Travelers on a Delta connection flight from Rapid City, SD to Salt Lake City experienced an unusual, but necessary, delay on Wednesday morning when police arrested the pilot on the suspicion that he was intoxicated. [More]
Crime & Fraud
Police: Hairstylist Used Pepper Spray On Dissatisfied Customer
By 10.26.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
In yet another example of why it’s important to be cautious when enlisting services from strangers online, a New Jersey woman says a hairstylist she hired on Craigslist pepper-sprayed her in the face when she expressed dissatisfaction with the results. [More]
Bong Maker Must Pay Starbucks Nearly $500K Over Copyright Violations For “Dabuccino”
By 10.25.16
Coffee and bongs: While you might not expect the two things to be related, they are. Or at least, they were in a recent copyright lawsuit that saw coffee giant Starbucks sue the maker of frappuccino-shaped bongs. [More]
Judge Approves VW’s $15B Settlement, Still No Fix For Affected Vehicles
By 10.25.16
It’s official: Volkswagen will begin the process of buying back thousands of vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” designed to skirt federal emission standards after a judge signed off on a proposed $15 billion settlement between the carmaker and federal regulators on Tuesday. [More]
Report: Fake Account Fiasco Could Cost Wells Fargo $4B, Thousands Of Customers
By 10.25.16
As Wells Fargo continues to grapple with the consequences of its potentially decade-long fake account fiasco, we’re beginning to see what the future might hold for the banking giant: a large loss both financially and in its customer base. [More]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: $465M Mylan EpiPen Settlement Is “Shamefully Weak… Shockingly Soft”
By 10.24.16
Earlier this month, drugmaker Mylan disclosed a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the company had defrauded the Medicaid system by mis-categorizing its high-priced EpiPen allergy treatment. The DOJ has still yet to confirm this settlement or provide any details, and critics of the deal say it looks like Mylan is getting off easy. [More]
Video Seems To Show Man Instructing Boy To Swipe Package From Homeowner’s Porch
By 10.24.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
It’s bad enough to steal a package from a stranger’s porch, but enlisting the help of a kid to do your dirty work? That’s even worse. [More]
$20 Million Lawsuit Accuses KFC Of Misleading Ads For “Family Fill Up” Meals
By 10.24.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
The ads for KFC’s Family Fill Up meal show an overflowing bucket of fried chicken, but the reality of what you get with your order may not be so bountiful. A KFC customer in New York is suing the fast food chain for $20 million, accusing it of deliberately misleading customers about how much chicken they get with this offer. [More]
DOJ, States To Sue Moody’s Credit Rating Agency For Role In Mortgage Meltdown
By 10.21.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
What drove the mortgage bubble in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis wasn’t just ill-prepared home-buyers signing on to subprime, adjusted-rate mortgages they couldn’t afford, or the lenders who effectively gave up on underwriting these loans so as to bundle and resell as many of them as possible. There were also credit rating agencies that gave these mortgage-backed bonds the seal of approval, even when they were worthless. [More]
Cisco Says It Can Now Shut Down Pirated Live Video Feeds Mid-Stream
By 10.21.16
There are a growing number of pirated live video streams available online, giving viewers unauthorized access to pay-TV, pay-per-view events, and other feeds. Copyright holders say the usual method of sending a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice isn’t fast or effective enough, as hosts of these streams either ignore the demands or quickly move to a different host. Now, Cisco says it has developed a way for copyright holders to play a better game of Anti-Piracy Whac-A-Mole by giving them a way to cut off feeds mid-stream. [More]
Wells Fargo Employees Say High-Pressure Atmosphere Caused Panic Attacks, Shingles
By 10.21.16
Wells Fargo employees caught up in the bank’s fake account fiasco lost more than their jobs if they did or didn’t meet sales goals: they also say they suffered physically and emotionally from the pressure placed on them by management to “sell, sell, sell.” [More]
Police: KFC Worker Pulls Gun On Boss, Returns For Paycheck The Next Day
By 10.21.16
A dispute between an employee of a New Mexico KFC and his boss escalated to the point of pulling out weapons, but that didn’t stop the aggrieved worker from showing up the next day to collect his paycheck. [More]
Trouble With Twitter, Reddit, Or The Rest Of The Internet Today? It’s Not Just You.
By 10.21.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
Update: Dyn reports that as of about 9:30 a.m., service has been restored and affected sites and services should start returning to normal. However, as of about 11:50 another round appears to have begun, with even more trouble hitting around 1:30 ET. Read on for more about the scope of the issue. [More]
Backpage Executives Seek Dismissal Of Pimping Charges
By 10.20.16 — Updated: 10.21.16
Earlier this month, the Attorney General of California took the unusual step of charging the CEO of classifieds site Backpage and two of the company’s major shareholders with pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. At the time, AG Kamala Harris said that Backpage was “unlawfully designed…to be the world’s top online brothel.” Now the company’s lawyers are seeking dismissal of those charges. [More]
Video Shows USPS Worker Dumping Bins Of Mail In A Ditch
By 10.20.16 — Updated: 2.23.17
Yet another United States Postal Service employee is joining The Mail Carrier Hall Of Shame, after being accused of dumping hundreds of pieces of mail into a ditch — while a local filmed the whole thing. [More]
Police: Miami Uber Driver Admitted He Sexually Assaulted Incapacitated Passenger
By 10.20.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
Police in Miami say an Uber driver has admitted to sexually battering a female customer while she was incapacitated after a night of drinking. [More]
California Investigating Wells Fargo For Criminal Identity Theft
By 10.20.16
In a piece of heartening consumer justice news, it’s recently become public that the state of California is conducting a criminal investigation against Wells Fargo for identity theft. Earlier this month, the state served a search warrant on the bank, which asks for information about customers with fake accounts, and the identities of the bankers who opened those accounts. [More]
Apple: 90% Of “Apple” Power Accessories Sold On Amazon Are Fake
By 10.19.16 — Updated: 10.20.16
For years, Amazon and Apple have fought their own battles when it comes to counterfeit products: third-party retailers selling lookalike Apple accessories and companies hawking fake name-brand products on the e-commerce site. Now, the two issues have come together, with a lawsuit claiming that 90% of the supposed Apple power accessories listed on the site are fake. [More]
