News from February 2018
Opioid judge orders companies to pay bulk of special master costs because they have 'greater discretionary funding'
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing hundreds of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors has ordered defendant companies to pay three-quarters of the costs of special masters who are overseeing settlement negotiations.
Law firm alleges Ciox Health charges copy fees that exceed the maximum limit under law
CAMDEN, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – An information management company that provides medical records storage is alleged to have unlawful billing policies.
California man alleges Florida law firms defrauded clients with student loan program
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A Los Angeles man alleges several Florida law firms committed legal malpractice with their private student loan resolution service program.
Bureau of Securities halts Bitstrade from selling unregistered securities in New Jersey
NEWARK — The Bureau of Securities recently issued an emergency cease and desist order that prohibits the online cryptocurrency-related investment entity, Bitstrade, from continuing to sell unregistered securities in New Jersey.
Female at Koch Foods notified EEOC after spotting male's paystub; Company says pay gap is easily explained
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – A Mississippi company is waiting to find out if a federal judge buys its explanation for why a male employee is making more than a female who complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after finding his paystub in his desk.
Ohio attorney general alleges DuPont has been releasing PFOA into Ohio River for decades
MARIETTA, Ohio — Ohio'Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed a lawsuit against DuPont alleging the company has been releasing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into the Ohio River for decades.
Home Furnishing Resource Group To pay $500,000 for allegedly violating False Claims Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tennessee-based Home Furnishing Resource Group Inc (HFRG) has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations the company violated the False Claims Act on its customs declaration statements.
Explore Talent settles FTC allegations of violating Children's Online Protection Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Prime Sites, doing business as Explore Talent, has agreed to pay $235,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the online talent search company violated the Children's Online Protection Act (COPPA) and misled consumers.
FTC obtains court order to halt alleged business coaching scheme
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has obtained a court order to stop what it calls a business coaching scheme that allegedly took more than $14 million from customers who were trying to start their own online business.
RD Legal Funding asks for oral arguments as it fights lawsuit from CFPB, N.Y. AG
PHILADELPHIA – The disagreement over funding by third parties continues to play out in an exchange between Pennsylvania and New York federal courts, as one such company defends itself from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Florida health care facility alleged to have submitted false Medicare, Medicaid claims
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – A Spring Hill, Florida health care facility is alleged to have submitted false and fraudulent patient claims to the federal government and the state of Florida.
Newsome Law Office PLLC allegedly sent misleading collection letter to Virginia woman
NORFOLK, Va. (Legal Newsline) – A Franklin, Virginia resident has filed a class-action lawsuit against a debt collector over the alleged contents in a dunning letter.
Consumer claims savings program for pharmaceutical drug Trintellix is falsely advertised
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California man alleges a prescription drug savings program was falsely advertised.
Consumer claims settlement amount in P&B Capital Group collection letter is deceiving
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – A South Carolina consumer alleges a debt collector mailed her a misleading letter regarding an alleged debt.
Climate lawyers hope 'public nuisance' strategy reverses years of failure
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - First they tried suing the utility companies. Then they tried suing the automakers. They even tried suing oil companies on behalf of an Alaskan village in danger of being inundated by oil-fueled rising sea levels.
In Pennsylvania, you can drive an Uber while still collecting unemployment
HARRISBURG – The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania overturned a ruling of the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review that denied benefits to a former behavioral specialist who took on work as an Uber driver, according to a Jan. 24 opinion.
Lawyer: Spokeo ruling not turning out like defendants hoped
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Despite optimism from the defense side, a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to again consider a high-profile class action lawsuit is a boost to plaintiffs lawyer, a Philadelphia attorney says.
Limbaugh assigned to Dicamba MDL over Herndon; Attorneys say SDIL disposition time nearly slowest of all
EAST ST. LOUIS – Multi district litigation against Monsanto involving weed killer Dicamba will go before District Judge Stephen Limbaugh at the Eastern District of Missouri, in spite of calls for the Southern District of Illinois.
Herndon denies summary judgment to State Farm in $9 billion RICO case
EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge David Herndon on Feb. 6 denied summary judgment to State Farm on a $9 billion racketeering claim.
Consumer claims Enzymatic Therapy products cannot detoxify, cleanse liver
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – A consumer claims two products advertised to remove toxins and cleanse the liver are falsely advertised.