Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is supporting the Marketplace and Internet Tax Freedom Act. The legislation was introduced by Senators Michael Enzi, Richard Durbin, Lamar Alexander, Heidi Heitkamp, Susan Collins and Mark Pryor.

Amarillo, Texas – Parent, a company owned by New Jersey-based licensing and memorabilia mogul Joel Weinshanker, has purchased multimedia entertainment retailer Hastings Entertainment for $21.4 million. The publicly traded Hastings will go private and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is supporting the Marketplace and Internet Tax Freedom Act. The legislation was introduced by Senators Michael Enzi, Richard Durbin, Lamar Alexander, Heidi Heitkamp, Susan Collins and Mark Pryor.

New York – Data breaches in the state of New York more than tripled between 2006 and 2013, exposing 22.8 million records. According to Bloomberg, a report from the New York attorney general’s office indicates almost 5,000 data breaches were reported in New York during those seven years.

Bentonville, Ark. – Comedian Tracy Morgan has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores claiming the company was negligent in a June 2014 automobile accident involving one of its truck drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike. On June 7, Wal-Mart truck driver Kevin Roper, 35, allegedly swerved to miss an auto on the New Jersey Turnpike and instead struck a limousine bus carrying Morgan and several associates.

Union, N.J. - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, senior unsecured notes due 2024, senior unsecured notes due 2034 and senior unsecured notes due 2044 under a shelf registration on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bed Bath & Beyond intends to use the proceeds from this offering for share repurchases of its common stock and for general corporate purposes.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities LLC are acting as joint book-running managers.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly seeking to keep files regarding an internal probe of possible bribes paid to Mexican officials to aid real estate deals out of the hands of investors. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart is arguing in a case before the Delaware Supreme Court that the files in question are protected by attorney-client privilege.

Washington, D.C. - Amazon.com, Inc. has billed parents and other account holders for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children, according to a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed today in federal court. The FTC's lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds to consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently banning the company from billing parents and other account holders for in-app charges without their consent.

New York – In a settlement with the state of New York over a complaint by a New Jersey resident who was asked to cover her breast while nursing in a Nanuet, New York, store, Barnes & Noble has agreed to educate employees about its policies regarding public breast-feeding. As part of the agreement, Barnes & Noble also agreed to strengthen procedures for resolving customer complaints and to make a $10,000 donation to the Rockland County Breastfeeding Promotion and Support Program.

New York -- American Apparel Inc. has reached an agreement with its largest shareholders that will bolster its financial situation, remake its board, and keep the retailer’s manufacturing in the United States.