News from July 2019
Buyer claims Somerset Collection sheet sets do not have the 900 thread count as advertised
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California woman alleges that the manufacturer and distributor of bed linens misrepresent the actual thread count in certain brands of sheet sets.
Apogee Law Group seeks confirmation of more than $400,000 arbitration award against Wantba
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – A California law firm is seeking to confirm a more than $400,000 arbitration award against a Maryland company.
Illinois lawyer seeks to confirm $163,073 arbitration award against law firm
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) – An Illinois man and a professional corporation are seeking to confirm an arbitration award stemming from an alleged breach of collaboration and employment agreement.
Lawsuit: Manhattan Starbucks are using toxic pesticides to combat infestations due to unsanitary conditions
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A class of consumers alleges Starbucks locations in Manhattan are using a pesticide that contains a chemical that is poisonous to humans and should not be used in restaurants.
Journalist alleges Ocasio-Cortez violated Constitution when he was blocked from her Twitter account
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – A New York journalist alleges U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) violated the constitution because he was blocked on Twitter from viewing her account.
Rhode Island's climate change lawsuit sent to state court, faces hurdle of previous state Supreme Court decision
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) – Earlier this week, a federal judge in Rhode Island became sent a climate change lawsuit against energy companies back to state court, rejecting the notion that federal courts have jurisdiction in the matter.
Subcommittee stacks witness list at PFAS hearing; One 'minority witness' among nine total
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – When a House subcommittee holds a hearing Wednesday on the history of chemicals known as PFAS, companies that used them in their products figure to get bashed, considering the witness list is full of activists and regulators, as well as a researcher used by plaintiffs lawyers as an expert.
Facing 12,000 lawsuits, J&J has expert testify that there is no link between talc and ovarian cancer
TRENTON, N.J. – The fate of about 12,000 lawsuits claiming Johnson & Johnson’s talc-containing baby powder causes women to develop both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, will be decided after eight days of expert witness testimony in a New Jersey federal court.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: Georgia Resource Center to Pay $157,473 to Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Uncovers Federal Labor Law Violations
After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Lowndes Advocacy Resource Center Inc. – operating as LARC Inc. in Valdosta, Georgia – will pay $157,473 in back wages to 130 employees for failing to meet the requirements of Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: U.s. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Southern California Company Paying Employees $58,815 for H-1b Visa Program Violations
Login Consulting Services Inc. – a staffing and recruitment company based in El Segundo, California – has paid $58,815 to two employees after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found violations of the H-1B foreign labor certification program.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $34,538 for Employee Terminated Unlawfully by South Carolina Auto Manufacturer
Alupress LLC – a manufacturing subsidiary of Alupress AG based in Laurens, South Carolina – has paid $34,538 to a former employee after the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the employer violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Roundup, talc cases force question: What if juries get the science wrong?
SAN FRANCISCO – On one coast, Bayer AG is fighting to reverse eye-popping jury verdicts based on a contested theory Roundup herbicide made by its Monsanto unit causes cancer. On the other, Johnson & Johnson begins hearings this week in federal court in New Jersey over its request to exclude more than 20 expert witnesses plaintiff lawyers need to prove their case that Johnson’s Baby Powder is contaminated with deadly asbestos and can cause ovarian cancer.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION: Former REIT Manager and Executives to Settle SEC Charges for More Than $60 Million
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged AR Capital LLC, its founder Nicholas S. Schorsch, and its former CFO Brian Block with wrongfully obtaining millions of dollars in connection with two separate mergers between real estate investment trusts (REITs) that were sponsored and externally managed by AR Capital.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION: Nomura to Pay Misled Bond Customers $25 Million to Settle SEC Charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission instituted two related enforcement actions against Nomura Securities International Inc., which has agreed to repay approximately $25 million to customers for its failure to adequately supervise traders in mortgage-backed securities.
Is PFAS the next asbestos? Probably not, lawyers say, but it may come close
The good news about polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, is scientists have yet to uncover a “signature disease” associated with the ubiquitous chemicals once used to manufacture products as varied as waterproof outdoor gear and the packaging for chocolate cake mix.
Janssen win in Philly Risperdal case overturned by appeals court
HARRISBURG – The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has reinstated a Risperdal lawsuit which was thrown out after 11 days of trial proceedings in a Philadelphia court in December 2016 and said its original granting of nonsuit was improper.
If opioid judge wants to remake the industry, pact with pharmacy benefits managers is modest first success
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - From the beginning, U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster has set ambitious goals for the nearly 2,000 opioid lawsuits concentrated in his Cleveland courtroom.
Lawsuit: 'No such thing' as Amazon Energy's claims of 'clean caffeine'
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – A California consumer alleges the maker of Amazon Energy drinks makes misleading claims about the beverages regarding characteristics they do not have.
Southwest accused of racketeering in lawsuit over safety of Boeing's 737 MAX planes
SHERMAN, Texas (Legal Newsline) – A group of people who purchased airline tickets for flights on now-grounded 737 MAX series planes manufactured by Boeing alleges that the airplane manufacturer and Southwest Airlines lied to customers about the defective nature of the planes.
Group asks SCOTUS to overturn 'profoundly wrong' ADA ruling against Domino's
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – An American free enterprise advocacy group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision made earlier this year in the case of a blind man suing a nationwide pizza delivery chain over an alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.