News from 2019
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP: Foley Represents National Guardian Life Insurance Company in the Creation of BrightBenefits
Foley & Lardner represented Madison, Wisconsin.-based National Guardian Life Insurance Company in the creation of a strategic partnership with New York-based Insurance Capital Group, a leading strategic investor in the mutual insurance industry, to launch BrightBenefits, a new national dental and vision insurer.
Eli Lilly seeks declaratory judgment in dispute over migraine tracking app
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – Eli Lilly is seeking a court's judgment to halt "accusations and threats" it claims were made by the distributor of the digital migraine tracking and management app MigrnX over allegations of trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract.
Dow Chemical faces suit over alleged hazardous substance release at its Michigan plant
DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – Dow Chemical is facing a lawsuit filed by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, the federal government and the state of Michigan alleging it released hazardous substances at its Midland Michigan facility.
Georgia law firm alleges investigation firm violated TCPA with fax ads
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – A Georgia law firm is alleging an investigative services company violated federal law by sending it unsolicited faxes.
ConocoPhillips alleges natural gas broker took more than $1 million by creating false Invoice
BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) – ConocoPhillips alleges the Maryland broker of its natural gas deal with CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. has kept the monies from a more than $1 million fake invoice.
Viking River Cruises passengers claim company fraudulently diverted tip money
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – Viking River Cruises is facing a class action lawsuit filed by passengers who claim the cruise line fraudulently diverted money paid by passengers intended to be tips or gratuities for employees into its own special account.
Lawsuit: Walmart-brand LED light bulbs falsely promoted as Energy Star-qualified
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – A California woman has filed a lawsuit against Walmart alleging that its Great Value-brand LED light bulbs are falsely promoted and labeled as Energy Star-qualified.
Delegates angered by West Virginia 'hillybilly' stereotypes in 'Dark Waters' movie
CHARLESTON – Some members of the West Virginia House of Delegates are upset by some stereotypical depictions of the Mountain State in a new film triggered by the leaking of alleged cancer-causing chemicals in Wood County. Those stereotypes include one image of a young girl on a bicycle with “blackened, rotting teeth.”
New developments not enough to reinstate pesticides lawsuit against Dole
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – While a group of plaintiffs claims a handful of new “groundbreaking rulings” should overturn a previous dismissal in their case against Dole Food Co., the Superior Court of the State of Delaware refused to vacate the initial ruling on Nov. 8.
Businessman who allegedly violated 1,000 securities laws is subject to sanctions, Maryland court rules
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Legal Newsline) – The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland has upheld the disciplinary sanctions imposed on a businessman who allegedly committed more than 1,000 violations of Maryland’s securities laws.
Kansas Supreme Court calls for new trial concerning woman's suit against trust officer over attorney's fees
TOPEKA (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Kansas ordered a new trial concerning a woman’s lawsuit against her trust officer and his employer that sought more than $250,000 in damages.
Defamation lawsuit against law firm reinstated by Massachusetts court
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – On Nov. 13, the Massachusetts Court of Appeals reversed a dismissal in a defamation case against a lawyer and his law firm, ruling that a previously applied litigation privilege isn’t relevant in this case.
Lawsuit over fatal fall out of tree stand rejected by Mississippi Supreme Court
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – Parents who filed a lawsuit over death of their son following a deer-hunting accident lost their appeal in the Supreme Court of Mississippi against the retailer that sold the tree stand and fall-arrest system used during the incident.
Unclear whether Ohio AG will get involved in mass litigation against Ohio State stemming from Strauss era
COLUMBUS, OH (Legal Newsline) – Forty-three male sexual assault survivors who allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of former Ohio State University physician Richard Strauss are now suing over what they claim was a failure on the part of the school to inform and protect students from what the lawsuit terms a “monster."
Arkansas Supreme Court reverses denial of class certification despite some members already receiving pay
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) – After losing their attempt at class certification in a lower court, the plaintiffs prevailed in the Supreme Court of Arkansas as the higher court reversed the denial on Nov. 14.
Walgreens is suing Fitbit, says it is owed $140K
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Fitbit is facing a lawsuit filed by Walgreens alleging it has breached its guaranteed-sale basis agreement with the drug store chain for its personal fitness body tracking electronic products.
Former Howard University Hospital employee alleges she was fired for reporting unlawful billing practices
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The former director of nursing for emergency and trauma services at a Washington, D.C. hospital alleges she was fired for reporting unlawful Medicare and Medicaid billing practices.
BNSF Railway claims California counties unlawfully charge them a higher tax rate
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – BNSF Railway alleges 15 California counties are assessing it a higher property tax rate than other commercial and industrial property owners in violation of federal law.
Dialysis companies allege newly enacted California law will harm patients, medical providers
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – The operators of several dialysis clinics and kidney care facilities in California and throughout the U.S. are challenging the state's newly enacted Assembly Bill 290, which regulates dialysis reimbursement.
Exxon takes its swing against attorneys general of Massachusetts, New York after failed fraud claims
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - ExxonMobil has asked the judge who heard New York’s highly publicized climate lawsuit against it to issue a ruling saying the state failed to prove its securities fraud claims at trial, hoping to defuse copycat lawsuits by Massachusetts and other plaintiffs across the country accusing ExxonMobil of manipulating public opinion about global warming.