News from February 2017
Greenacres Motors to pay fines, adopt non-discrimination policies
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) — Greenacres Motors has agreed to accept fines and penalties totaling $280,000 following allegations of a pattern of sexual harassment by former owner and employee Monte L. Masingale.
SEC target waiting to see if Trump's agency will appeal important decision on ALJs
DENVER (Legal Newsline) – If left intact by the U.S. Supreme Court or new presidential regime, the Dec. 27 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit regarding the use of administrative law judges could cause a tectonic shift in the legal powers of bureaucracies and may undo a wide range of decisions handed down during prior cases.
Maryland Judiciary's self-help centers receive national recognition from ABA
The Maryland Judiciary's Self-Help Centers have been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) with the 2017 Louis M. Brown Meritorious Recognition.
Add lawsuit filed over alleged escheatment of shares to Alere’s list of woes
A Swiss doctor filed his lawsuit against Alere Inc. and Computershare Limited in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware last month. In 2008, the plaintiff acquired 11,931 shares in Alere, and held those shares until, he claims, they were wrongfully escheated, or seized by the State of Delaware, in February 2013.
Judge rules in Delta's favor in class action over flight attendants' wages
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – A California judge
has ruled on the Oman v. Delta case and has held that an out-of-state employee
who has limited attendance in California is not obligated by the state to be in
compliance with California wage and hour laws.
Trump order seeks review of DOL’s fiduciary rule
The president’s order, signed Friday, instructs the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct a new study to determine whether the rule is likely to harm investors and the financial industry, and if it does, the rule can be rescinded or revised.
New ATRA program to tackle ‘deep-pocket jurisprudence’
Victor Schwartz, general counsel for the American Tort Reform Association and an expert on tort law, argues some courts in recent years have stretched tort law to impose liability on an innocent party.
California attracts 'litigation tourists,' study finds
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Most of the plaintiffs in product-liability cases filed against pharmaceutical manufacturers in California’s leading courts were brought by people who live in other states, finds a recent study by the Civil Justice Association of California.
California consumer alleges Signpost violated TCPA
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — A California woman is suing a marketing company, alleging violation of telephone harassment statutes.
Four students file class action against Intercoast Colleges
BANGOR, Maine (Legal Newsline) — Four students have filed a class action lawsuit against a Maine college, alleging breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.
Massachusetts to fight Eversource's proposed rate hike
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Jan.17 that her office will oppose Eversource electric company’s request to increase its customers’ rates by $96 million. Healey’s office's action is part of a larger effort to fight unjustified utility profits at the expense of customers.
EEOC targets Walmart for alleged violations of Americans with Disabilities Act
MILWAUKEE (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a lawsuit Jan. 18 against Walmart, alleging violation of federal laws by failing to accommodate and firing a longtime employee due to her disability.
Bandit Industries to pay $3 million to settle EPA allegations of violating Clean Air Act
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Jan. 18 that Bandit Industries Inc. has agreed to settle allegations of violating the Clean Air Act when selling non-road diesel engines and equipment used in wood processing that failed to meet government standards.
Magellan settles spill claims, will pay $16M in injuctive relief
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice on Jan. 19 reached a settlement with Magellan Pipeline Company L.P. for alleged Clean Water Act violations related to a fuel spill.
Hancock Foods settles EPA allegations related to Clean Air Act compliance
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Jan. 19 that Hancock Foods, which owns a blueberry processing facility in Hancock, Maine, has agreed to comply with federal requirements designed to protect the public and first responders from hazardous chemicals.
Rhode Island, 16 other states, D.C. intervene in appeal to defend CFPB's structure
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced Jan. 23 that he would join a group of 17 other attorneys general in claiming the structure of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is constitutional.
Florida AG alleges General Chemical Corporation conspired to reduce competition
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — The office of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a federal antitrust action Jan. 19 against liquid aluminum sulfate producers General Chemical Corporation and its successor and affiliated companies GEO Specialty Chemicals Inc. and C&S Chemicals Inc. and its affiliated company.
FTC settles with Endo, files charges against Watson and Impax alleging pay-for-delay scheme
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Jan. 23 that the agency re-filed a complaint and filed a proposed stipulated order in federal court to resolve charges that Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Endo International plc violated antitrust laws.
FTC settles with Uber for $20 million
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Jan. 19 that Uber Technologies, the San Francisco-based ride hailing company, will pay $20 million after allegations it misled potential drivers by exaggerating earnings claims. The $20 million will go toward refunding affected drivers around the U.S.
Man claims Western Union inflated stock price
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — A man has filed a class action lawsuit against The Western Union Company and its CEO Hikmet Ersek, former Chief Financial Officer Scott T. Scheriman and Executive Vice President Rajesh K. Agrawal, citing alleged violation of federal law.