A federal judge in Texarkana has granted class action certification in two lawsuits accusing major insurance companies of unlawfully depreciating labor costs in claims for property damage in Arkansas. The suits accuse State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. and American Modern Home Insurance Co. of improperly depreciating the value of labor costs when …
On Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Disney and DreamWorks to delay a class action lawsuit that alleges that animation studios colluded with each other to deny its workers better job opportunities and keep wages low. Robert Nitsch, a former visual effects worker who worked on Matrix Revolutions and Kung Fu Panda, and others are moving forward after striking a $13 …
Last week, a federal judge in Florida refused to dismiss a privacy lawsuit brought by New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul against ESPN for showing readers a copy of the NFL superstar’s medical chart revealing an amputated right finger. At the time of the decision, the judge’s analysis wasn’t immediately available, but on Monday, U.S. District Court judge Marcia Cooke issued a …
A lawsuit targeting Maryland’s use of gerrymandering can go forward, a three-judge federal panel ruled Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT Steve Shapiro, the American University law student who filed the lawsuit, argues the map violates the rights of 6th District Republican voters to political expression and association. The suit asks the map not be used in future elections, but the lawsuit won’t affect …
A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc and its chief executive officer to put a passenger’s price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them arbitrate the dispute. Calling his decision a “close call,” U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the defendants had not made a “strong …
The man who sought to represent all 154 Long Beach leaseholders in a class-action lawsuit against the town may continue his own push against the leases and changes carried out by Rockport officials. But a Lawrence Superior Court judge has ruled that Stephen Sheehan — and any other Long Beach tenants who wish to challenge their leases — will have to do so individually, not as a …
More than three years ago, a mysterious company filed a mysterious lawsuit against “John Does 1-15” with a pretty outrageous claim. The lawsuit alleged that the IRS raided the company on March 11, 2011, and that agents in the course of an investigation of a former employee stole more than 60 million medical records of more than 10 million Americans. “After being put on notice of the illicit …
Ernst & Young LLP [ERNY.UL] cannot require its employees to give up their rights to pursue work-related claims together, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday, giving a major boost to the U.S. National Labor Relations Board’s campaign against so-called class action waivers. Companies have increasingly included provisions in employment contracts forcing workers to arbitrate …
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2-1 against EY, making it the second appellate court to support the NLRB’s position that federal labor law prohibits workers’ arbitration agreements from including class action waivers. On the other hand, two appellate courts have rejected the NLRB’s view, making it likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will …
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing BlackBerry Ltd of fraudulently inflating its stock price by painting an upbeat picture of the prospects for its BlackBerry Z10 smartphone line that was misleading. While the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the lawsuit failed to state a plausible claim, it ordered a lower-court judge to reconsider …