News from February 2021
Report: federal prosecutors are seeking New York nursing home data
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn started seeking nursing home data from the Cuomo administration after the Democratic governor’s top aide admitted earlier this month that the administration withheld the true number of Covid deaths from lawmakers and the public.
Lawsuit: NYC priest raped young girl the night of her dad's funeral
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A South Carolina woman has sued the Archdiocese of New York, the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix and the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz over sexual abuse allegations.
Court says McDonald's can sue ex-CEO over sex allegations
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - McDonald’s Corp. can sue its former chief executive in Delaware over allegations he fraudulently concealed evidence of relationships with several employees in order to leave the company with full severance benefits, a judge ruled.
Insurers make plea to judge that some sex abuse claims against Boy Scouts could be fake
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Lawyers for insurers who will pay the billion-dollar-plus tab over sex-abuse allegations against the Boy Scouts of America pushed a bankruptcy judge to allow them to investigate some of the 95,000 claims filed against the organization, saying they suspect many are unsupported or downright fraudulent.
Executive says she was fired over condition that causes daytime sleepiness
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - A Massachusetts woman is suing her former employer, medical research company Argenx US, for allegedly discriminating against her due to her handicap, according to court documents filed in the Massachusetts Superior Court.
Police Athletic League facing lawsuit for alleged 1970s sexual abuse
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - An anonymous Florida resident has filed suit against New York City-based youth development nonprofit Police Athletic Lead for alleged sexual assault when the plaintiff was a child, according to court documents filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Eighth Circuit predicts Nebraska law in case over medical device warnings
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) – Nebraska law doesn’t require medical device manufacturers to directly warn users of potential dangers.
Bloomberg wouldn't be vicariously liable for sexual abuse at his company, court rules
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – An employee at Bloomberg L.P. can’t sue its founder, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, over the sexual harassment and abuse she was allegedly subjected to.
Gerber, Hain face class action over heavy metals in baby food
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Litigation has followed a U.S. House subcommittee report that claims some baby foods are tainted with materials like arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.
Nestle hit with vanilla lawsuit over Coffee Mate
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Add Coffee Mate Natural Bliss to the list of products that have their manufacturer being sued for using vanilla flavoring instead of real vanilla.
Lawyers get $1.1M for five years of work suing Santa Barbara over jail conditions
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – California attorneys have asked for and received more than $1.1 million for bringing a class action lawsuit over the medical and mental health care in Santa Barbara County jails.
Lawsuit says toddler lost part of finger thanks to door at Massachusetts day care
WORCESTER, Mass. (Legal Newsline) - A Massachusetts family has brought charges against Uxbridge daycare facility Precious Ones Child Care Center for an alleged instance of negligence that resulted in the partial amputation of a toddler's finger.
Death of homeless man in NYC shelter leads to lawsuit
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Multiple defendants - including New York City, the New York City Department of Homeless Services, Volunteers of America-Greater New York and the Schwartz Assessment Facility for the Homeless - have been presented with a lawsuit from a New York resident who says their negligence caused the death of her son in July 2019.
Maine signature-gathering law violates free speech, judge rules; Appeal welcomed
BANGOR, Maine (Legal Newsline) – Maine’s desire to keep out-of-state voices out of its political process is trumped by free speech rights, a federal judge has ruled.
Amazon's feud with New York attorney general escalates
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – New York Attorney General Letitia James has followed through with a threat to sue Amazon, as she filed suit less than a week after the company tried to prevent it from happening.
Graco says class action over car seats still fails, no product lasts forever
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Makers of child car seats have been forced to file a second motion to dismiss a lawsuit that complains the products have a lifespan.
Young Fortnite players file lawsuit, say they were misled into spending real money on V-Bucks
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Young gamers have filed a class action lawsuit against Epic Games that alleges its products like Fortnite manipulate them into spending “ever-increasing amounts of real money for virtual things.”
Amazon goes on the attack against New York's attorney general
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – Faced with possible litigation, Amazon has decided to initiate court proceedings by filing a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Lawyers get sued for losing woman's discrimination lawsuit
DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) – Failed discrimination litigation has turned into a battle between the plaintiff and the lawyers she says botched her case and charged her more than $400,000.
Hearing tomorrow about possibly fraudulent sexual abuse claims against Boy Scouts
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Insurance companies that will pick up most of the $1 billion tab for the sexual-abuse scandal that has overtaken the Boy Scouts of America are scheduled to face off tomorrow against plaintiff lawyers who filed tens of thousands of claims that insurers say were poorly investigated and potentially fraudulent.