News from September 2020
N.J. trial lawyers lose effort to pick apart arbitration agreement
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Arbitration agreements don’t have to provide the specifics of the process, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled.
Woman says agent forced her into porn, files sex trafficking lawsuit
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – An unnamed woman has filed suit against a group of adult entertainment companies, claiming she was the victim of sex trafficking.
Sara Lee sued over all butter pound cake
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Sara Lee’s pound cake shouldn’t be labeled as all butter, a class action lawsuit says.
Zoom sued by group worried about China connection
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – A consumer group says Zoom isn’t as secure as it claims to be.
Lawyers commence jostling for control of shareholder case against Bayer over Roundup
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawyers are lining up to take another shot at Bayer AG, with major securities firms asking to be in charge of litigation on behalf of investors in the company.
PFAS bill in Michigan would let State file more lawsuits
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – The State of Michigan is backing up its litigation over chemicals known as PFAS with new proposed legislation.
Animal shelter defeats bitten inmate's lawsuit
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – An inmate approved for volunteer duty at an animal shelter can’t sue it because he was attacked by a dog there.
Lawsuit: There are pears and apples in strawberry Pop-Tarts
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Strawberry Pop-Tarts contain pears and apples, a class action lawsuit complains.
Businesses successfully avoid residing in Mississippi city, paying its taxes
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – A Mississippi city won’t be allowed to swallow surrounding areas in what the trial court judge called a tax-grab.
Ford not liable for fatal accident involving daughter of employee
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – Ford Motor Company has won its appeal of a decision that found it could be liable for a fatal wreck involving a car leased by an employee through a company program.
Litigation in the time of COVID: Zoom says class action lawyers taking advantage
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Plaintiffs lawyers are hoping to punish Zoom for its new popularity, the company says as it defends itself in federal court against security claims.
Beware when buying as-seen-on-TV products, lawsuit warns
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – The company that sells as-seen-on-TV products is confusing customers into buying more than they want, a new class action lawsuit says.
Families in Wis. county likely to succeed in getting kids back to school, despite stay-home order
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) – Wisconsin’s highest court won’t keep Dane County kids out of their classrooms while a challenge to one of the county’s health orders continues.
Bayer clears hurdle in settling Roundup cases
Bayer AG has agreed with three of the law firms leading Roundup litigation to settle thousands of lawsuits, making significant progress toward ending claims the widely used herbicide causes a common cancer.
Lawsuit blames Keurig for making cups too small to recycle
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Keurig cups are too difficult for recycling centers to sort, a class action lawsuit against the company alleges.
Lawsuit filed over $60M bribery scandal involving Ohio Speaker of the House, nuclear energy company
DAYTON, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – St. Louis’ public employee retirement system has filed a lawsuit over a bribery scandal at FirstEnergy.
Lawsuit: Eckert Seamans helped criminal scam investors
MIAMI (Legal Newsline) - A large regional law firm has been sued for allegedly facilitating a multimillion-dollar fraud by Par Funding, a company that extended high-interest loans to retail businesses but failed amid claims its principals squandered money and hid a founder’s criminal past.
Trial lawyers drooling over prospect of Democrats in control of Congress, White House
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A Washington controlled by Democrats would be a bonanza for the trial bar longing for changes in law and policy that would expand liability law and increase access to the courts, two national experts in tort law told Legal Newsline
Judge rejects Hagens Berman’s `emergency’ request to halt lawsuit by Thalidomide client
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - Saying a claimed “emergency” might be more of a delaying tactic, the judge overseeing a lawsuit by a disgruntled former client of the law firm Hagens Berman rejected a request to halt the proceedings while the firm appeals his ruling denying a venue change out of his court.“The sky has not fallen,” wrote U.S.
Towson courthouse reopens after repairs; Catonsville site relocates
The Towson District courthouse in Baltimore County, Maryland, is set to reopen on October 13, 2020.