Morrison Foerster’s Class Dismissed blog provides insights, recommendations, and timely reports on the latest defense news, developments, and trends in the most current class actions lawsuits and product liability issues that affect consumer-facing companies. Through Class Dismissed, attorneys from our nationally recognized Consumer Class Action and Products Liability practices offer a real-time assessment of the developments in matters that are shaping the industry. This blog examines the full spectrum of consumer-related class action and product liability lawsuits ranging from false advertising, privacy, consumer product safety, ADA, food misbranding, TCPA, environment, retail, and government actions as well as nationwide and multidistrict litigation class actions.<h2>ABOUT MORRISON FOERSTER</h2>Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm’s commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyer’s A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia‑Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment.

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Partner

Adam Hunt is a partner in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s New York office. His practice focuses on complex litigation, with an emphasis on class action and commercial litigation.

Adam Hunt

Alexandra Barlow is a partner in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s San Diego office.Alexandra litigates product liability matters involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, automobiles, and AI. Alexandra's litigation expertise spans the entire case life cycle in both state and federal courts. She handles all phases of discovery, including fact investigation and expert discovery. Alexandra has taken over twenty-five depositions, including experts, plaintiffs, treating physicians, and third-party witnesses. She drafts and argues motions of all types, including motions for summary judgment, motions to quash, and motions for preliminary injunction.Alexandra has significant trial experience. She has first-chaired a one-week jury trial and second-chaired a five‑week jury trial, both involving multiple claims and witnesses. She also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, representing clients at mediations, mandatory settlement conferences, and early neutral evaluations.Alexandra enjoys tracking developments and keeping her clients updated on product liability and personal injury claims, frequently writing or presenting on emerging areas such as autonomous vehicles and smart devices. Alexandra’s experience also extends to professional liability, warranty claims, eminent domain, and construction law.Alexandra earned her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. While in law school, the San Diego Law Review published her comment on the recovery of damages by plaintiffs in a persistent vegetative state, and she also served as a comment editor. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish. A San Diego native, she attended a Spanish immersion school through the eighth grade. Alexandra is active in the San Diego community, advising students at a local college. She is also a member of several legal organizations in San Diego, including Lawyer’s Club, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and Wallace Inn of Court.

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Alexandra Barlow is a partner in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s San Diego office. Alexandra litigates product liability matters involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, automobiles, and AI. Alexandra’s litigation expertise spans the entire case life cycle in both state and federal courts. She handles all phases of discovery, including fact investigation and expert discovery. Alexandra has taken over twenty-five depositions, including experts, plaintiffs, treating physicians, and third-party witnesses. She drafts and argues motions of all types, including motions for summary judgment, motions to quash, and motions for preliminary injunction.

Alexandra Barlow is a partner in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s San Diego office. Alexandra litigates product liability matters involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, AI, and robotics. Alexandra's litigation expertise spans the entire case life cycle in both state and federal courts. She handles all phases of discovery, including fact investigation and expert discovery. Alexandra has taken over twenty-five depositions, including experts, plaintiffs, treating physicians, and third-party witnesses. She drafts and argues motions of all types, including motions for summary judgment, motions to quash, and motions for preliminary injunction.

Alexandra Barlow

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe frameborder="0" class="sticky-video" allowfullscreen="1" title="Meet Penny Preovolos, Litigation Partner" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hv7hYn-Bl7c?rel=0&showinfo=0;vq=hd1080" title="iframe"></iframe></div>Penelope has served as lead counsel in major consumer class actions and antitrust cases for more than 35 years, successfully representing high-profile defendants in antitrust, consumer fraud, and product defect matters. Her clients span a range of industries, including consumer electronics, technology, retail, publishing, food and beverage, cosmetics, and household products. According to Chambers USA, Penelope has a “great reputation for antitrust and product liability work” and is a “superb all-around antitrust lawyer.”Penelope was named the 2019 Antitrust Lawyer of the Year by the Antitrust, UCL, and Privacy Section of the California Lawyers Association. She was co-chair of MoFo’s antitrust practice for 14 years. She has served as chair of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section of the State Bar of California and as a member of the Ninth Circuit Advisory Committee on Local Rules and Operations. She is an editor of and frequent contributor to Morrison & Foerster’s <a href="https://classdismissed.mofo.com/">Class Dismissed blog</a>, as well as a frequent speaker about class action and antitrust issues.More About PenelopePenelope clerked for the Honorable Charles M. Merrill, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was executive editor of the Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review. Penelope was a member of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of California, Berkeley. She was awarded the University Medal, the highest undergraduate honor at the university, as well as the English Departmental Citation (awarded to the outstanding graduate in that department).

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Senior Counsel

Penelope has served as lead counsel in major consumer class actions and antitrust cases for more than 35 years, successfully representing high-profile defendants in antitrust, consumer fraud, and product defect matters. Her clients span a range of industries, including consumer electronics, technology, retail, publishing, food and beverage, cosmetics, and household products.

