We are releasing today a very interesting podcast show which is also breaking news. Before I read an article by Professor Charlotte Haendler of Southern Methodist University and Professor Rawley Z. Heimer of Arizona State University titled “The Hidden Costs of Financial Services: Consumer Complaints and Financial Restitution,” I never knew that the CFPB authorized outside third-parties access to non-public data collected about consumer complaints that it received so that those third-parties could conduct studies. Professors Haendler and Heimer used that data to determine the demographics of complainants who received the most restitution versus the demographics of those who received no or little restitution.
On July 14, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) secured a court order aimed at halting allegedly deceptive practices against seven companies and three individuals operating the “Accelerated Debt” program. The defendants allegedly contacted consumers through telemarketing calls or in response to calls resulting from their mail and online ads and made false claims about their ability to substantially reduce consumer debts and misleading consumers about fees.
On June 20, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court in an enforcement proceeding is not bound by an agency’s pre-enforcement interpretation of a statute. Rather, as the Court held in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates, Inc. v. McKesson Corporation, the district court must independently interpret the statute according to traditional principles of statutory construction.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in McLaughlin Chiropractic Assoc., Inc. v. McKesson Corp., district courts have begun to respond by declining to follow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s interpretation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
While many systems that are described as AI have been around for decades (e.g., internet search engines), today’s AI tools are much more powerful and are widely accessible. Generative AI and agentic AI extend the power of artificial intelligence into new areas. Even self-driving cars are now increasingly common.
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