News from March 2016
FTC settles with Lilly Management and Marketing after alleged robocall scheme
ORLANDO, Florida. (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it has settled with Lilly Management and Marketing and its owner, Kevin Lawrence, in a case involving allegations the company made millions of illegal robocalls.
BNSF Railway to pay $95,000 to resolve disability discrimination allegations
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced Texas-based BNSF Railway Co. has been mandated by a Washington federal court to pay $95,000 to a qualified applicant denied hire due to a back injury.
Court reinstates EEOC's lawsuit against GEO Group
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court has reinstated EEOC’s lawsuit against GEO Group Inc. for alleged sexual harassment against female employees.
Nev. woman files lawsuit against asbestos firm over ‘deceitful’ agreement in breast implant case
New York City law firm Weitz & Luxenberg PC and Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medical Engineering Corporation -- the makers of the implants at issue -- allegedly entered into a stipulated agreement, dismissing the woman’s case with prejudice. The woman claims the agreement was entered into without her knowledge and in direct contradiction to an agreed upon tolling agreement.
EEOC reaches $300,000 deal with Niemann foods over sexual harassment allegations
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that Niemann Foods Inc., which does business as County Market Store No. 224, will pay $300,000 over allegations of sexual harassment.
Attorney: Guidance needed for cosmetics industry to avoid litigation
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) — Makers of cosmetics could benefit from certain guidelines in order to avoid class action lawsuits such as one filed in February against actress Jessica Alba's brand, a St. Louis attorney says.
NYC grocery store law seen as part of anti-employer trend
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) — New York’s mayor and City Council see recently passed legislation such as the Grocery Worker Retention Act as a way to help hard-working employees deal with economic instability, but many employers see the new laws as a reflexive government overreach into private industry.
Illinois man alleges Google stores identifiers without consent
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - An Illinois man is suing Google, alleging it stores biometric identifiers without prior consent.
Michigan woman alleges Trusted Media sold personal information
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A Michigan woman is suing an international media company, alleging it sold subscriber information to data miners.
Class action accuses Kraft, Target, SuperValu of fraud
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A Cook County woman is suing Kraft Heinz, Target, and SuperValu, alleging they misleadingly advertise their grated Parmesan and Romano cheese products.
Recent unpublished Ninth Circuit TCPA opinion worth citing in other cases, attorney says
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – An opinion out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit about a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) case didn't deserve to be classified as "unpublished," a defense attorney says.
Fla. AG Bondi to seek U.S. SC review of 'no surcharge' challenge
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will appeal a loss in four companies' constitutional challenge to the state's "no surcharge" laws, which bar surcharges on credit card purchases, to the U.S. Supreme Court, a spokesperson said.
Attorneys try to predict U.S. SC decision on standing in class actions following Scalia’s death
Many legal observers expect the nation’s highest court to issue a 4-4 ruling in the Spokeo v. Robins case. Plaintiffs attorneys say such a ruling likely would preserve the status quo; others argue doing so would allow such no-harm lawsuits to continue, benefiting only class counsel.
U.S. SC set to consider public interest firm’s petition for review of Duracell settlement
The Center for Class Action Fairness, now a subunit of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, filed its petition for a writ of certiorari with the court in December. It argues plaintiffs lawyers received the largest share of the settlement’s benefits and used cy pres awards to help exaggerate the class relief and thus inflate their fees.
Arizona AG's office takes action against ProSolutions for alleged consumer fraud
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) – The office of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich took action against ProSolutions LLC and its owners, Ruben Diaz and Rodrigo Diaz, by filing an Arizona Consumer Fraud and Civil Racketeering lawsuit alleging the company preyed on Spanish-speaking families trying to buy homes.
California AG asks Senate to consider Supreme Court nominee
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris joined with attorneys general from 19 other states and the District of Columbia to draft a letter to the U.S. Senate, asking it to act promptly in filling the Supreme Court vacancy.
U.S. District Court resolves Hanford Nuclear Reservation case in Washington state
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – The office of Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that a U.S. District Court judge has resolved the state’s lawsuit against the federal government in the case of nuclear waste cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Arizona AG bars family from the auto and paving businesses in state
TUSCON, Ariz. (Legal Newsline) – According to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Tucson family comprised of Richard Stevens, Anthony Stevens and David Stevens has been permanently barred from automobile repairs and paving activities in Arizona because of allegations it violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.
California attorney general defines businesses' role in cyber security
Attorney General Kamala Harris last month issued a report detailing 20 points businesses should address in order to protect customer data. One legal expert cautioned that failure to comply with the suggestions in the points may trigger an enforcement action following a data breach.
Employers advised to spell out social media policies to workers
Employment law experts say employees need to think about how their employers might react to their social media posts, while employers should have clear social media policies on the books.