News from June 2016
Merrill Lynch to pay $415 million after allegations of violating SEC Customer Protection Rule
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — Merrill Lynch will pay $415 million after allegations it misused customer cash to generate profits and failed to protect customer securities from the claims of its creditors, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced.
Controversial body's glyphosate research isn't reliable, critics say
Pesticides’ association with neurotoxicity, cancer and birth defects over the years have led to rigorous testing before they’re deemed safe to use. So when a cancer-research agency unexpectedly declared that a popular herbicide probably causes cancer, the news had a major impact, with reactions ranging from confused to concerned.
Monsanto fighting 'super tort' brought by West Coast cities and trial lawyers
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Federal judges are being asked to reject the latest efforts by California cities that have partnered with trial lawyers to possibly impose millions of dollars of liability on corporations over products they haven’t made since the 1970s.
Alabama attorney general urges avoidance of subpoena powers against energy industries
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has announced he has led a 13-state coalition urging the nation's S. attorneys general not to use subpoena powers against energy industries during the climate change debate.
U.S. House falls short of votes needed to override Obama’s veto of fiduciary rule resolution
The vote was taken about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, breaking up a sit-in protest by Democrats pushing for better gun-control measures.
Trade associations sue U.S. Department of Labor in hopes of overturning fiduciary rule
The DOL released its final rule in April. The rule, sometimes referred to as the conflicts of interest rule, mandates financial professionals who service individual retirement accounts, including IRAs and 401(k) plans, to serve the “best interest” of the savers and disclose conflicts of interest.
AACPM, 121 podiatry residency programs allegedly violated Immigration and Nationality Act
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The American Association of Colleges and Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) and 121 podiatry residency programs have agreed to settle allegations they discriminated against work-authorized non-U.S. citizens, the Justice Department has announced.
EPA releases evaluations on Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released evaluations of the restoration efforts put forth by the six Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia to restore the bay.
CFPB announces new thresholds for certain parts of Truth in Lending Act regulations
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced annual adjustments to the dollar amounts of select thresholds existing within the Truth in Lending Act regulations. These regulations will take effect on certain consumer credit transactions in 2017.
Washington state attorney general responds to charter school legislation challenge
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) — Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has released a statement responding to Pacifica Law Group’s Paul Lawrence, who sent a letter about the charter schools law advanced by legislature this year.
HeidelbergCement AG, Italcementi S.p.A. to divest cement plant, distribution terminals
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) has announced German cement producer HeidelbergCement AG and Italian
producer Italcementi S.pA. have agreed to divest the Martinsburg, WV cement plant
along with up to 11 cement distribution terminals in six other states after FTC
complaints that their proposed $4.2 billion merger would be anti-competitive.
Scotus affirms landowners' right to contest Clean Water Act determinations
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that Kent Recycling Services can challenge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' claim of federal jurisdiction of wetlands Kent owns in Assumption Parish, La., under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
All-white jury awarded Muslim, black co-worker $3.4M in discrimination case
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Legal Newsline) – The attorney for two road-marking employees said a federal jury in Connecticut sent a strong message to state contractors about the penalty for allowing a racially discriminatory and hostile work environment.
FDA announces new nutrition label regulations
SILVER SPRING, Md. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new rules regarding the nutrition fact panels on all food products sold in the U.S.
J.G. Wentworth hoping to keep CFPB out of its industry
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has again infiltrated an area where its jurisdiction may be questionable, despite a reprimand in a recent case involving the accreditation of for-profit colleges.
EEOC task force on the study of harassment in the workplace releases findings
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that the co-chairs of a select task force on the study of harassment in the workplace have called upon stakeholders to press harder when it comes to workplace harassment prevention efforts.
EEOC takes action against Automation Personnel Services for alleged discrimination
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Automation Personnel Services Inc. of Pelham, Alabama, for alleged violations of federal law.
U.S. SC: PTO’s process of regulating patent challenges ‘reasonable’
The nation’s highest court, in an 8-0 ruling this week, upheld a federal appeals court ruling. The high court, in its decision, agreed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s invalidation of New Jersey-based Cuozzo Speed Technologies LLC’s speedometer patent.
Silicon Valley financing of Hulk Hogan-Gawker lawsuit puts industry in spotlight
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Legal Newsline) - A trend in American litigation that has been rising over the past several years is now under the spotlight thanks to a lawsuit brought by
professional wrestler Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea against the media company Gawker.
Group calls for TCPA reform
MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) —The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA) recently published a white paper calling for reform to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).