Karen Kidd News
EPA complaint against Syngenta, other policies in doubt under new Trump pick, advocate says
HONOLULU (Legal Newsline) – President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Environment Protection Agency has many wondering what will become of the agency's activities, including a pesticide complaint filed last month over an incident on Kauai a year ago, a workplace advocate said.
Company that submitted Medicare claims for the deceased claims it was targeted by CMS
WALTHAM, Mass. (Legal Newsline) – An appeal by health diagnostics company Alere to get Medicare billing privileges reinstated for a subsidiary diabetes unit, Arriva Medical, claims that the unit was targeted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to clear an administrative backlog, according to an Alere press release.
Lawsuit by NYC conductor who fell asleep 'a travesty' to victims of derailment, advocate says
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A complaint filed by the commuter rail engineer who caused a 2013 derailment that killed four in New York City is encouraged by the city's litigious environment and not without precedent, a litigation reform advocate says.
Spokeo decision leads to dismissal of Lyft class action
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Though a district judge used a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued last spring to dismiss a Lyft driver's proposed class action over alleged Fair Credit Reporting Act violations, that high court ruling hasn't killed all such putative actions, a Tampa, Florida-based attorney says.
LBGTQ community watching transgender bathroom case before Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (Florida Record) – The LBGTQ community has much riding on the outcome of a case the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to hear regarding whether a 17-year-old Virginia high school student should be allowed to use the boys' restroom, said a transgender inclusion expert during a recent interview.
Papantonio's 'America's Lawyer' on Russian network seeks trial lawyer stories
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – U.S.-based attorney Mike "Pap" Papantonio says his new weekly gig, airing later this month on a Russian state-sponsored news network, is about revealing corruption in corporate America.
Cordray letter about gender identity discrimination not a rule, former CFPB official says
When Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray wrote a letter in August, giving the bureau's views about whether credit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation violates the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), it prompted speculation.
D.C. Circuit's 'unusual' ruling says CFPB director can be fired
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – An appeals court's ruling that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's structure is unconstitutional was surprising because of what it declared and for its language, two Washington, D.C.-based regulatory attorneys say.
Lead generators should be wary of federal oversight, CFPB legal specialist says
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – When set up properly, a consumer shouldn't notice it was a lead generator that connected them with a professional or service
Attorney: L.A. plaintiff may have easier time in California court proving his lawsuit against Zara
A Los Angeles man may have a tough time proving deception in his class action lawsuit against the Spanish clothing manufacturer, but may have a better shot in California than in other jurisdictions, a Palo Alto attorney said in a recent interview.
Universities in the cross-hairs of million-dollar lawsuits
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Three prestigious universities have been the targets of lawsuits filed earlier this month regarding their retirement plan fees. The lawsuits seek millions of dollars in damages.
U.S. Rep: Obamacare killing healthcare market, legal reform needed
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) -- Litigation reform should go hand-in-hand with healthcare reform, but don't expect any substantive reform of the Affordable Care Act anytime soon, says a congressman from North Carolina.
WLF: Disbarment, criminal charges should be possibilities for corrupt attorney
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Federal prosecutors should consider criminal charges against the lawyer who pursued Chevron for alleged contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon after an appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling that it was all a fraud, a public interest attorney said during a recent interview.
Pokémon Go lawsuit filed shortly after attorney's 'any day now' prediction
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The labor and employment attorney who said to expect a Pokémon Go lawsuit "any day now" did not have to wait long to see her prediction play out.
Attorney: Michigan ruling over unprofessional conduct a plus for school districts
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – A recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that broadens the immunity schools in the state enjoy after reports of unprofessional conduct likely will defer future lawsuits against educational districts, an attorney says.
National Federation of the Blind missed opportunity to challenge DOT's airport ticketing kiosk rule
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The D.C. Circuit's recent rejection of a National Federation of the Blind's challenge to a U.S. Department of Transportation rule on airline ticketing kiosks is an opportunity lost over a technicality, two D.C.-area attorneys said during a recent interview.
Attorney offers 'cynical' view of independent contractor litigation in the sharing economy
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – Sharing economy litigation such as the misclassification lawsuit filed in June against Grubhub is more about governments and predatory plaintiffs than anything inevitable in cooperative consumerism, an Ohio attorney opined during a recent interview.
Seventh Circuit took strong position in Wisconsin wrongful termination case, labor attorney says
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) — Employers concerned over how to accommodate — or even whether to accommodate — an employee's mental disability that disrupts the workplace received guidance from a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decision in July, a labor and employment attorney says.
Pokémon Nope: Try not to catch the first lawsuit over the app, attorney says
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The time is fast coming when all those attempts to "catch' em all" in Pokémon Go lands someone in litigation, a Washington, D.C.-based labor and employment attorney said during a recent interview.
Attorney criticizes Minn. appeals court's decision in wrongful discharge case
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) – A game-changing decision out of the Minnesota Court of Appeals late last month will broaden rights that employees already have in the state and place undue pressure on employers, said an industry attorney during a recent interview.