Federal Court
Privacy class action firms jockey for control of 23andMe data breach claims; Edelson calls for new approach
Data privacy class action firm Edelson P.C. is seeking to control 40 class actions, potentially worth huge money, against 23andMe for allegedly allowing genetic info to be stolen in a data breach. In a new filing, Edelson is asking courts to reconsider how they decide which lawyers should lead
Attorneys & Judges
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s Statement on Voter Intimidation
Attorneys & Judges
Chicago-Area Tax Preparer Indicted for False Tax Returns
An Illinois man, Byron Taylor, of Homewood, has made his initial appearance on an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Chicago. The indictment charges Taylor with 21 counts of preparing false tax returns for others through his business, We Are Taxes Inc.The indictment alleges that Taylor prepared false tax returns for clients for tax years 2017 through 2020. The returns contained false information, leading clients to claim refunds they were not entitled to. The false information included fraudulent business losses, false deductions like medical expenses, gifts...
State AG
Attorney General Moody Challenges Biden Administration's Electric Vehicle Mandate
Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with a multistate coalition, has taken legal action to block a new Environmental Protection Agency emissions rule that aims to increase the production of electric vehicles (EVs) significantly. The lawsuit is in response to the Biden Administration's push for stricter emissions standards on gas and diesel-powered vehicles, with the goal of having EVs account for nearly 70% of car sales in less than a decade.In a statement, Attorney General Moody criticized the EPA's approach, saying, "Biden’s EPA continues to push radical Green New Deal...
In the wake of escalating auto insurance rates in Georgia, a small but significant legal reform could signal the beginning of relief for drivers across the state - if the House would take action…
From WV Record
From WV Record
Arizona Estate Law Firm Unveils New Brand, Website
Chandler, Arizona (AZ) attorney Bernard M. Strass is excited to announce fresh branding and a new website for his AZ estate law firm, Desert Rose Estate and Elder Law. The law firm’s new name reflects a full concentration on estate and life planning that enables Strass to provide focused and dedicated legal services for these matters. It also honors Strass’s father, Luke, who owned Desert Draperies and Interiors in Phoenix for many years and Strass’s mother’s family, the Roses.
Coash Court Reporting & Video Announces Acquisition, Rebrand, New Website
The team at Coash Court Reporting & Video is excited to announce the acquisition of the court reporting agency by Cristina and Jerry Coash Jr. The company’s transition kicked off with rebranding and the debut of its new, user-friendly website.
Attorneys & Judges
Appeal filed after lawyer loses civil rights lawsuit against Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - A lawyer booted from a Los Angeles trial attorney group is appealing the loss of his civil rights lawsuit against it.
State Supreme Court
Iowa HR exec can't use harassment reports in her own lawsuit
DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) - The State of Iowa doesn’t have to pay a $790,000 jury award to a state employee who claimed a hostile work environment based mostly on secondhand reports she received as an administrator overseeing social workers in the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Lawsuits
Class action over data breach targets AT&T
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers have hit AT&T with a lawsuit over a data breach.
Lawsuits
Lawsuit claims benzene in CereVe acne medication
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - L'Oreal faces a class action lawsuit that alleges an ingredient in its acne medication turns into benzene.
State AG
Morrisey hails USSC ruling letting Idaho enforce ban on transgender medical treatment
CHARLESTON – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has praised a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says Idaho can enforce its ban on providing puberty blockers or hormones to minors.
Lawsuits
Lawsuit: COVID test-maker struggled after pandemic ended
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Investors are suing a company whose business of respiratory infection tests spiked during the COVID pandemic after less-than-thrilling financial results.
Lawsuits
Flight attendants claim American tricked them into early retirement
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Former flight attendants for American Airlines say it fooled them into retiring early.
State AG
Attorney General Kaul Announces Airline Passenger Protection Partnership with U.S. DOT
MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul has unveiled a new collaboration between Wisconsin and the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) aimed at enhancing consumer protections for airline passengers. The partnership focuses on addressing and resolving consumer complaints against airlines and ticket agents, with a particular emphasis on ensuring compliance with federal aviation consumer protection regulations.Kaul emphasized the importance of the partnership, stating, “Airlines and ticket agents conducting business in Wisconsin must do so honestly and treat...
State AG
Virginia Receives Over $100 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds, Says Attorney General Miyares
Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that Virginia has received approximately $108.4 million in opioid settlement funds from various manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains. Miyares expressed gratitude for the efforts of his Consumer Protection team, stating, "Virginia just received over $100 million in opioid settlement funds that will enable us to more effectively prevent, reduce, and treat addiction at a localized level."The funds stem from settlements with major pharmaceutical distributors, drug manufacturers, and retail pharmacy chains. The breakdown of...
