Judge

Lawsuits Apr 21, 2016

Lawsuit Filed Against Ascension Parish Court Over “conviction Fee” That Partially Pays for Judge Salary

Public interest lawyers who sued an Ascension Parish Court judge last year over how her court’s bail system unfairly affected the poor have now taken aim at a “conviction fee” she imposes on defendants found guilty of minor offenses. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Baton Rouge on behalf of Gonzales-area resident Richard Williams, the lawyers claim the fee poses a conflict of interest for…

Lawsuits Apr 20, 2016

Flint Residents’ Class Action Lawsuit Thrown Out

Gov. Rick Snyder says he visited a Flint home Monday and filled three one-gallon jugs with filtered tap water. (Photo credit Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press)
By Matthew Dolan, Detroit Free Press
The legal reasoning used by a judge to toss a federal lawsuit seeking damages connected to the Flint water crisis may threaten other pending cases, according to a lawyer connected to the case.

Lawsuits Apr 13, 2016

Allstate Can’t Avoid Class Action With Offer to Lead Plaintiff

Ruling in a Bay Area robocall case, a federal appeals court said Tuesday that a company can’t scuttle a proposed class-action suit it is facing by trying to buy off the lead plaintiff. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco addressed an issue that the U.S. Supreme Court left unresolved in a ruling in January: whether a company or person accused of violating the rights of large …

News Apr 13, 2016

Judge Denies Proposed $12.25 Million Settlement in Lyft Class-Action Suit

A federal judge on Thursday denied approval of a proposed settlement in a class-action suit against ride-hailing company Lyft, saying the $12.25 million deal “shortchanged” drivers by potentially half the sum they deserve. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said in a San Francisco court filing that the sum “does not fall within the range of reasonableness” and asked attorneys to …

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 …

Notices Apr 9, 2016

Judge Rules Lyft Drivers’ Settlement to Be ‘Glaringly’ Inadequate

It seems there is still a long road to go before Lyft can settle a dispute with drivers over proper worker classification. As Bloomberg reports, a federal judge rejected the company’s attempt to settle with drivers as being ‘glaringly inadequate.’ All told, Lyft tried to settle with $12.25 million — a measure that would only net drivers involved in the class action suit about $53 each. U.S. …

Lawsuits Apr 7, 2016

Lyft’s $12.25 Million Settlement With Its Drivers Has Been Rejected

A California judge issued a preliminary ruling Thursday rejecting Lyft’s $12.25 million settlement with some of its drivers. US District Judge Vince Chhabria said the settlement amount would have “shortchanged” drivers, according to Reuters. “We’re disappointed in the preliminary ruling.”

Lawsuits Apr 5, 2016

A Lawsuit Argues That the US Should Appoint Lawyers to Represent Undocumented Children Facing Deportation

Lawyers for nine children suspected of being illegal immigrants argued on Thursday that they have the right to a court-appointed attorney, in a lawsuit that challenges the notion that minors can competently represent themselves. The lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups in federal court in Seattle seeks to force the federal government to provide …

Lawsuits Apr 5, 2016

Judge to Volkswagen: Show Timetable for Diesel Fixes, or I’ll See You in Court

A federal judge in San Francisco has given Volkswagen one more month to meet a demand from U.S. regulators for a fix to its diesel engines. The automaker faced a deadline Thursday to create a fix acceptable to the California Clean Air Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency for diesel engines that emit more than acceptable levels of nitrogen oxides. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer …

Lawsuits Mar 22, 2016

Federal Judge Mulls Class Action Certification in Facebook Privacy Suit

An attorney representing Facebook users on Wednesday asked a federal judge to certify a class action against the social network over what he called its “continued systematic harvesting of private message content.” Class attorney Michael Sobol said during Wednesday’s hearing that “extensive and rather contentious and hard-fought discovery” has led plaintiffs to believe that Facebook’s source …