A recent class-action lawsuit against Land O’Lakes alleges that the farmers’ co-operative was part of a price-fixing conspiracy within the the ovo-industrial complex to keep egg prices artificially high. According to court documents, conspirators worked toward having fewer total hens laying in the United States, leading to more money per egg for everyone, and a nice violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. [More]
class actions
Join The Class Action Against AT&T's Slothly DSL Speeds
By 3.11.10
A class action has been filed against AT&T DSL for being too slow. Specifically, the suit alleges that AT&T set the maximum rate customers could get at a level that was lower than the advertised rate. The company denies these claims but has opted to settle instead of going to court. You’re eligible to join if… [More]
Dating Site eHarmony Settles Same-Sex Class Action For $2 Million
By 1.27.10
In 2008, eHarmony responded to complaints that it wasn’t serving gay and lesbian customers by setting up a second website, Compatible Partners, and keeping those customers separate from the official site. Some users sued the company, saying anyone with bisexual interests were being forced to pay twice for the same service. Now eHarmony has settled the class action and will allow members of either site to participate on the other one without having to pay a second time. [More]
Tyson Chicken Settles Class-Action Suit, Will Pay $4.4 Million To Consumers
By 1.14.10
If you bought Tyson chicken from 2007 to 2009, you may want to start keeping tabs on the new settlement being considered by Tyson to settle the class-action suit against it. The agreement was filed earlier this week, and a review is scheduled for tomorrow. If approved, approximately $4.4 million will supposedly be available to disburse to consumers. [More]
Comcast Settles BitTorrent Throttling Lawsuit
By 12.25.09
Comcast has settled a $16 million class-action lawsuit accusing the Internet provider of preventing customers from sharing files via BitTorrent. The suit alleges that Comcast sold users “unlimited” internet access that was, in fact, quite limited. Comcast still admits no wrongdoing, and affected customers will receive up to $16 each as part of the settlement. Ka-ching! [More]
Recent Class Action Settlement Roundup
By 12.13.09
Motorola handsets, cell phone ringtones, BP propane, Sony VAIO laptops, and the hormone replacement medication Estratest: if you purchased any of these items, you could be eligible for some recently settled class actions. Are you? Well, there’s only one way to find out. [More]
Walmart Unfair Pay Lawsuit Settled In Massachusetts
By 12.6.09
Current and former Walmart employees in Massachusetts (and their lawyers) were awarded $40 million in back wages this week in a class-action lawsuit. The suit was filed eight years ago, and claimed that the mega-retailer owes some hourly employees up to fourteen years’ worth of unpaid overtime, missed breaks, and other uncompensated work. [More]
Possible Class-Action Suit Alleges Xbox Bans Result Of Vast Redmond Conspiracy
By 11.21.09
Microsoft has declared that the owners of banned Xbox consoles have no recourse and no choice but to buy new consoles. Some users see this as unfair and a vast Redmond conspiracy, and law firm AbingtonIP is fighting back with a class-action lawsuit. God bless America.
iPhone App Developer Sued For Stealing Users' Phone Numbers
By 11.6.09
For secretly stealing users’ phone number by exploiting a backdoor iPhone vulnerability, app developer Storm8 got slapped with a class action lawsuit.
Cash4Gold Hit With Racketeering And Fraud Class Action Lawsuit
By 10.15.09
A class action lawsuit (PDF) was filed against Cash4Gold in California federal court last Friday, accusing the company of a “massive scheme to defraud tens of thousands of consumers throughout the nation,” and racketeering.
Maine's Supreme Court To Decide If Consumers Should Be Compensated For Hannaford Security Breach
By 10.12.09
If a retailer doesn’t protect your credit card data and it gets stolen, should you be compensated? Not for any unauthorized charges, which are already covered under banks’ zero-liability protection, but for the time lost dealing with the problem, for the anxiety it causes, and for any future credit history/score issues it might cause?
3 Big Banks Sued For Overdraft Fee Practices
By 7.27.09
Banks don’t believe in first come, first served, when it comes to processing your transactions. Instead, it’s biggest appetite, first served. In other words, they process a batch of debits on your account by order of largest to smallest. The result, critics, and now, several lawsuits, charge that it maximizes the overdraft fees they can harvest.
Scientists Agree: Denny's Is Dangerous
By 7.25.09
Denny’s entrees are loaded with dangerous amounts of salt, according to a class action suit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The CDC recommends consuming no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day, but some Denny’s entrees contain a whopping 5,500 milligrams.
Babies R Us Accused Of Price Fixing
By 7.22.09
If you feel like had to pay too much for baby supplies this past decade, look to Babies R Us. Time reports that last week, “the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia granted class-action status to a complaint that Babies ‘R’ Us coerced manufacturers of high-end strollers, car seats, high chairs, strap carriers and breast pumps into preventing Internet retailers from discounting their products.”
Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
By 7.7.09
If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement.
Bank of America Wins Right To Seize Social Security Benefits To Pay Overdraft Fees
By 6.5.09
The California Supreme Court has effectively reversed a 2004 San Francisco trial court decision that ordered BofA to pay $284.4 million in damages to more than 1.1 million customers. The California Supreme Court ruled that banks can tap Social Security benefits in bank accounts to cover bounced-check fees, a practice consumer advocates say is abusive because Federal law prohibits Social Security benefits from being seized to pay a debt. California law apparently doesn’t consider overdraft fees to be debt, so the fee party will be allowed to rock on indefinitely.
Girls Gone Wild Class Action Settlement Reached
By 2.20.09
A settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild for sending and charging customers for DVDs they didn’t order. After ordering one DVD, defendants Mantra Films, Inc., MRA Holdings LLC and Joe Francis were alleged to enroll customers in a monthly video club plan without the member’s knowledge or consent and charge their credit card without authorizations. Depending on how much proof of purchase they have, class members can get a refund for the videos, shipping costs, or a discount on future jug-jiggling videos. More info at the settlement website, ggwsettlement.com.
Nationwide Insurance Class Action Settlement Proposed
By 2.12.09
A settlement has been proposed in a class action against Nationwide Insurance. The suit says Nationwide should pay for both the car’s repair and depreciated value for policyholders hit by underinsured drivers or involved in hit-and-run accidents. For those who qualify and file, it could mean thousands.
