Doug Meal

Partner

Boston

[email protected]

Read full biography at www.orrick.com

Seasoned trial lawyer Doug Meal defends clients targeted by litigation and government investigations stemming from major privacy and cybersecurity incidents. According to Chambers USA 2017 companies select Doug because he is “regarded by market sources as the leading privacy litigator in the USA”; in 2019 Chambers USA confirmed that assessment by naming Doug as the first-ever, and only, nationwide “Band 1” litigator in the Privacy and Data Security category.

As the lead outside lawyer handling claims stemming from the data security breaches suffered by Target, Neiman Marcus, The Home Depot, Hilton Worldwide, Landry’s, Arby’s, Supervalu, Sally Beauty, Sony, Heartland Payment Systems, TJ Maxx, Hannaford Brothers, Aldo, Genesco, and Wyndham Hotels—some of the most highly publicized data security breaches in recent years—Doug has become the national leader in defending companies that suffer significant cybersecurity breaches involving consumer information against the ensuing claims and regulatory investigations. Doug’s recent successes include leading the team that prevailed in the closely-watched LabMD v. FTC, convincing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to become the first court ever to overturn a cybersecurity enforcement action by the Federal Trade Commission.

Posts by: Doug Meal

Seventh Circuit Rejects FTC Authority to Obtain Equitable Money Relief Under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act

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On August 21, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held in FTC v. Credit Bureau Center, LLC, 2019 WL 3940917 (7th Cir. 2019) that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) lacks authority to obtain monetary relief under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act. The FTC has relied on Section 13(b) to seek money relief in consumer protection enforcement actions, including privacy and cybersecurity matters, and had, prior to the Credit Bureau decision, suggested an intent to do so more frequently in the future. READ MORE →

2019 IAPP Global Privacy Summit: Lessons from GDPR, Plans for CCPA and the Future of U.S. Privacy Law

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At the beginning of this month, more than 4,000 privacy professionals from around the globe gathered in Washington, D.C. for the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Global Privacy Summit 2019. The conference focused on lessons learned from the first year of GDPR enforcement in Europe, the expansion of European-style rights to more jurisdictions around the world, plans for addressing new obligations imposed by the CCPA in California, and the future of privacy law in the United States including whether federal legislature is likely or desired – especially in light of the CCPA and similar proposed legislation in states throughout the nation. READ MORE →