LuLaRoe is a multilevel-marketing company that has brought brightly colored leggings and dresses to communities across the country since its debut five years ago. Yet the company’s sales representatives say that the company is really peddling false hope and intense stress alongside leggings and the dream of being an independent businessperson, and two new class action lawsuits against the company accuse it of exactly that. [More]
california
California Accuses Retailer Of Using Bait-And-Switch Tactics To Lure In Customers
By 10.20.17
A Los Angeles-area chain of retail stores is accused by the state of repeatedly misleading customers into thinking they were going to get a good price on merchandise only to be told after they get into the store that the only way to get that advertised price is if they spend more money. [More]
California Sues To Stop Trump Administration Rollback Of Insurance Birth Control Requirement
By 10.6.17
Within hours of the Trump Administration announcing two new rules that would allow businesses to opt out of offering their employees insurance that covers birth control, the attorney general for the state of California has filed a lawsuit to block the regulations from going into effect. [More]
Jeweler, Wife Face Criminal Charges Of Preying On Military Servicemembers
By 10.3.17
Among unethical retailers, there’s a certain subset of predators that target members of the armed forces and their family. The latest example: A California couple who pushed military personnel to finance their purchases with a related business, then allegedly made illegal threats when customers fell behind on their bills.
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California ISP Privacy Bill Stalls Out After Heavy Pushback From Industry
By 9.18.17 — Updated: 9.19.17
There is no federal-level law protecting your private web data from your internet-providing company anymore, and there likely won’t be a replacement anytime soon. So some states are trying to take matters into their own hands. But the latest, last-ditch effort in the tech capital of the U.S. has failed, after strong pushback from the very companies it would regulate. [More]
Samsung Joins Everyone Else, Starts Testing Self-Driving Cars In California
By 9.1.17
Putting “California” and “cars” together in one sentence evokes a nice mental image of a convertible cruising down the scenic coastal curves of state Route 101. These days, though, the big thing in the Golden State is less about drivers having fun in the sun, and more about taking drivers out of the picture altogether. [More]
Netflix Takes Over California Pot Dispensary, Offers Show-Themed Marijuana
By 8.28.17
“Netflix and chill” took on an entirely different meaning this weekend: The streaming service hosted a pop-up at a medical marijuana dispensary in California, offering pot strains inspired by several of its original television shows. [More]
Jury Awards Woman $417M In Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
By 8.21.17
Three months after a Missouri jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record-setting $110.5 million to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer linked to the company’s talcum-based products, another jury in California has dwarfed that judgment, handing down a $417 million verdict in a similar suit. [More]
You Might Be Paying More For Avocados (Yes, Again)
By 8.15.17
If you’re already planning your end-of-summer barbecue, you might want to set aside a few extra pennies for that guacamole on the menu: The price of avocados has increased again. [More]
Will The Total Solar Eclipse Affect Solar Power?
By 8.11.17
You’re ready for the eclipse on Aug. 21, with your non-counterfeit viewing glasses and travel plans set. Yet here’s something that you may not have thought of: How will a total or even a partial solar eclipse affect homes and workplaces that use solar power? [More]
Would You Eat A Taco Bell Burrito Topped With ‘Popping Crystals’?
By 8.10.17
Burrito-lovers looking for a little extra flavor on their meal might add tomatoes, lettuce, cheese sauce, or even a bit of guacamole. But what about a Pop Rocks-like seasoning? That’s apparently an option for customers at select Taco Bell locations in California. [More]
Dunkin’ Donuts Dropping The “Donut” In California Test
By 8.3.17
It’s just common knowledge that shortening your name makes you so much cooler; Alexander to Alex or Robert to Bob or Christopher to Topher. Okay, might not always be true, but Dunkin’ Donuts appears to be embracing its nickname in hopes that it will bring in more customers to buy drinks, sandwiches, and pretty much anything other than donuts: The chain will go by just Dunkin’ at some California stores. [More]
California To List Roundup Ingredient On List Of Cancer-Causing Chemicals
By 6.27.17
The state of California will add glyphosate — the main ingredient in weed-killer Roundup — to a list of chemicals known by the state to cause cancer next month, signaling just the latest battle for Roundup manufacturer Monsanto after the company was accused of writing at least some of an academic research paper used to demonstrate glyphosate’s safety. [More]
Bank Of America To Pay $2M Over Calls Recorded Without Customer Consent
By 6.14.17
Bank of America has agreed to pay $2 million to settle allegations that it violated California law by failing to alert some customers that their phone calls to the bank were being recorded. [More]
Court Temporarily Halts School’s Expulsion Of Student Who ‘Liked’ Racist Instagram Images
By 5.30.17
Four California high school students who were suspended earlier this year for their alleged support or complicity with a racist Instagram account will not immediately have to face the immediate possibility of expulsion or further disciplinary action after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order against the school district. [More]
One Victim Dead In Gas Station Cheese Botulism Outbreak, Case Still Under Investigation
By 5.23.17
One of the people who contracted botulism from nacho cheese sauce served in a California gas station has died. The state health department is still trying to figure out how the store’s cheese became contaminated with a very rare and incredibly deadly pathogen. [More]
Man Charged With Stealing Nearly $1 Million Worth Of Bees
By 5.17.17
Maybe you weren’t aware, but bees are big business: With bee colonies mysteriously vanishing, hive owners can make a good income renting out their insects to farmers who need extra help with pollination. Those beekeepers will be happy to hear that authorities in California have busted a man suspected of stealing almost $1 million worth of bees and equipment. [More]
Book Stores Fuming Mad Over State Law Forcing Them To Keep Records Of All Autographed Books
By 5.12.17
Walk into an independent book store in most cities and you’re likely to find signed copies of various authors’ books sitting around. Sometimes the authors will sign a bunch as part of an in-store appearance; sometimes the writer or their publisher will ship a box of signed books; sometimes authors just go into stores and do ninja-style signings without anyone knowing. This is all fine in most of the country, but no longer in California, where a new law requires anyone sells virtually any autographed item to include a certificate of authenticity and to keep detailed records of each item for years. [More]
