Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Just a couple of days after elevating Ray Cotton to SVP, chief compliance and sustainability officer, Lumber Liquidators has launched a new section of its website dedicated to sustainability.

The original content is rooted in the company's "Lay It Forward" business strategy, which according to the company, centers on the long-term benefits of quality hardwood flooring, protecting the environment and supporting the communities it serves.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. - Dollar General Corporation has extended its tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Family Dollar Stores Inc. for $80 per share, or about $9.1 billion, to Oct. 31. The offer was previously set to expire on Oct. 8. All other terms and conditions of the tender offer remain unchanged.

The step, which is largely procedural step, came as Family Dollar remained committed to its previously- agreed-upon deal with Dollar Tree for $74.50 a share.

Toano, Va. – Lumber Liquidators is promoting Ray Cotton to senior VP, chief compliance and sustainability officer. Cotton, previously VP, chief compliance and sustainability officer, will continue to manage Lumber Liquidators' quality assurance, sustainable sourcing, loss prevention, risk management and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements of global trade.

Was he or wasn’t he? Unfortunately for Walmart, a legitimate question about whether comedian Tracy Morgan and his entourage were wearing seatbelts the night their limousine was rear-ended by a Walmart truck has made a bad situation worse for the retailer.

New York -- It’s official: California Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation for the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at supermarkets, drug stores and select other retail outlets.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said in a signing statement. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

Cupertino, Calif. – Following an investigation launched in June, the European Union (EU) is reportedly formally accusing the Republic of Ireland and Apple of striking an improper deal that has kept Apple’s taxes in Ireland artificially low since 1991. According to CNN, the arrangement has allowed Apple to pay a tax rate as low as 2% on earnings of Irish subsidiary.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly claiming that comedian Tracy Morgan was not wearing a seat belt when a truck driven by one of its drivers struck a vehicle Morgan was traveling in on the New Jersey Turnpike on June 7, critically injuring Morgan and killing one of his fellow passengers. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart said Morgan is partially or fully to blame for his injuries in a filing in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey.

London – A group of U.K. retailers led by W.M. Morrison Supermarkets plc is reportedly seeking to extend the time period for which it can claim antitrust damages against MasterCard from 2006 to 1992. According to Bloomberg, this could add as much as $1.6 billion to the damages the retailers are seeking.

New Albany, Ohio – A federal judge has reportedly rejected an Aug. 29 settlement of a lawsuit over the pay received by co-CEO Michael Jeffries. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge James Graham in Columbus, Ohio, said shareholders belonging to the City of Plantation, Florida Police Officers' Employees' Retirement System, who challenged the $140 million in pay and additional travel expenses Jeffries has received since 2007, give up too much in the settlement.

Washington, D.C. -- President Barack Obama announced his intention to appoint Matthew Rubel to an additional term as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, a key Administration advisory post.   

Rubel is currently a senior advisor at TPG Capital.  Previously, he was chairman, president and CEO of Collective Brands, from 2005 to 2011. Rubel was CEO of Cole Haan from 1999 to 2005.