Penelope A. Preovolos

Zak is an associate in the Litigation Department in Morrison Foerster’s New York office.Zak’s practice focuses on class actions, commercial litigation, white collar defense, government investigations, and antitrust litigation and counseling. He has represented clients before federal and state courts in complex commercial matters, as well as in arbitration tribunals.Zak received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2018, where he was inducted into the Order of the Barristers. During law school, Zak also served as the Marden executive editor for the NYU Law Moot Court Board. In 2013, Zak received his B.A. and M.A. in political science from Yale University, receiving honors in his major and the Ellsworth Prize for Best Senior Essay in the Social Sciences.

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Associate

Zak Newman

Mitchell A. Hokanson is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s San Diego office.Mitchell’s practice focuses on commercial litigation and consumer class actions. He has extensive experience with civil litigation, including managing day-to-day strategy, propounding and responding to discovery, taking and defending depositions, and engaging in motion practice. He also has experience providing regulatory advice to clients, including pro bono partners and multinational corporations. Mitchell maintains an active pro bono practice.After law school, Mitchell worked as a judicial clerk for Justice Susan M. Carney of the Alaska Supreme Court, where he drafted bench memoranda and opinions on a wide range of state and federal law topics. Prior to joining MoFo, Mitchell worked for another international law firm, where he was a member of the Complex Civil Litigation practice group, in Los Angeles, California.Mitchell received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was honored as a James Kent Scholar and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. While in law school he was the senior executive editor of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law and worked as a judicial intern for Judge Sandra S. Ikuta of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge George B. Daniels of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. Prior to that, Mitchell earned his B.A. from Stanford University.

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Mitchell Hokanson

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From Fired to Rehired: CPSC Chaos Reaches Supreme Court

CPSC Issues Weekly Record Level of Product Safety Notices

Software Gains New Status as a Product Under Strict Liability Law

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Tenth Circuit Denies Challenge to CPSC Rule Regulating High-Powered Magnets

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The Morrison Foerster Privacy + Data Security team is unmatched in its ability to provide creative and practical advice concerning all stages of the information life cycle, from counseling on compliance with complex privacy laws, to resolving breach situations, to litigating privacy and data security claims and defending enforcement actions. We tapped our Privacy team—thought leaders in the field—to get their opinions on what is likely to happen in the privacy and data security sector in 2024.Read the <a href="https://www.mofo.com/resources/insights/231211-privacy-data-security-predictions-for-2024" target="_blank">full client alert</a>.

Privacy + Data Security Predictions for 2024

Few lawyers in the world have Miriam’s breadth and understanding of privacy and data security laws, obligations, and practices.

Few lawyers in the world have Miriam Wugmeister’s breadth and understanding of privacy and data security laws, obligations, and practices. 

Miriam H. Wugmeister | Privacy and Data Security Lawyer

Few lawyers in the world have Miriam Wugmeister's breadth and understanding of privacy and data security laws, obligations, and practices. In the words of her clients, she is “extremely practical and phenomenally smart. Just about one of the best privacy advisers there is” (Chambers USA). Co-chair of Morrison & Foerster’s market-leading Global Privacy and Data Security Group and ranked among the top in the profession by all major directories, Ms. Wugmeister is regularly called upon by some of the world’s largest and most complex multinational organizations to confront their most difficult U.S. and international privacy challenges. “Tremendous at helping you come up with practical solutions to real problems” (Chambers USA), she develops cutting-edge solutions for clients that marry legal compliance with business realities.

Miriam Wugmeister

Managing Partner, Amsterdam and Brussels

Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Amsterdam and Brussels offices, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management. 

With more than a decade of experience, Mr. van der Wolk helps clients develop privacy strategies for digital transformations, industrial IoT, telematics, Big Data, commercial and marketing programs, a

Alex van der Wolk

Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Brussels office, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management.

Linda Clark is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Privacy + Data Security Group.

Linda K. Clark

Linda Clark

Managing Partner, London

Annabel is a partner at Morrison Foerster and co-Managing Partner of the London office.

Annabel Gillham

Haima Marlier is a Partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense group and co-chairs its Fintech practice. 

Haimavathi V. Marlier

Haima Marlier, a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Senior Trial Counsel, is a Partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense group and co-chairs its Fintech practice.

Haimavathi Marlier

Paul has more than 30 years’ experience advising leading international companies on complex transactional and other business law matters in China and elsewhere in Asia.

Paul D. McKenzie

Paul has more than 30 years’ experience advising leading international companies on complex transactional and other business law matters in China and elsewhere in Asia.

Paul McKenzie

Nathaniel (Nate) Mendell is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense and Privacy + Data Security practice groups and was the former Acting U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. 

