Report

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Utah for ‘Failing’ Public Defense System

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the state of Utah for what it says is a failed public defense system that deprives indigent defendants of their Sixth Amendment right. The class action lawsuit, filed Tuesday, June 21, along with the law firm Holland & Hart, LLP, comes after a state-commissioned report by the Sixth Amendment Center that criticized Utah’s public …


Accounting-Based Class Suits, Settlements Reach New Highs

Accounting-related securities class action filings hit a four-year high in 2015, a new Cornerstone Research report found. According to the April 19 report, 71 securities class actions involving accounting allegations were filed during the year, compared to the 69 cases seen in 2014 and the 10-year average of 67 filings. The report said the increase represented “a return to the more …


Volkswagen Reaches Settlement With US Authorities in Emissions Scandal

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…


Accounting Class-Action Filings Rose Again in 2015

A new report from Cornerstone Research indicates that securities class-action filings with accounting allegations rose for the third consecutive year. According to Accounting Class Action Filings and Settlements – 2015 Review and Analysis, the 71 filings last year exceeded the average over the past decade of 67 filings. There were 69 accounting-related case filings in 2014.


Federal Appeals Court Allows Uber to Appeal Approval of Class Action

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 …


Courthouse Doors Creak Open for Clients

When clients enter their financial advisors’ offices and express frustrations about a retail bank’s mistakes or overcharges, the damages are usually too small to merit any individual legal action. “It’s $24 here and $45 there, and often there is very little you can do,” says Debra Brennan Tagg, managing director of Brennan Financial Services in Addison, Texas. But, it is expected that when the …


How ‘America’s Toughest Sheriff’ Treats Mentally Ill Prisoners

On February 21, 2015, a man was booked into the Maricopa County Jail, a sprawling complex in Phoenix where the dusty Arizona landscape is interrupted by the occasional palm tree. We’ll call him by his initials: JP. According to JP’s booking report, he was experiencing auditory hallucinations during his intake, and acting “bizarre,” like he was high or drunk.


Lawsuit Claims Trucking Company Violated FCRA

CPC Logistics is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to notify applicants or employees after taking adverse action against them based on information found in a DAC report. Jeffrey Hoeflicker, an OOIDA member from Concordia, Mo., filed the original lawsuit on Sept. 13, 2015. According to the complaint, Hoeflicker applied for employment …


Yahoo Said to Be Considering Sale, Unrelated Report Claims Company Has Massive Ad Fraud Problem

A month ago, Yahoo announced that its board of directors had unanimously decided to suspend work on the pending plan announced earlier last year to spin off Yahoo’s remaining holdings in Alibaba. It said the board would now evaluate “alternative transaction structures to separate the Alibaba stake, focusing specifically on a reverse of the previously announced spin transaction.” It went on to …


Yahoo Said to Be Considering Sale, Unrelated Report Claims Company Has Massive Ad Fraud Problem

A month ago, Yahoo announced that its board of directors had unanimously decided to suspend work on the pending plan announced earlier last year to spin off Yahoo’s remaining holdings in Alibaba. It said the board would now evaluate “alternative transaction structures to separate the Alibaba stake, focusing specifically on a reverse of the previously announced spin transaction.” It went on to …