Federal

Facebook Defeats Class-Action for Allegedly ‘Leaking’ Users’ Names to Advertisers

Handing a victory to Facebook, a federal judge has ruled that the company won’t have to face a class-action lawsuit for allegedly violating its privacy policy by “leaking” people’s personal information to advertisers. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Whyte said this week that class-action treatment isn’t appropriate because “individualized questions will predominate” in the dispute. Most of …


Federal Court Hears Nuclear Waste Lawsuit

The state’s lawsuit against the federal government, regarding the dumping of plutonium at the Savannah River Site, was heard in federal court Thursday. In that suit, South Carolina asked for $100 million in penalties from the federal government and the removal of the nuclear …


Shumpert Attorney Files Federal Suit Against Tupelo

A lawsuit was officially filed in federal court Thursday alleging wrongful death and constitutional violations in the June 18 shooting of a local man by a Tupelo Police Department officer after a foot chase. Grenada attorney Carlos Moore filed the civil lawsuit Thursday afternoon in Aberdeen on behalf of Peggy Shumpert, the widow of Antwun “Ronnie” Shumpert, …


Lawsuit: Baylor Fostered ‘Hunting Ground’ for Sexual Assault

A third federal lawsuit filed against Baylor University accuses the Waco, Texas-based school of creating a “hunting ground for sexual predators.” A former Baylor student identified as Jane Doe says in the lawsuit filed Monday that she was drugged and abducted from an off-campus residence …


New Suit Names Class Action’s 15 Rebuked Lawyers

More than a dozen lawyers who already face a federal judge’s penalties tied to ethics violations in a class-action insurance lawsuit last year — Adams v. USAA — find themselves in another legal tangle involving the same case. Now, policyholders for the insurance company United Services Automobile Association have sued. The latest court action, Wartick v. USAA, alleges that 12 plaintiffs’ …



Federal Court Asked to Revive Lawsuit Over Alta’s Snowboarding Ban

Federal court asked to revive lawsuit over Alta’s snowboarding ban SALT LAKE CITY — A federal appeals court is being asked to revive a lawsuit filed against Alta Ski Area and the U.S. Forest Service over the ski resort’s historic ban on snowboarding. In a petition with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, a group of snowboarders calling themselves “Wasatch Equality” ask the federal …


Vernon Hills Resident Files Federal Lawsuit to Try to Stop Longmeadow Parkway

Hoping to stop the progress of the Longmeadow Parkway, Vernon Hills resident Geoffrey Petzel said he filed a federal citizen lawsuit Friday over the project against the Kane County Department of Transportation and several other governmental bodies. Petzel, a Carpentersville native, filed a pro se lawsuit that asks a judge to prevent construction of the bridge and road, vacate previous approvals …


Volkswagen, US May Reach Settlement Over Emissions Scandal by June End

Volkswagen AG has made substantial progress toward reaching a final settlement by late June with car owners and the US government over the German automaker’s cheating on diesel emissions tests, a federal judge said on Tuesday. US district judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco also reiterated that a settlement will include “substantial compensation” for owners of 482,000 polluting vehicles that …


Class-Action Suit Advances Over Gerawan’s Payment of Farmworkers

A federal judge in Fresno is allowing a class-action lawsuit to move forward against Gerawan Farming, one of Fresno County’s largest agriculture companies. The lawsuit, filed in 2014, alleges that Gerawan has violated state and federal laws, including failing to pay minimum wages, failing to compensate employees for breaks, and failing to pay wages owed. Gerawan’s attorney, David Schwarz, said …