Feb 1, 2017

Seattle Judge Allows Microsoft’s Gag Order Lawsuit Against Government to Proceed

On Wednesday, the Western Washington District Court ruled that Microsoft’s lawsuit against the government will go forward. The lawsuit argues that the government’s gag-ordered searches of Microsoft accounts violates consumer’s constitutional first amendment right to free speech, and that the gag orders have no end date, preventing the tech giant from alerting its customers that their accounts …


Lawsuit Alleges Thousands of Clean Air Act Violations by Colorado Springs Utilities

WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit Thursday against Colorado Springs Utilities, alleging more than 3,000 Clean Air Act violations at the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant and seeking more than $112 million in fines. The accusations center on opacity measurements, which show levels of particulates that can cause coughs, aggravated asthma, reduced lung function and even premature death. …


For the First Time, Court Requires “litigation Funders” to Be Disclosed — but Only in Class Actions

On January 26, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California became the first court to mandate disclosure of litigation funding that parties in class actions receive from outside sources, under a revision to the court’s standing order applicable to all cases. The rule provides that “in any proposed class, collective or representative action, the required disclosure includes …


Canadians Who Bought Volkswagens in U.S. Left Out of Emissions Settlement

A year and a half after it was first revealed Volkswagen had fitted many of its vehicles with software to fool emissions tests, one Nova Scotia owner is still not sure if his car will be fixed and what compensation he might receive. In December, the car manufacturer reached a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement that would compensate 105,000 Canadian owners and includes an offer to buy back …


Representative Goodlatte Introduces Litigation Reform Bill

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement upon the introduction of the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 (H.R. 985): “Due to the complexity and costs associated with our legal system, a lawsuit has become a dirty …


State Settles Lawsuit Alleging It Blocked Minority Voters

Georgia has settled a federal lawsuit that accused Secretary of State Brian Kemp of disenfranchising minority voters because of a requirement on registration forms that critics said blocked thousands of them from voter rolls. The state will no longer reject applications that don’t exactly match identification information in state and federal databases as part of the agreement, which was …


Portland Moves ‘no-Cause Eviction’ Lawsuit to Federal Court

The City of Portland moved the lawsuit seeking to block its new requirement that landlords pay moving costs of tenants evicted for “no-cause” to federal court late Thursday. An attorney representing two landlords had originally filed the suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court, claiming the new policy unanimously approved by the City Council last Thursday …


Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Announces Proposed Settlement of Revance Therapeutics, Inc. Securities Litigation

SUMMARY NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION TO: ALL PERSONS OR ENTITIES (“PERSONS”) THAT PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED REVANCE THERAPEUTICS, INC. (“REVANCE” OR THE “COMPANY”) COMMON STOCK DURING THE PERIOD BEGINNING ON JUNE 19, 2014 AND ENDING ON MAY 1, 2015, AND PURSUANT AND/OR TRACEABLE TO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND PROSPECTUS FOR THE COMPANY’S JUNE 19, 2014 PUBLIC OFFERING …



Dorel Gathering Details After Class Action Filed Over Cosco Car Seats

A California consumer has filed a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Cosco brand of car seats for allegedly overstating height and weight limits on its car seats. A class action lawsuit was filed by Arriane Henryhand on behalf of herself and others in a similar situation on Jan. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California …