The business pages are lighting up this morning with the news that baby formula biggie Mead Johnson Nutrition — makers of Enfamil — is being bought by Reckitt Benckhiser (whose brands include baby-stopping Durex condoms) for $16.6 billion, but we’re more interested in a new whistleblower lawsuit from a former Mead Johnson executive who claims the company ignored concerns about defective packaging and fired her for trying to get the problem addressed. [More]
lawsuits
Spinal Tap Reunites… To Take Movie Distributor To Court Over $400M
By 2.8.17
The three core members of legendary fictional heavy metal band Spin̈al Tap have reunited, not for a new album, movie, or tour, but to sue a film distributor for $400 million. [More]
New Lawsuit Claims Trump’s Pro-Deregulation Executive Order Violates Constitution
By 2.8.17
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order intended to spur massive deregulation — or at least curb new regulations — by requiring that for each new rule issued by a federal agency, at least two rules would have to be undone. Now that order is the target of a legal action claiming that it violates the Constitution and will ultimately harm American consumers. [More]
5-Hour Energy Ordered To Pay $4.3 Million For Deceptive Ads
By 2.8.17
Four months after a Washington state court ruled that the maker of the popular 5-Hour Energy drink had misled consumers into believing that its product was superior to caffeine, the judge has ordered the company to pay a total of $4.3 million. [More]
Reminder: Get $10 For Your Long-Gone Computer In Optical Drive Class Action
By 2.7.17
Did you buy a computer between April 1, 2003 and Dec. 31, 2008? Most people reading this probably did, and that makes you eligible for a class action settlement depending on which state you lived in at the time. You don’t need to still have your old computer or its serial number to file a claim in the class action. [More]
State Lawmakers Push Back Against Philadelphia Soda Tax
By 2.6.17
The beverage industry’s efforts to derail Philadelphia’s new controversial tax on sweetened drinks have thus far been unsuccessful, leading to higher prices and unhappy customers when the tax went into effect on Jan. 1. Now, dozens of state lawmakers are going after the city’s tax, calling it an “impermissible sales tax” that “sets a dangerous precedent.” [More]
Facebook: There Is No “Wonder Machine” To Automatically Detect Hate Speech, Abuse
By 2.6.17 — Updated: 4.5.17
Social media services like Facebook and Twitter have taken a lot of heat in recent years over many of the hateful things their users share with the rest of the world. Some have accused these companies of not doing enough to prevent this sort of behavior in the first place, but Facebook says there is really not much else it can do right now. [More]
JCPenney And Macy’s Settle Long-Running Lawsuit Over Martha Stewart Housewares
By 2.3.17
Does it feel like 2012 was very long ago? That’s when JCPenney and Macy’s began their dispute over who has the right to sell Martha Stewart’s branded housewares in their stores. The two chains have finally decided to settle the case, though the terms weren’t disclosed. [More]
Ride-Hailing App Drivers Want To Put Ads Up If Taxis Can
By 2.2.17
If there are ads on the outside of taxis as well as on their insides, why can’t drivers for ride-hailing apps put up ads of their own? A company that provides an app that turns a driver’s tablet into a ride-hailing version of Taxi TV is suing the city of Chicago, which bans advertising in cars for ride-hailing app services. [More]
Trump Golf Club Must Pay $5M To Members Who Paid Dues But Weren’t Allowed To Play
By 2.2.17
Former members who sued the Trump National Golf Club are owed more than $5 million after a federal judge ruled in found that the company breached its membership contract by taking plaintiffs’ dues while barring them from actually using the club. [More]
Judge Rejects Settlement In PlayStation 3 “Other OS” Lawsuit
By 2.2.17 — Updated: 2.13.17
How many PlayStation 3 owners actually cared that they couldn’t run Linux on their consoles after a software update in 2010? Sure, there was the U.S. Air Force, and a few nerds, but most people probably didn’t care. At least according to an attorney in a class action against Sony over the loss of the feature; a case that was all but closed until the judge decided to reject the settlement.. [More]
State: Time Warner Cable Defrauded Customers By Advertising Internet Speeds It Couldn’t Provide
By 2.1.17
Back in 2015, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched a statewide effort to measure residents’ broadband speeds to see if they were getting the “blazing fast” internet access that the service providers advertised. Today, Schneiderman announced his office is suing New York City’s biggest broadband provider for not only failing to live up to its promises, but for allegedly knowing that many customers couldn’t possibly see the speeds that TWC promised. [More]
Company Demands Thousands Of Dollars Over Negative Yelp Reviews, Despite Federal Law
By 2.1.17
In December, after an inexplicably long trip through the legislative process, President Obama signed the Consumer Review Fairness Act, making it illegal for companies to demand that consumers sign away their right to speak honestly. However, not everyone seems to have gotten this message. [More]
Consumer Advocates, 17 States Willing To Defend CFPB In Court If Trump Administration Won’t
By 1.26.17
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is barely five years old and its future is already in doubt after a divided federal appeals court ruled that the CFPB’s leadership structure is unconstitutional. The Bureau’s legal battle is far from over, but the new Trump administration would likely not fight a court ruling the White House seems to agree with. That’s why a number of consumer advocates and more than a dozen state attorneys general have stepped up, seeking to defend the CFPB if the new executive branch won’t. [More]
Should Microsoft Be Allowed To Tells Its Users When Government Searches Their Data?
By 1.23.17
If the police serve a search warrant on your home, you know, but if law enforcement searches your cloud-stored files, you’ll probably have no idea — and companies like Microsoft are currently forbidden from telling you. That’s why the tech giant is suing the Justice Department, but can Microsoft even bring this lawsuit? [More]
Jury Finds Dish Liable For Annoying Telemarketing Calls By Dealer
By 1.20.17
Poor Dish Network. After its dealers engaged in illegal telemarketing years ago, now everyone’s holding it responsible for those calls: first it was federal and state regulators, and now the jury in a class action lawsuit in North Carolina has concluded that the satellite provider’s sales force broke the law. [More]
Appeals Court Says Samsung Can’t Use In-Box Warranty Booklet To Strip Customers Of Legal Rights
By 1.20.17
Last week, we used the example of a Stormtrooper Snuggie to show how easy it is for companies to take away customers’ constitutional rights with just a slip of paper placed inside the box. Now a federal appeals court has ruled that Samsung can’t use an in-the-box warranty booklet to derail a class-action lawsuit. [More]
Unhappy Guests Claim Bahamas Resort Infested With Bed Bugs
By 1.19.17
Regardless of how much time you spend outside in the sun, sand, and surf when you’re on vacation, you still want to be able to end your day in a bed that is nice and clean. Yet some guests at a popular Bahamas resort say they were attacked by a colony of bed bugs living in their hotel room. [More]
