News from March 2020
McDonald's sued over its vanilla ice cream
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A New York woman is suing the McDonald's Corporation, alleging its ice cream advertisements are misleading because the vanilla "natural flavor" is derived from non-vanilla sources.
Class action filed against Granules over diabetes medicine Metformin
NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - An Indiana woman is suing Granules USA, Inc. and Granules Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for selling a generic blood sugar medication that allegedly contains an ingredient that is classified as a carcinogen that can cause liver damage.
Georgia Supreme Court broadens attorney-client privilege waiver in legal malpractice cases
Daryl Moody bought an interest in an aerospace company, Leucadia Group, LLC and wanted to oust the president, Robert Miller. Moody’s lawyers, Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP, (HKW) advised him to create a new company, transfer Leucadia’s shares to it, and then fire Miller as CEO of the original company.
China faulted for coronavirus spread in Florida class-action suit
A Boca Raton law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China, alleging that its public agencies were negligent for failing to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has caused economic devastation in the U.S.
Private prison firm sues California over law aimed specifically at ICE detention centers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – California can’t put extra burdens on the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities through targeted zoning laws, according to a lawsuit by a private prison contractor.
Lawsuit challenges Barnes & Noble, other publishers over 'Inclusive Access' for college textbooks
Major college textbook publishers and bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, conspired to charge students more for course materials by limiting access to other formats and sellers, according to a class-action lawsuit.
Lawsuit claims WWE officials hid troubles in negotiations with Saudi Arabia
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A New York city’s public safety retirement fund filed a class action complaint against World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), claiming its officers lied about its finances to artificially prop up stock prices.
Pipeline scores court win as Virginia county unable to block construction
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge has ruled a Virginia county can't block the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a project that is at the center of another dispute recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Frito-Lay is accused of deceiving customers with its labeling of artificially flavored potato chips
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Frito-Lay North America Inc. is accused of misleading consumers by failing to disclose on the front label that its Ruffles cheddar and sour cream potato chips contain artificial flavoring, a class action lawsuit alleges.
An Ohio county pays $500K of its opioid settlement to a pharma lobbyist not listed on court records
AKRON, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - An Ohio county that settled opioid lawsuits last year for $105 million paid more than $1 million in legal fees to two law firms that never appeared on any of the court filings, including one associated with a prominent Washington lobbyist whose firm represented multiple companies being sued by the county.
Coronavirus legislation in New Jersey pulled without a vote; Insurers call bill 'radical'
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – The future of coronavirus legislation proposed by New Jersey lawmakers is uncertain after the insurance industry expressed concerns it was short-sighted and ignored contract law.
Having a drug that cost $50K per dose hurt sales, says class action suit by investor
Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc. misled investors by exaggerating the potential of a new drug for thrombosis, a class action lawsuit contends.
Lawsuit that said items on McDonald's Dollar Menu were overpriced comes to quiet end
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A Los Angeles man has settled his lawsuit that claimed a McDonald’s restaurant charged him more than $1 for each of the two Sausage McMuffins he ordered from the Dollar Menu on Sept. 3, 2018.
GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP: Kristine J. Feher Recognized as a 2020 NJBIZ 'Best 50 Women in Business'
Kristine J. Feher, a shareholder in the New Jersey office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has been recognized as one of NJBIZ’s “2020 Best 50 Women in Business.” Feher and the other honorees will be celebrated at a ceremony later this year.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION: Haynes International to Pay $180,000 to Resolve EEOC Age Discrimination Allegation
U.S.Haynes International Inc, a metals company headquartered in Kokomo, Ind., has agreed to pay $180,000 and furnish other relief to resolve a charge alleging age discrimination investigated by the Indianapolis District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
Company challenges anti-coal ordinance in California
A company that manages coal and petroleum coke shipments in Richmond, Cal., is challenging a new city ordinance that would prevent the products from being stored there.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION: Olympia Senior Care Providers to Pay $450,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
Olympia, Wash.-based Koelsch Senior Communities, as well as The Hampton at Salmon Creek, one of the memory care facilities operated by Koelsch, will pay $450,000 and adopt anti-discrimination policies and training to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
'Pillaging them, that's the point': Serial plaintiff on tape describing how to take advantage of TCPA
PHILADELPHIA – Recorded conversations prove a Pennsylvania man who has filed dozens of lawsuits is intentionally taking advantage of a federal law to extort settlements from defendants, says one of the companies he has targeted.
Tennessee woman wins appeal of order allowing ex parte interviews in wrongful death suit
NASHVILLE (Legal Newsline) – An Overton County, Tennessee trial court’s order allowing the defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit to interview non-party health care providers without the presence of plaintiff’s attorney was overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP: Greenberg Traurig Elevates Justin Mann to Shareholder
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP announced the elevation of Justin Mann to shareholder in the firm’s Delaware office.