News from March 2016
Ocean Gold Seafoods, Ocean Cold to cut alleged ozone-depleting, greenhouse gases
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) — Ocean Gold Seafoods Inc. and Ocean Cold LLC will make efforts to cut their releases of ozone-depleting and greenhouses gases from allegedly leaking refrigeration equipment, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced.
California residents accuse University of Phoenix, Apollo Education of fraud
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Two California residents are suing a for-profit university and its parent company, alleging they used aggressive recruiting practices to enroll as many students as possible.
Justice Department settles with 21st Century Oncology for $34.7 million
FORT MYERS, Florida (Legal Newsline) — The Department of Justice has announced 21st Century Oncology Inc., the largest physician-led integrated cancer care provider in the country, will settle for $34.7 million in a case alleging it violated the False Claims Act.
Ideal Financial Solutions banned from collecting, disclosing consumer data
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline) — A federal district court has banned seven individuals, Ideal Financial Solutions Inc. and its subsidiaries from collecting or disclosing consumer information after a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) request, the FTC has announced.
Defendant in IWorks scheme agrees to settle
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline) — A defendant who allegedly helped defraud $280 million from consumers as part of the IWorks scheme agreed to settle, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced.
EEOC releases proposed rule on affirmative action policies for federal agencies
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that outlines actions federal agencies need to take to comply with affirmative action obligations as it relates to employees with disabilities.
Class actions filed over L.A. gas leak; Attorney says residents seeking personal injury, property damages
LOS ANGELES (Legal News Line) — Southern California's gas problem has reached the courtroom. A gas leak in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood has resulted in a class action lawsuit, Gandsey v. Southern California Gas Co. The utility discovered the leak on Oct. 23 and announced that it was “under control” on Feb. 12.
Industry watching as cybersecurity company fights claims it botched response to data breach
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline) - The cybersecurity industry is closely following a first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed against Trustwave over allegations that the forensic investigating company botched its response to a data breach.
Head of legal reform group says Calif. appeals court decision in asbestos case just adds to ‘hellhole’ reputation
The state’s First Appellate District, Division Four, recently upheld a judgment of nearly $4 million in punitive damages alone against Kaiser Gypsum Company Inc. The company, a former manufacturer of building products, including drywall, joint compounds and cements, was sued over a product that allegedly contained asbestos.
Attorney: Seventh Circuit with chance to expand 'umbrella' of previous plaintiff-friendly data breach decision
CHICAGO (Legal News Line) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit's handling of a data breach lawsuit against P.F. Chang's will, in some form, play off its recent plaintiff-friendly ruling in another case and will have a significant impact on future claims, a Denver attorney says.
Lawsuit financing company dismisses case against Herzog Law Firm, plans to refile
DALLAS (Legal Newsline) – A South Carolina legal finance company has dismissed its Texas fraud case against a property casualty insurer, a law firm and a national bank, but it appears it plans on refiling in a different state.
U.S. SC ruling in favor of Tyson Foods could narrow class action certification
The company argues that a federal appeals court’s ruling, upholding $2.8 million in money damages awarded to a class of current and formerly hourly workers at an Iowa plant, sanctioned the use of “seriously flawed” procedures many district courts have used to permit certification and adjudication of class actions.
Calif. plaintiffs attorney who frequently files TCPA lawsuits files own class action over unwanted text messages
Todd M. Friedman, a Beverly Hills-based consumer protection attorney, alleges in a complaint filed in a California federal court last month that he received text messages with spam advertisements and promotional offers on his cell phone. Friedman says the messages are an invasion of his privacy and potentially “tens of thousands” of others.
Consumer alleges Bayer, MSD misrepresent foot inserts
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A New York man is suing two consumer health companies, alleging they misrepresent their foot insert products.
Washington man alleges Amerigroup allowed third-party access to private information
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - A Washington man is suing a health insurance company, alleging it allowed access to consumers' private information without their consent.
CFPB seeks consumer input on online loan marketplaces
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it is accepting consumer complaints from those dealing with online loan problems.
FTC seeks information on PCI DSS practices
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Federal Trade Commission has ordered nine companies to provide the agency with information on their practices of assessing businesses’ compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).
Mandatory Poster Agency will pay $1.15 million over fraud allegations
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) – Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office announced that a King County Superior Judge ordered Mandatory Poster Agency (MPA) to pay $1.15 million over allegations of defrauding thousands of Washington small businesses.
DOJ reaches $3 million deal with ArmorSource over False Claims Act violation allegations
BEAUMONT, Texas (Legal Newsline) – The Department of Justice has reached a deal with ArmorSource LLC that will have the company pay $3 million due to allegations of False Claims Act violations.
Suit claims Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's process biased
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The nonprofit organization tasked with protecting and restoring the Delaware River is suing a federal agency that governs natural gas pipeline projects over an alleged structural bias in the agency's review and approval process.