Verdict . News

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico

Dec 3, 2025•4 min read

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Sanctions Two Attorneys for Ethics Violations

The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico issued disciplinary sanctions against attorneys Juan E. Medina Quintana and Enrique J. León Malavé for violating professional ethics canons and legal statutes. The court imposed formal reprimands and warnings for breaches of professional conduct rules governing attorney behavior.

•Two attorneys received formal reprimands from Puerto Rico Supreme Court for ethics violations

•León Malavé violated Law 402 of 1950 governing attorney fees in worker compensation cases

•73,000 units of 7-hydroxymitragynine products seized with estimated value of $1 million

FDA Seizes $1M Worth of 7-OH Opioid Products from Missouri Firms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, working with the Department of Justice, announced the seizure of approximately 73,000 units of 7-hydroxymitragynine products valued at roughly $1 million from three Missouri companies in a coordinated federal enforcement action.

•Three Missouri firms targeted in coordinated FDA-DOJ enforcement operation

•FTC distributing $15.3 million to 103,152 Avast customers through checks, PayPal, and Zelle payments

FTC Distributes $15.3M to Consumers Harmed by Avast Privacy Deception

The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $15.3 million in refunds to more than 103,000 consumers who were deceived by Avast's antivirus software privacy claims. The payments stem from a June 2024 settlement after the FTC found that Avast collected and sold users' browsing data while falsely promising to protect their privacy.

•Avast allegedly sold browsing data while claiming to protect user privacy from third-party tracking

•Greystar will pay $23 million to FTC and $1 million to Colorado for misleading rental advertising

FTC Secures $24M Settlement Against Greystar for Hidden Rental Fees

Greystar, the nation's largest apartment property manager, agreed to pay $24 million to settle federal and state charges over deceptive advertising practices that misled consumers about true rental costs by hiding mandatory fees.

•Company must display total monthly costs including all mandatory fees in advertisements

•FTC endorsed Texas Supreme Court proposal to eliminate ABA's authority over bar admission education requirements

FTC Backs Texas Plan to End ABA's Control Over Bar Admission

The Federal Trade Commission endorsed a Texas Supreme Court proposal to eliminate the American Bar Association's authority over law school accreditation requirements for bar admission. The FTC argues the current system creates anticompetitive conditions that restrict entry into the legal profession.

•Current system allows practicing lawyers to restrict entry into their profession through accreditation control

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Rules Water Authority VP is Public Servant

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled that the Executive Vice President of the Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewers Authority is a public servant, not a private individual, overturning an ethics violation fine imposed by the Government Ethics Office.

•Supreme Court classified water authority executive as public servant rather than private person

•Ethics fine was overturned due to lack of clear, robust and convincing evidence

Supreme Court of New Jersey

New Jersey Supreme Court: Single Signature Can Create Dual Corporate and Personal Liability

The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a single signature on a credit agreement can simultaneously bind both a company and its representative personally as guarantor. The December 2, 2025 decision in *Extech Building Materials, Inc. v. E&N Construction, Inc.* clarifies standards for personal guarantees in corporate contract disputes.

•New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that personal guarantees require unambiguous manifestation of intent to be personally bound

•Case involved ambiguous credit agreement language where corporate president's signature created liability questions

•FTC settlement requires Illuminate Education to implement data security program and delete unnecessary student information after breach affecting 10.1 million students

Dec 1, 2025•4 min read

FTC Orders EdTech Firm to Overhaul Security After 10M Student Data Breach

The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Illuminate Education requiring comprehensive data security measures and deletion of unnecessary student information following a 2021 breach that exposed personal data of 10.1 million students. The breach occurred when hackers used credentials from a former employee who had left the company three and a half years earlier.

•Hackers accessed student databases using credentials from former employee who had left company three and a half years earlier

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico

Dec 1, 2025•4 min read

Puerto Rico Consumer Affairs Department Sues LUMA Energy in Supreme Court

The Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs has filed a constitutional challenge in the territory's Supreme Court against LUMA Energy and multiple energy regulatory agencies. The December 2025 case questions the legitimacy of immunity protections granted to the private electric utility company and raises constitutional separation of powers issues.

•Consumer Affairs Department challenges LUMA Energy's administrative immunity protections on constitutional grounds

•Case questions whether administrative agencies can grant liability exemptions to private utility companies