Aug 1, 2016

Motorists Decry Canada’s “Powerless” Response to Volkswagen Scandal as US Nears Settlement

Canadian Volkswagen owners are fed up with their government’s sluggish response to the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal. VW is facing the prospect of a $15-billion settlement in U.S. federal court for selling cars that were designed to cheat on emissions tests spewing out up to 40-times more toxic emissions than advertised. But motorists say they haven’t seen any signs of life from the …



Judge Orders Lawyers Who Won ‘Happy Birthday’ Lawsuit Get $4.62 Million, Too

Last September, federal judge George King ruled that “Happy Birthday to You,” the iconic song sung at children’s parties everywhere daily, was not subject to copyright protection as previously thought. Now free from the grasp of music publishing company Warner Chappell, it’s free to be used by anyone, anywhere, for any purpose, with only a specific arrangement covered by the 1035 copyright …



Uber, Just Add E-Tips Already

A California judge, in tossing lemons in the direction of Uber, has given the ride-hail company the most perfect excuse yet to make some lemonade. Here’s why: Thursday, United States District Judge Edward Chen rejected Uber’s proposed class-action settlement with drivers in California and Massachusetts. The original suit sought to change the way drivers are classified, from benefitless …


Federal Lawsuit Targets Ochoco Thinning Plan

An environmental group has sued the U.S. Forest Service, arguing that a plan to thin trees surrounding popular Walton Lake in Ochoco National Forest needed a fuller environmental review and public comment process. The nonprofit League of Wilderness Defenders’ lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Oregon argued that the Forest Service had illegally avoided an environmental review of the …




Valeant Accused in Suit of Secretly Refilling Prescriptions

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. refilled patients’ prescriptions without their permission and steered them to more expensive drugs in order to boost sales and profits, according to a lawsuit that sheds new light on the drug company’s secret operations. T. Rowe Price Group Inc. sued Valeant and its top executives, using information from former employees to back its claims that the …


Missouri Attorney General Backs Professor in Lawsuit

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri Board of Curators in support of a university law professor’s challenge to the campus firearms ban. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Boone County, Andrew Hirth, deputy general counsel for Attorney General Chris Koster, wrote that the campus ban on guns conflicts with state law.