Nathaniel Mendell

Nathaniel R. Mendell

Gordon is a partner whose practice focuses on advising clients about intellectual property, licensing, outsourcing, and technology transactions.
He has advised clients in the IT, telecommunications, f

Gordon A. Milner

Gordon Milner

Clients seek Alja for her no-nonsense approach to resolving complex local legal issues efficiently while providing strong representation for their most important privacy, whistleblowing, and investigatory matters. Alja is the go-to counsel for EU whistleblowing laws and leads strategy for the firms’ advisory efforts for compliance with whistleblowing rules and procedures globally. 

Alja Poler De Zwart

Managing Partner, Shanghai

Chuan focuses his practice on cross-border M&A transactions; sophisticated technology, media, and telecom (TMT) transactions; and complex IP/commercial matters across Greater China.

Chuan Sun

Yuki is a partner of Morrison & Foerster Law Offices. He has more than 25 years of experience in litigation and dispute resolution, including disputes relating to commercial transactions, product liab

Yukihiro Terazawa


For more than two decades, Hanno has advised and represented leading domestic and international corporations in a wide variety of industries, including technology, consumer products, automotive, and 

Hanno Timner

Hanno Timner is a partner in the Berlin office and head of the Employment and Labor practice group in Germany. He advises and represents national and international employers in all labor law issues and disputes.

Senior Of Counsel

Among the world’s best-known privacy and cybersecurity advisers, Lokke Moerel is regularly called upon by some of the most sophisticated multinational organizations to confront their global privacy and ethical challenges. Lokke routinely offers guidance to clients when implementing new technologies and digital business models and assists them with their global cybersecurity incident response and regulatory investigations.

Lokke Moerel

Lokke Moerel is among the world’s best-known privacy lawyers. She advises companies on their global information handling governance, strategy, and compliance. “An authority on data protection matters” (Chambers 2014), Lokke is consistently ranked as a leader in data protection law in Chambers Global and Legal 500. She is also professor of global ICT law at Tilburg University, member of the Cyber Security Council of the Netherlands, the advisory body of the Dutch cabinet, and member of the Board of Trustees of WWF International.What do you like best about your work? I enjoy thinking about the data privacy issues and ethical dilemma’s presented by the new technologies, and helping companies decide on how to tune them and implement on a global basis, in an emerging regulatory environment.What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Travel with my husband and three children, the modern arts, but most of all, a good book!What individual most inspired you, and why? In my former EU-based firm, there were no female role- models (I was the first female partner with children) and partners step out at age 55. After moving to MoFo, I met women years older than me and fully at the forefront of their field. What an inspiration! I still have a whole career in front of me.

Of Counsel

Mary Race assists clients with a wide range of challenging privacy compliance and data security matters. Her practice focuses on managing privacy risks and helping clients develop and implement comprehensive privacy programs across a variety of industries, including tech, retail, manufacturing, advertising, social media, and communications.

Mary Race

Marijn Storm specializes on the intersection of law and technology, with a focus on cutting-edge technologies, such as (generative) artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models, ethical tech, and biometrics. 

Marijn Storm

Dan Alam is a member of Morrison Foerster’s Global Privacy + Data Security and Employment + Labor Groups, based in London.

Dan Alam

Jasmine Arooni is an associate in the firm's Privacy + Data Security Practice Group and is based in the Washington, D.C. office.
Jasmine's practice focuses on advising clients across multiple industries on privacy and cybersecurity matters, with particular experience in data breach and security incident response and matters related to health information.











Jasmine Arooni

Tingting is a member of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Privacy + Data Security practice and she advises on a diverse range of privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity compliance issues relevant to China across a wide spectrum of industries

Tingting Gao

Elisabeth "Liz" Hutchinson is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s Denver office.

Elisabeth Hutchinson

Michelle Luo is an associate in the firm’s London office and a member of the Technology Transactions, Intellectual Property and Global Privacy Groups.

Michelle Si-Ting Luo

Michelle Luo

Mercedes Samavi is an associate based in the London office of Morrison & Foerster and a member of both the Technology Transactions Group and the Global Privacy Group.
Mercedes advises domestic and int

Mercedes Samavi

Privacy + Data Security Predictions for 2024

The Morrison Foerster Privacy + Data Security team is unmatched in its ability to provide creative and practical advice concerning all stages of the information life cycle, from counseling on compliance with complex privacy laws, to resolving breach situations, to litigating privacy and data security claims and defending enforcement actions.

Erin Bosman, Julie Park, and Alexandra Preece authored an article for Law360 discussing how product liability regulation and litigation changed in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as upcoming trends.“In a year dominated by the pandemic and political gridlock in Washington, D.C., it comes as no surprise that we saw no major product safety laws or regulations in 2020,” the authors wrote.“In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission did not issue a single civil penalty last year, although it did recently refer a case to the U.S. Department of Justice. We expect an uptick in regulatory activity this year, as consumer product safety advocates urge the incoming Biden administration to take a more aggressive approach to product safety.”