Are private education programs for shoplifters a second chance or extortion?

Jun 1, 2016 2:40 AM CDT

Litigation over ‘Made in USA’ claims is on the upswing

Consumers who say they were misled by false “Made in USA” labels are increasingly resorting to the courts, according to a lawyer who represents food and beverage companies. Greenberg Traurig lawyer Justin Prochnow told Bloomberg BNA that “Made in the USA” complaints are one of the more frequent claims being…

May 23, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Barratry suit says law firm collaborates with contractors to target homeowners with storm damage

An intervention petition was filed this week in an ongoing Texas lawsuit over alleged mistreatment by contractors and public adjusters of homeowners who suffer storm damage. It alleges that a law firm specializing in insurance matters is also among the claimed wrongdoers. “This lawsuit involves an elaborate web of fraud,…

May 20, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Judge denies bid to block San Francisco law requiring warning labels on ads for sugary drinks

San Francisco is poised to become the first city in the country to require warning messages on advertisements for sugar-added drinks, after a federal court refused Tuesday to issue a temporary restraining order. After the enactment of two ordinances by the city’s board of supervisors last year, the American Beverage…

May 19, 2016 1:55 PM CDT

Takata says up to 40M more air bags must be recalled; Hawaii sues on consumers’ behalf

Adding to the largest recall in U.S. auto safety history, Japanese manufacturer Takata Corp. on Monday said it was recalling an additional 14 million air bags in vehicles in this country because of defective inflators. The auto part manufacturer told Reuters that up to 40 million air bags would need…

May 18, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

Jury awards $1.6M to man in supermarket slip-and-fall, including $1M in punitives

A jury in Portland, Oregon, awarded $1.6 million on Friday to an 85-year-old man in a suburban supermarket slip-and-fall case, including $1 million in punitive damages. Attorneys for Christopher Armstrong-Stevenson, who was 84 at the time of the accident, argued to the jury that the Safeway chain that owns the…

May 17, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Early plaintiff in Uber case challenges $100M settlement, says he feels ‘utterly betrayed’ by lawyer

One of the first drivers to file suit in what has become 240,000-member class action against Uber Technologies Inc. has gone on the record in opposition to a $100 million settlement of the case over the smartphone ride-sourcing app. Saying that he felt “utterly betrayed” by class counsel Shannon Liss-Riordan,…

May 16, 2016 5:20 PM CDT

Coffeemaker win lacks perk for lawyer who asked for $180K in fees but got $6,800

Plaintiff Pamella Montgomery still gets the $250 settlement she was promised after a more than two-year legal battle with Kraft Foods Global Inc. and Starbucks Corp. over her purchase of a single-serve coffee maker. But the Michigan woman’s lawyer is receiving $6,800 in attorney fees and costs rather than the…

May 16, 2016 5:02 PM CDT

Law firms hired by Ohio didn’t violate federal debt collection law via letterhead, SCOTUS rules

Special counsel hired to collect debts for the state of Ohio may use the state attorney general’s letterhead without violating the Fair Debt Collections Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion (PDF) for the court. The special counsel are…

May 16, 2016 12:12 PM CDT

Supreme Court sends Spokeo misinformation suit back to 9th Circuit for a second look at standing

The U.S. Supreme Court is asking a federal appeals court to reconsider a standing claim by a job hunter who alleged data aggregator Spokeo published wrong information about him. In a decision (PDF) on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had…

May 16, 2016 11:35 AM CDT

State AG sues companies that bought structured settlements from lead-paint victims

The Maryland attorney general filed suit against Access Funding and other finance companies this week, contending that they had taken advantage of vulnerable victims of lead poisoning by purchasing their structured settlements at less than fair-market value. Intended to provide a steady stream of income over a period of years,…

May 13, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Jerk.com misrepresented the source of its content and benefits of membership, 1st Circuit says

A federal appeals court has upheld a summary decision by the Federal Trade Commission finding the founder of Jerk.com was personally liable for misrepresentations about the source of the website’s content and the benefits of membership. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday in an appeal…

May 12, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Does Facebook nix conservative articles in trending list? Senator’s query raises free-speech issues

A senator’s questions about how Facebook maintains its list of “trending” stories raises free-speech issues, according to First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams. U.S. Sen. John Thune, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, asked Facebook on Tuesday to respond to claims that the website had suppressed articles from conservative sources, the…

May 11, 2016 9:19 AM CDT

Suit claims BOGO meat deals are illusory at Albertson’s and Safeway

A lawsuit filed in Oregon claims consumers aren’t getting a deal in “buy one, get one” meat promotions at Albertson’s and Safeway stores. The May 4 suit (PDF) claims the stores raise the per-pound price of meat offered in the BOGO promotions and the free product is “illusory,” the Oregonian…

May 11, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Judge OKs suit accusing Facebook of violating Illinois privacy law with its photo-tag technology

A federal judge has given a green light to a class action lawsuit contending that deployment of a Facebook feature using facial-recognition technology to tag photographs violates an Illinois privacy statute. Initially filed in Illinois and since transferred to California, the suit alleges that Facebook violated the Illinois Biometric Information…

May 6, 2016 9:55 AM CDT