putative consumer class actions brought under California’s Unfair Competition Law (Section 17200) challenging the bank’s disclosures and other practices.
Represented Purdue Pharma in class action litigation in the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, and West Virginia in which plaintiffs alleged violations of consumer protection statutes in the sale and marketing of the prescription pain medication OxyContin.
Represented a coalition of dairy processors and retailers in successfully obtaining the dismissal (affirmed by the D.C. Circuit) of a suit alleging that they failed adequately to warn milk consumers about lactose intolerance; we also successfully represented the leading dairy processor trade association in obtaining the dismissal (affirmed by the Fourth Circuit) of a suit alleging that it misled consumers about the benefits of dairy products.
Represented Wyeth in a consumer class action alleging that it violated various privacy rights granted by the California Constitution, the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and common law through its participation in direct mailing programs run by various pharmacies.
Represent a major national retailer in consumer class action suits in federal and state courts in New Jersey, Florida and California arising out of alleged false and misleading advertising of home furnishing products and of telecommunications products.