News from December 2014
Indiana funeral home shut down until back taxes are paid
A South Bend funeral home will have to cease operations until it starts repaying more than $250,000 in back taxes, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced on Tuesday.
Alaskan company pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud
An Alaskan company on Friday plead guilty to medical assistance fraud following allegations by Attorney General Michael C. Geraghty's office that employees at the personal care firm participated in a large Medicaid fraud scheme.
Former employee claims Florida school district blackballed her, violating whistleblower and false claims laws
A former Collier County Public Schools employee claimed in a lawsuit filed on Friday that she was blackballed by the Florida school district after filing a complaint about misappropriation of federal and state funds.
W.Va. AG leads states in filing petition over EPA’s proposed carbon emission regulation
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is leading the charge in arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency should declare illegal a settlement deal in which the agency promised to issue its proposed Clean Power Plan.
N.Y. high court certifies class in cases over alleged NYC rent overcharges
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - The New York Court of Appeals has granted class certification in actions brought on behalf of tenants of separate New York City apartment buildings seeking damages for rent overcharges, affirming a lower court's ruling.
Calif. court refuses to 'impose limitless liability on premises owners' in asbestos case
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California appeals court has concluded that a premises owner did not owe a duty to an employee’s family to warn of asbestos hazards in a case alleging take-home exposure.
Construction companies fined $380K for exposing workers to asbestos
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) – Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries fined two construction agencies a total of $379,100 for knowingly exposing their workers to asbestos and illegally removing the toxic material.
ABC report questions W.Va. chief justice’s ethics; Davis calls TV crew ‘underhanded’
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Robin Jean Davis is under attack for not disclosing the sale of a private jet owned by her husband, Charleston attorney Scott Segal, for more than $1 million to a plaintiffs attorney who had a multimillion-dollar case recently decided by the court.
Judgment over pollution allegations issued against paving company in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's office obtained a judgment against a paving company last week over allegations that it violated the state's pollution laws.
Physicians settle Competition Act allegations with Idaho AG
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) - Four physicians reached a settlement with Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden on Monday after allegedly refusing to provide on-call services to a Rexburg hospital.
Former owner of Wis. gas station ordered to restore property
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - The former owner of a Wisconsin gas station has been ordered to pay $7,560 in fees and forfeitures, as well as provide environmental restoration of the property, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced on Monday.
Class action alleges oil company bribed foreign officials to access wells
A class action lawsuit alleges an oil company violated federal law by engaging in bribery with foreign officials.
Class action against Merck over Coppertone dismissed
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - A California federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Merck & Co. Inc. that claimed it overcharged for Coppertone sunscreen products with sun protection factors above 55.
Miami firm files class action over Takata airbags
MIAMI (Legal Newsline) - A class action lawsuit filed in Florida alleges a large airbag manufacturer failed to fix defects in its product that could cause the airbags to explode and cause serious injury or death.
Founder of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals company files wrongful termination, derivative suit
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The founder and former chief operating officer of a cannabis-based pharmaceuticals company filed a lawsuit against the company and its board of directors for wrongful termination on Wednesday.
DISH Network should've lowered bill when channels were blacked out, class action claims
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) - A Missouri man filed a class action lawsuit against DISH Network, alleging the company should have lowered his bill for blacking out certain stations.
Class action against Takata alleges lost vehicle value
MIAMI (Legal Newsline) - A Florida man and a Florida law firm filed the latest in a growing list of class action lawsuits against Japanese auto supplier Takata on Nov. 25 over customer claims of lost vehicle value connected to recent airbag recalls.
Final order grants access to Rule 2019 filings in Garlock proceeding
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Legal Newsline) – Keeping up with the pattern of unsealing documents in the Garlock Sealing Technologies bankruptcy case, Bankruptcy Judge George Hodges has issued a final order allowing access to the Rule 2019 filings.
Wisc. paving company ordered to pay $6,500 over alleged air pollution violations
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's office obtained a judgment against a paving company last week over allegations that it violated the state's pollution laws.
Former gas station owner is required to restore Wisc. property
The former owner of a Wisconsin gas station has been ordered to pay $7,560 in fees and forfeitures, as well as provide environmental restoration of the property, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced on Monday.