Washington hospitals could be liable for malpractice by contractor physicians
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Hospitals may be liable for the actions of contractor physicians working in their emergency rooms, the Washington Supreme Court ruled, reversing the dismissal of a case involving a woman who died after an ER doc allegedly failed to diagnose flesh-eating bacteria in her shoulder.
Class action over data breach targets AT&T
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers have hit AT&T with a lawsuit over a data breach.
Lawsuit claims benzene in CereVe acne medication
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - L'Oreal faces a class action lawsuit that alleges an ingredient in its acne medication turns into benzene.
Lawsuit: COVID test-maker struggled after pandemic ended
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Investors are suing a company whose business of respiratory infection tests spiked during the COVID pandemic after less-than-thrilling financial results.
Flight attendants claim American tricked them into early retirement
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Former flight attendants for American Airlines say it fooled them into retiring early.
State treasurer announces SMART529 board votes to drop China investments from portfolio
CHARLESTON – West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore has announced a state program that oversees the SMART529 is adopting his proposal to exclude China-based investments.
American Tort Reform Association president: California trial lawyers invest in advertising to ‘boost settlements and payouts’
Sherman "Tiger" Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), stated that trial attorneys in California "pump significant money" into advertising campaigns to attract "more clients" and secure "larger contingency fees for themselves." Joyce made this statement in a press release dated March 19.
South Carolina Senate passes citizen only voting amendment
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Senate has passed a resolution that would allow citizens to decide whether only American citizens can vote in state elections.
W.Va. governor, Senate president want non-citizen voting amendment on special session agenda
CHARLESTON – A resolution that would put a constitutional amendment before voters this fall to ensure non-citizens are unable to vote in West Virginia elections likely will be on the agenda for a planned special session.
Insurance Information Institute announces excessive litigation is raising car insurance rates
The Insurance Information Institute (III) has released a report suggesting that excessive lawsuits are contributing to rising auto insurance rates. The report outlines how practices such as third-party litigation funding and outsized jury verdicts are increasing costs for businesses and consumers.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s Statement on Voter Intimidation
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, Civil Rights Division, explains how to report voter intimidation. In a brief statement released recently, Clarke highlighted the importance of addressing voter intimidation and provided guidance on the necessary steps to take when encountering such actions. The message serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to safeguard voting rights and ensure fair and accessible elections.For individuals who witness or experience voter intimidation, Clarke's instructions offer a clear pathway for reporting such incidents. By outlining the...
Supreme Court boots ballot challenges to Trump, says states can't block presidential candidates under 14th Amend
The unanimous ruling strikes down rulings from Democratic judges in Colorado and Cook County, which had declared individual states have the power under the Fourteenth Amendment to block "insurrectionists" from seeking federal office
Inaction by Ga. House will help car-crash plaintiffs who weren't wearing their seatbelts still hit jackpots
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) - When a Georgia woman's airbag didn't deploy during a 2020 crash, she hit her head on the windshield and sued Ford, which figured it had the ultimate defense: She wasn't even wearing her seatbelt.
Bankruptcy plan to avoid asbestos lawsuits approved despite company's massive value
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Legal Newsline) - The contested strategy of a Georgia-Pacific unit created to clear asbestos claims will continue in bankruptcy court, a judge has ruled much to the dismay of plaintiff lawyers hoping to get their clients bigger paydays in civil courts.
It's raining asbestos: Court rejects case over steam line explosion in Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - A Tennessee woman's lawsuit over an explosion of an Eastman Chemical Company steam pipe has failed, as an appeals court has ruled that it is basically an asbestos case.
Court rules against booted USC football player in his fight against disciplinary process
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - It's more bad news from California courts for a University of Southern California player kicked off the team who claimed the disciplinary process to hear intimate violence charges against him was unfair.
Regal fights new kind of fees class action under New York law
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Regal Cinemas, in response to a class action lawsuit over booking fees, says online customers are given the total price of tickets before they ever finalized their payments.
Law passed to help with medical malpractice insurance rates struck by Washington justices
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Answering a question posed by a federal court, the Washington Supreme Court said an eight-year time limit for filing medical malpractice suits passed by state legislators in 2006 is unconstitutional because it takes away the right to sue from some plaintiffs while leaving it in place for others.