The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) [official website] announced [press release] a new rule Monday, banning mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer agreements. The CFPB explained that mandatory arbitration agreements can prevent class action lawsuits and perpetuate harmful practices. The new rule will enforce the consumer’s right to take part in group lawsuits.
[JURIST] Facebook [corporate website] settled a class-action lawsuit levied against it on Wednesday for its prior practice of scanning private messages to aid in ads. A motion [text, PDF] was filed on Wednesday, subject to court approval, for declaratory and injunctive relief, though it does not discuss specific monetary awards. In pertinent part, the motion states “[t]he settlement achieves …
[JURIST] The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan [advocacy website] filed a class-action lawsuit [complaint, PDF; fact sheet , PDF] Monday regarding children’s education in relation to the Flint water crisis. The plaintiffs include 15 Flint families who allege that the Michigan Department of Education, Flint Community Schools and Genesee Intermediate School District failed to protect …
[JURIST] North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal [text, PDF] on Friday to withdraw a lawsuit in which the state sought a judgment declaring that the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act [text, PDF], also known as House Bill 2 (HB 2), did not violate federal law. HB 2 prevented cities and counties from enacting laws allowing transgender people to use the …
[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Wednesday that Uber [corporate site] drivers may not join in a class action suit to pursue employment claims against the transportation company but must resolve their disputes individually. The claims included a host of employment contract issues as well as allegations that the company responsible for …
In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected a settlement agreement between retailers and credit card issuers. Millions of retailers had reached a $7.25 billion antitrust settlement [NYT report] with Visa USA and MasterCard International [corporate websites] in 2013. However, after determining that some of …
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California said Thursday that German automaker Volkswagen AG (VW) has reached a settlement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California officials and consumers over a plan to fix or buy back nearly 600,000 diesel-powered vehicles…
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal by Uber of a federal district court order that certified a class of nearly 160,000 drivers in California who challenge their status as independent contractors. Uber’s attorneys argue that the drivers signed away their right to participate in class-action …