Most of our stories about trademark disputes — especially when it comes to anything that even vaguely sounds like the word “monster” — involve companies in two completely different industries, like energy drinks vs. fish tanks, or that same beverage vs. an independent movie, or audio cables vs. deer licks. But what about when that trademark to-do is between two beer companies? [More]
Court Says Stores Can Be Sued Over Questionable “Discounts”
By May 22, 2013
We’ve written before — most recently about JCPenney — about retailers who mark up the original price of an item in order to make the “sale” price look better than it is. Some may say this is harmless marketing, as the retailer is going to charge that price regardless. Others say it’s a deliberately deceptive act intended to lure consumers into thinking they are getting a deal. [More]
Judge Tries, Again, To Slap Wells Fargo With $203 Million For Overdraft Policy
By May 15, 2013
It’s been nearly three years since a U.S. District Court first ordered Wells Fargo to pay out $203 milllion in refunds to settle a class-action suit involving the bank’s overdraft policies. Since then, the bank got a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to set aside that mountain of cash, saying California law can not override federal banking laws. Now the original District Court judge is once again ordering the bank to fork over the $203 million. [More]
DOJ: Steve Jobs E-Mails Show That Apple Engaged In E-Book Price-Fixing
By May 15, 2013
While all of the publishers involved in Justice Dept.’s e-book price-fixing lawsuit have settled, Apple has continued to maintain its innocence. With the trial set to begin in early June, the DOJ has some evidence it believes paints Apple in a rather damning light. [More]
Court Finally Signs Off On $40 Million In Skechers Shape-Ups Refunds
By May 14, 2013
Almost exactly one year after reaching a $40 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission regarding questionable health benefits attributed to Skechers’ Shape-Ups toning shoes, a U.S. District Court judge has finally signed off on the deal, allowing things to move on to the refund stage. [More]
Yelp Fights Against Outing Anonymous Reviewers In Lawsuit By Carpet Cleaner
By May 8, 2013
When you write a review on Yelp, you are supposed to feel assured in your ability to keep your identity from being made public. But a Virginia carpet cleaner is attempting to compel Yelp to reveal the names of seven people who posted reviews about the company. [More]
New York AG To Sue Bank Of America, Wells Fargo Over Alleged Violations Of National Mortgage Settlement
By May 6, 2013
If the big mortgage servicers thought they’d put a pile of legal troubles behind them when they reached the $25 billion dollar National Mortgage Settlement with almost every state in 2012, they were wrong. Today, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced his intention to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for what he alleges is a ” persistent pattern of non-compliance” by the two banks. [More]
Newsflash: ’24-Hour’ Makeup Is Not A Guarantee
By May 1, 2013
Most women in their thirties have been playing with makeup for at least half their lives. For them, it would not be a newsflash that “24-hour foundation” does not, in fact, stay on your face unmarred for 24 hours. [More]
Passenger Sues Virgin America After Contentious Soda Order Gets Him Detained At Airport
By May 1, 2013
What began as a dispute about ordering an in-flight soda apparently got to the point where the crew on a Virgin America jet felt that a passenger needed to be questioned by authorities upon landing. Now that passenger has sued the airline, alleging that Virgin America made false accusations about his behavior. [More]
CBS CEO Says Network Could Switch To Cable If It Loses Aereo Lawsuit
By May 1, 2013
CBS and the other over-the-air broadcast networks are currently suing Aereo, the New York-based startup that transmits live TV over the Internet to subscribers who pay a monthly fee, but doesn’t pay anything to the broadcasters for doing so. Now, the head of CBS is saying the network might pull its signal off the air and go cable-only if it can’t stop Aereo. [More]
State Lawmakers Consider Limits On ‘Payday’ Lawsuit Loans
By April 29, 2013
We’ve written a lot over the years about standard payday loans — short-term, high-interest loans from non-bank lenders — and similar deposit-advance loans offered by some of the nation’s largest banks. But there is a growing form of short-term loan that lawmakers are concerned about — loans to plaintiffs of pending lawsuits. [More]
U.S. Government Sues Lance Armstrong To Get Post Office Sponsorship Money Back
By April 24, 2013
In the years since the the United States Postal Service sponsored Lance Armstrong’s multiple Tour de France victories, the USPS has fallen into a serious financial crisis, and Armstrong has been exposed as a doping cheater and/or cheating dope. This chain of events has an obvious solution: why doesn’t the government sue Armstrong’s management and get that sponsorship money back? [More]
Fitbug Keeps Getting Fitbit’s Phone Calls, Notices Similar Name, Sues
By April 22, 2013
Tiny movement-trackers are the new hotness in gadgets, and there’s a lot of competition. Still, we’d love to know why it is that U.K.-based Fitbug just now noticed that the American brand Fitbit has a very similar product to theirs, with a very similar name, when the latter product has been around since 2007. [More]
Supreme Court Agrees: Cigarette Warning Labels Don’t Violate Big Tobacco’s Free Speech
By April 22, 2013
For the last several years, the tobacco industry has been fighting a federal law that requires, among other restrictions, cigarette manufacturers to place graphic warning labels on packaging. Big Tobacco may need to finally get with the program, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the companies’ challenge to the law on the grounds that it violates their First Amendment rights. [More]
eBay Seller Who Sued Customer Claims He’s Sorry, Has Filed Dozens Of Feedback Suits
By April 19, 2013
The owner of an eBay business who sued an unhappy customer over a negative feedback item is contrite. Mostly, he’s very sorry that he (allegedly) never read the lawsuit filed on his behalf accusing his customer of defamation. He should probably also be sorry that the customer has a relative who works in the litigation department of consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. The seller has used lawsuits to bully customers into retracting feedback before, and may have done it again if not for Public Citizen. [More]
Customer Sues CVS For Writing Her Name As “Ching Chong” On Receipt
By April 18, 2013
How many times do we have to tell the cashiers of America to STOP PUTTING STUPID AND OFFENSIVE NAMES ON CUSTOMERS’ RECEIPTS? Sorry we had to go all-caps on you there, but after all the stories of idiotic name-calling that have gotten employees fired and retailers sued, you’d think people would stop. And yet here we have the story of a CVS customer of Korean descent who is suing the drugstore chain after allegedly being labeled “Ching Chong Lee” on her receipt. [More]
EA Triples Original Payouts In Settlement Of Football Games Class-Action Suit
By April 17, 2013
If you bought an EA football game — Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or Arena Football — between 2005 and 2012, here’s some good news. Not only are you due a few bucks thanks to a class-action settlement with the reigning two-time Worst Company In America champ, but the dollar amount of the individual payouts to affected consumers have been tripled. [More]
Royal Caribbean Passenger Says Crew Wouldn’t Let Her Leave Her Cabin After Daughter Fell Overboard
By April 17, 2013
Last September, a 21-year-old woman on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship fell overboard and lost her life. In a recently filed lawsuit, the woman’s mother says she was kept under guard in her cabin for days after the incident and that she was not allowed to leave her room or contact her other children. [More]
