Stories by Carrie Salls on Legal Newsline

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A class action lawsuit filed against Harry and David LLC is part of a growing trend of litigation related to the amount of actual product contained in consumer packaging, according to the executive director of truthinadvertising.org.

A recent class action lawsuit filed against Facebook Inc. in connection with the social media site’s requirement that users agree to the company’s conditions is one of many suits being filed under New Jersey’s Truth-in-Consumer, Contract Warranty and Notice Act (TCCWNA).

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) – Although a lawsuit filed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) against 34 gasoline manufacturers is still in its early stages, similar cases filed in other jurisdictions have resulted in positive results for plaintiffs looking to recover the costs related to the cleanup of gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) are continuing their fight against a final rule enacted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes on airplanes. The groups have filed an opening brief in response to a petition for review of the rule that was filed in April.

?SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Rulings to be made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on cases related to class certification could have a significant impact on a split between federal court stances on how strict the criteria for certification should be, especially for suppliers of dietary supplements faced with lawsuits in California courts.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) – A swift response by the human resources department of Autozone has led to the dismissal of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the company by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of three female employees.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — An order by an Eastern District of California magistrate judge dismissing a class action filed against LogMeIn over the termination of the company’s free app could be good news for defendants facing fraud-based consumer protection claims in California.

CALABASAS, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Fictitious pricing lawsuits, like the one filed recently against Harbor Freight Tools USA by a class of customers “appear to be trending,” according to TruthinAdvertising.org executive director Bonnie Patten.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – California employers may be forced to find alternate Workers’ Compensation insurance programs following a ruling from the California Department of Insurance.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently released proposed new rules designed to regulate payday, automobile title and some high-cost installment loans in an effort to protect consumers from the financial woes associated with frequent loan and overdraft fees.

CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Chicago has become a destination for out-of-state plaintiffs who wish to file certain Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits, a state civil justice reform group says.

SAN DIEGO  (Legal Newsline) – Massage Envy, facing a California class action lawsuit, could benefit from the type of reform enacted in a neighboring state, according to an official from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A Los Angeles-based attorney who focuses on mass tort litigation and consumer class actions in connection with food, supplements and other consumer packaged goods said a lawsuit filed in May against Utz Quality Foods Inc. is one of numerous actions of its kind that are “unjustified.”

LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – With a Cornerstone Research report recently revealing that the number of accounting securities class action lawsuits went up again in 2015, Dorsey & Whitney LLP partner Thomas O. Gorman told Legal Newsline that “firms would be well advised to carefully evaluate their compliance programs and internal controls to ensure they are effective.”