News from May 2016
Rhode Island city accuses pharmaceuticals companies of conspiracy
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) - A Rhode Island city is suing several pharmaceuticals manufacturers, alleging they conspired to fix the prices of certain generic drugs.
New Jersey customer alleges Wal-Mart terms, conditions illegal
NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A New Jersey woman is suing Wal-Mart, alleging its terms and conditions contain illegal provisions.
Even free app users could be considered consumers under video privacy law, court rules
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — A federal appeals court has interpreted who qualifies for protections under a federal privacy law governing video content accessed through mobile applications.
EEOC motion in San Jose bakery lawsuit example of new recipe, attorney says
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – A contentious discrimination case will continue in California, after a U.S. District Court Judge rejected a move made by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that is becoming more common.
Massachusetts taking different tactic on opioid addiction by limiting prescription supply
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) —A Massachusetts law regulating opioid painkillers is the most comprehensive in the nation and contains an unusual provision that restricts first-time prescriptions to a seven-day supply.
Appeals court hears arguments against CFPB
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — If the federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C., rules that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s structure is unconstitutional, it could throw pending litigation and previous decisions by the agency into question.
Eye doctors say patient safety is at the heart of federal rule for contact lenses
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — In April, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it sent letters to 45 prescribers and 10 sellers of contact lenses, warning them that they may be violating the agency’s Contact Lens Rule.
W.Va. worker, EEOC win 'Mark of the Beast' case
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - This year, a West Virginia coal mining company must pay more than $500,000 to one of its employees who took exception to its use of a hand scanner.
EEOC releases guidelines for employee wellness programs
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released guidelines for how Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) relate to employee wellness programs.
American Air Liquide Holdings Inc. and Airgas will divest assets to complete merger
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – American Air Liquide Holdings Inc. and Airgas Inc., two of the biggest suppliers of gases, agreed to divest certain production and distribution assets to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that their proposed $13.4 billion merger could have been anticompetitive.
FTC warns 38 eyeglass prescribers of potential violations
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that its staff has sent 38 letters to eyeglass prescribers to warn them of potential violations of the agency’s Opthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule.
EEOC, Lowe's reach agreement to settle disability discrimination allegations
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – Lowe’s, the home improvement store, will pay $8.6 million to resolve nationwide disability discrimination allegations, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced.
U.S. SC: Privacy class action filed against Spokeo can continue
On Monday, the nation’s highest court ruled 6-2 that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit failed to consider both aspects of the injury-in-fact requirement, making its standing analysis “incomplete.”
Plaintiffs in Ashley Madison hacking case must reveal real names to receive full recovery
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) - Plaintiffs who sued the dating website Ashley Madison must decide whether to pursue their claims by revealing personal and racy information.
'Gamesmanship' has both class action and corporate attorneys waiting on punishment
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge in Arkansas intends to sanction attorneys on both sides of a class action case who he says wasted his court’s time -- an unusual but emerging trend in the law, a University of Miami law professor says.
2 consumers allege LG, Best Buy misrepresent TV refresh rates
MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) - A Wisconsin couple is suing LG Electronics and Best Buy, alleging they misrepresent certain of their televisions.
California consumer alleges Goya octopus actually is squid
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A California man is suing a food company, alleging it misrepresents its octopus products.
New York consumer alleges Starbucks misrepresents espresso size
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A New York woman is suing Starbucks, alleging the serving size of its espresso beverages is misrepresented.
Attorney: Decision on jurisdiction in patent case will encourage more 'baseless suits'
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Those looking for reform concerning patent-litigation jurisdiction will be disappointed to hear that there will be little forward motion through the case between TC Heartland and Kraft.
EPA, following Obama's lead, releases methane rules for oil and gas industry
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Obama Administration's Environmental Protection Agency has released the first-ever standards designed to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry.