Jan 1, 2017

FTC Lawsuit Accuses Qualcomm of Forcing Apple to Buy Wireless Chips in Exchange for Better Royalties [U]

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission launched a lawsuit against Qualcomm on Tuesday, accusing the company of forcing Apple into an exclusive deal to buy its baseband chips. When Apple sought to lower the patent royalties it was paying Qualcomm, the latter firm made that conditional on Apple buying Qualcomm chips exclusively between 2011 and 2016, according to an FTC filing seen by Bloomberg . The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus still use Qualcomm chips in some configurations, while others are now based on Intel modems. Bloomberg did not initially offer any other details on the suit. The FTC has been investigating Qualcomm since 2014, concerned …


New Database Allows You to Check Pending Lawsuits

Companies accused of inconveniencing, misleading, or injuring their customers can face a class action lawsuit but many consumers don’t know that they are owed money. Consumer Action is a nonprofit organization that has been representing consumers nationwide since 1971. They have a Class Action database which maintains a listening of notable class actions so that consumers can learn more, …


Class Action Waivers: Will the Supreme Court Successfully Realign the Litigation Galaxy?

Finally. The wait is almost over. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether an employer may enforce a mandatory arbitration agreement that contains a class action or collective action waiver. Last Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear 3 cases stemming from the NLRB’s 2012 decision in D.R. Horton , in which the NLRB held that class action waivers violate employees’ Section 7 rights to engage in protected, concerted activity. D.R. Horton created uncertainty whether, for example, an employer, through an arbitration agreement, may force an employee to waive his or her right to pursue a class action minimum wage or overtime claim, or a Title VII discrimination claim, in an arbitration proceeding. …


JPMorgan Pays $55M to Settle Mortgage Discrimination Lawsuit

JPMorgan Chase agreed to a settlement with the U.S. government over allegations that it discriminated against “thousands” of black, Hispanic mortgage borrowers from 2006 through 2009. The bank’s independent brokers charged minority borrowers higher mortgage interest rates and fees during that period, compared to “similarly situated white borrowers,” according to a government lawsuit filed Wednesday in a New York federal court. JPMorgan is expected to settle the lawsuit for $55 million without admitting any liability. “We’ve agreed to …




Paxton Files One Last Lawsuit Against Obama Administration

Attorney General Ken Paxton took one last swipe at the Obama administration Tuesday, joining a throng of states suing the federal government for alleged overreach into the coal industry. Texas joined 12 states in a lawsuit seeking a review and injunction of the “Stream Protection Rule” which the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation and Enforcement describes as a method to protect streams and wildlife. The suit, Paxton’s 21st against the Obama administration, accused the federal agency of adopting a “one-size-fits-all rule” which affects coal mining without input from states and imposes on state’s sovereign rights. …



Court Denies Columbia Officers Immunity in Ferguson Lawsuit

A ruling released Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey has cleared the way for Ryan Ferguson, convicted in the 2001 murder of a Columbia sports editor, to proceed with a $100 million lawsuit against six Columbia police officers. The court ruled that the six officers do not have qualified immunity in the case, which would protect them from civil liability except in cases in which they …


Mark Zuckerberg Gets Testy in Oculus Lawsuit Grilling

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg fired off some sick burns and engaged in a heated exchange with a lawyer while giving testimony in a blockbuster $2 billion lawsuit trial here in a northern district Federal courtroom on Tuesday. In the first time he’s ever testified in a trial, Zuckerberg was grilled by Zenimax lawyer Toni Sammi in the company’s intellectual …