Court

Lawsuits Apr 9, 2016

A Bunch of Big US Websites Say They’re Likely to Support Legal Action Against Ad Blockers

It looks like US website owners are prepared to take ad blockers to court. A number of “high traffic” websites in the US say they are likely to support legal action to ward off the threat of ad blockers, according to a new report. Research firm Medianomics carried out a survey of 42 websites and multi-site networks which represent an aggregate 2.2 billion visits per month — ranging from sites with 6 million to 10 million visitors, to those attracting 450 million monthly visitors — to assess which tactics they are likely to use in order to address the impact of ad blockers. …

Logan Green, co-founder and CEO Lyft, displayed his company's ‘glowstache’ during a launch event in San Francisco last year.

Settlements Apr 9, 2016

Judge Denies Lyft’s $12 Million Settlement With Drivers

A federal judge has rejected Lyft Inc.’s proposed $12.25 million settlement to resolve a case filed by California drivers over their status as independent contractors of the ride-hailing service. In a ruling Thursday, Judge Vince Chabria of California’s Northern District said the settlement amount shortchanged drivers’ mileage expenses …

Lawsuits Apr 5, 2016

The Class Action Is Dead; Long Live the Class Action!

It’s been nearly five years since the Supreme Court decided, inWal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, that the claims of large groups of employees that involve differing calculations of damages must be litigated as individual claims, and not as a class action. At the time, and since, may pundits declared the wage-and-hour class action lawsuit dead (or at least with one foot squarely in the grave). …

Lawsuits Apr 5, 2016

U.S. Top Court Rejects Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo Class Action Appeals

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected two corporate challenges in class action cases, refusing to hear bids by Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) and Wells Fargo & Co to throw out large judgments against them. Wal-Mart had sought to get rid of a $187 million class action judgment over the retailer’s treatment of workers in Pennsylvania.

Settlements Apr 5, 2016

U.S. Top Court Rejects Wells Fargo Challenge to $203 Million Class Action Judgment

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Wells Fargo & Co’s appeal of a $203 million judgment that it was ordered to pay to resolve a class action lawsuit accusing it of imposing excessive overdraft fees. The justices left in place an October 2014 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in favor of class action plaintiffs.

Lawsuits Apr 4, 2016

Valeant Fighting Class-Action Application for Cold-fX Lawsuit

The makers of Cold-fX are in court fighting allegations they ignored their own research and misled consumers about the short-term effectiveness of the popular cold and flu remedy. Valeant Pharmaceuticals was in British Columbia Supreme Court on Monday, opposing an application to grant the lawsuit class-action status. Vancouver Island resident Don Harrison launched a claim in 2012 against …

Lawsuits Mar 25, 2016

Lyft Drivers Lawsuit May End Without Addressing Worker Employment Status

A lawsuit filed by drivers against Lyft may not address the key and contentious issue of whether the drivers should be reclassified as employees with all the attendant benefits. The app-based ride hailing company is offering a $12.25 million settlement fund, including attorney fees and other costs, besides non-monetary relief to the about 100,000 drivers, but will not be required to reclassify …

Lawsuits Mar 24, 2016

Federal Appeals Court Slams IRS in Tea Party Case, Demands Documents

In a blistering rebuke of the IRS, a Cincinnati-based federal appeals court has ordered the tax-collecting agency to quit stalling and produce the names of organizations it targeted based on their political leanings. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit gave the IRS two weeks to turn over the documents sought as part of a class-action …

Lawsuits Mar 24, 2016

Key Lessons From the Tyson Decision

I’m sure many of you have now read or heard about the Supreme Court’s Tyson vs. Bouaphakeo decision on Tuesday upholding a Court of Appeals decision in the Eighth Circuit, which sides with Tyson workers at an Iowa pork-processing plant. The employees’ main grievance was that they did not receive mandated overtime pay for time spent “donning and doffing” protective equipment. In its attempt to …

Lawsuits Mar 23, 2016

Class-Action Suits Have a Shot in Post-Scalia Era

One of Justice Antonin Scalia’s chief policy concerns — some might call it an obsession — was class actions, which he saw as excuses for plaintiffs’ lawyers to make money by aggregating small individual claims to the detriment of corporate defendants. On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court hinted that, in Scalia’s absence, class-action law might not continue to be interpreted narrowly. It …