May 1, 2016

Former Tacoma Server Sues El Gaucho, Alleges Company Improperly Paid Workers

A former server at the El Gaucho steakhouse in downtown Tacoma has sued the company, accusing management of not properly paying its employees. Managers have withheld tips from employees, failed to pay them time and a half for overtime work and required servers to work while not being clocked in, the class action alleges. It also contends management has paid workers with credit to use only at …



Want to Sue Your Bank? Regulators Push to Make It Easier

If government regulators get their way, it’s going to become a lot easier to sue your bank. By and large, U.S. bank customers have signed away their right to sue their bank in court, often without being aware of it. Buried in the fine print of credit card agreements, bank accounts and insurance policies are what are known as binding, or mandatory, arbitration …


Condé Nast Lawyers Battle Invasion of Privacy Lawsuit

Lawyers for Condé Nast were back in court on Tuesday, trying to beat back an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by a Michigan woman who objects to her name being sold on a mailing list used by other companies. Condé Nast violated Michigan privacy laws when it sold subscription information without permission, Suzanne Boelter claims in a federal court suit. Condé Nast lawyers argued Tuesday that …


Environmental Groups File Lawsuit Asking EPA to Regulate Fracking Waste

A half-dozen environmental groups filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, claiming it has failed to properly regulate fracking and the the disposal of oil and gas drilling waste. See lawsuit below. The lawsuit filed by groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Integrity Project and Earthworks asks EPA to meet its “long- …


Lawsuit: 100 MPH Crash Was Snapchat’s Fault

A Georgia family is suing popular social-media app Snapchat, saying a feature on the app contributed to a crash by encouraging a teen driver to use it while driving faster than 100 miles per hour. Wentworth Maynard was pulling onto Tara Boulevard in Clayton County in September when he was rear-ended by 18-year-old Christal McGee. McGee and her three passengers suffered various injuries, but …


Pinellas Education Lawsuit on Hold as Two Sides Spar Over Performance Data for Black Students

A class-action lawsuit resurrected against the Pinellas County School Board for shortchanging the county’s black students appears to be stuck in limbo. 7 Months Ago Lawyers representing Concerned Organization for Quality Education for Black Students, or COQEBS, shared at a meeting this week that a hearing scheduled for last week was canceled and deemed unnecessary. A judge told both parties — …


Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Arbitration Plan Is Sharp Blow to Industry

In a major setback for banks, credit unions, credit card companies and many other financial firms, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday issued a proposal that would ban the use of arbitration clauses that prevent consumers from bringing class-action lawsuits. The 377-page proposal, released to the media a day early, would still allow companies to offer arbitration as a way to …


Elderly Man ‘Cooked Alive’ by Defective Heating, Cooling System, Lawsuit Says

A lawsuit filed in Essex County Superior Court claims an elderly man was killed in his Bloomfield apartment on Dec. 13, 2015 from extreme heat caused by a defective heating/cooling system. Every Sunday, Neal A. DiNapoli III typically delivered groceries to his grandparents at their apartment at Felicity Tower in Bloomfield, court documents state. But when DiNapoli and his …


Judge to Consider Timing of Trump University Trial

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has said he wanted a trial by the middle of this year in a federal class-action lawsuit against Donald Trump by students of Trump University who say they were defrauded. That was before the real estate mogul appeared headed for the Republican presidential nomination. The judge is expected to address timing at a final pretrial conference Friday in San Diego.