Although you might like a nice crunch in your chicken sandwich, one Chick-fil-A customer claims there was an unexpected texture baked into the bun of her sandwich: A dead mouse. [More]
lawsuits
LinkedIn Can’t Block Third-Party Scanning Of Public Profiles To Identify Employees Most Likely To Leave
By 8.15.17
LinkedIn is trying to stop a third-party analytics firm from scanning publicly available profiles on the networking site with the purpose of identifying employees most likely to jump ship to a competitor. But a federal judge has granted an injunction against LinkedIn, saying the company appears to be misinterpreting the law in a way that “could profoundly impact open access to the Internet.” [More]
Did Nintendo Rip Off Controller Design For Switch?
By 8.11.17
The Nintendo Switch has been a solid success, selling nearly five million units since its March 2017 release, but one company claims that Nintendo’s hybrid handheld/console gaming device is illegally infringing on its patents. [More]
Mike Tyson Claims ‘Boxing Hall Of Fame’ Is Making Money Off His Name Without Consent
By 8.9.17
Whether you remember Mike Tyson from his 1980s glory days as a championship boxer, that time he bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear, his cameo in The Hangover, or his three-year prison stint for rape, you are probably very familiar with the man’s face. But that doesn’t mean you can just go slapping his photo and name all over merchandise without his permission. [More]
New Hampshire Accuses OxyContin Maker Of Stoking Opioid Epidemic Through Deceptive Marketing
By 8.9.17
As much of the nation deals with the effects of opioid addiction and overuse, some states are attempting to hold the makers of these drugs accountable. Once again, Purdue Pharma, the company behind OxyContin and other opioid painkillers, finds itself in the crosshairs of allegations that it has continued to contribute to this epidemic by deceiving patients and physicians about the safety and efficacy of these drugs. [More]
Walgreens Charged Soda Tax On Unsweetened Beverages
By 8.8.17
It’s only been a few days since Chicago’s tax on sodas and other sweet drinks went into effect, and already some Illinois residents are claiming they’ve been charged improperly for drinks that don’t contain any sweeteners. [More]
Federal Court Confirms: Patent Troll Doesn’t Control The Entire Idea Of “Podcasting”
By 8.7.17
The idea of recording audio and video shows and then posting them online seems rather common-sense, and thousands of people were doing it around the world long before anyone ever coined the term “podcast.” Yet that didn’t stop one company from demanding payment from broadcasters, claiming it holds the patent on the very concept of podcasting. Hopefully this particular piece of trolling has come to an end, with a federal appeals court affirming a previous decision that this patent was trying to protect an invention that already existed. [More]
Heineken Drinker Claims He Became Violently Ill After Finding 2 Geckos In His Beer
By 8.7.17
There’s nothing quite like sitting back and enjoying a cool beverage. But according to a new lawsuit, one man’s beer-drinking experience was anything but relaxing after he claims he found two geckos submerged in his can of Heineken. [More]
New York AG Says States Will Do “Whatever We Have To” To Make Sure Obamacare Subsidies Continue
By 8.2.17
A federal appeals court recently allowed a coalition of more than a dozen states to intervene in a long-running lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of billions of dollars in federal subsidy payments to insurance providers. But regardless of what happens in that case, President Trump has repeatedly dangled the threat that he could pull the plug on those payments at any time. The states coalition says it is preparing for that possibility and is ready to take the White House to court if necessary. [More]
Critics Say New Anti-Trafficking Bill Could “Jeopardize Bedrock Principles” Of Social Media
By 8.2.17
A new Senate bill with rare bipartisan support seeks to curb online sex trafficking, but some critics of the legislation say the bill is so broadly written that it could open up legal floodgates that could expose social media networks Facebook and Twitter and popular reader-edited sites like reddit to prosecution for content published by users. [More]
Appeals Court Will Let States Defend Obamacare Subsidies That White House Likely Won’t
By 8.1.17
A federal appeals court has granted a request from 16 attorneys general to allow them to intervene in a long-running legal challenge to billions of dollars in federal subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act. [More]
Can You Sue Your Insurance Company Over A Data Breach If Your Info Hasn’t Been Used By ID Thieves?
By 8.1.17
With data breaches now a daily occurrence for businesses large and small, there’s a good chance that at least some of your information has been compromised by cybercriminals at some point. But should you be able to sue a company for failing to keep your data safe when the stolen information hasn’t (yet) been misused? [More]
Court Says FAA Must Explain Why It Won’t Do Anything To Stop “Incredibly Shrinking Airline Seat”
By 7.31.17
A federal appeals court has ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to reconsider a petition filed by consumer advocates seeking to halt the ever-decreasing size of airline seating arrangements. [More]
How Home-Grown Tomatoes And Misread Tea Leaves Led To Pointless Police Raid On Innocent Family’s Home
By 7.28.17
When Bob Harte took his two young kids shopping with him at an organic gardening store in Kansas City, Missouri, he had no idea that he had inadvertently set in motion a series of events that would — eight months later — lead to the Harte family watching helplessly as armed sheriff’s deputies searched every corner of their house for nonexistent evidence of a marijuana grow operation. [More]
Judge Rules That Politician Violated First Amendment By Banning Critical Commenter
By 7.27.17
With politicians — most notably our current President — using social media to communicate directly to the world, the question is now being asked whether a lawmaker is violating the First Amendment when they actively block people from following them online. One federal court has chimed in, finding that a politician in Virginia crossed the line when she temporarily banned a constituent from commenting on her Facebook page. [More]
Trump Administration Tells Court: Civil Rights Law Doesn’t Ban Discrimination Against LGBT Workers
By 7.27.17
The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” but does the ban on sex-related discrimination extend to sexual orientation? Not according to the Trump administration, which recently told a federal appeals court that this protection only applies to equal treatment of male and female workers. [More]
United Airlines Sued Over In-Flight Death Of Simon The Giant Rabbit
By 7.27.17
Simon, the giant rabbit who recently died during transport from London to Missouri, was destined to be shown off at the Iowa State Fair. Now, the three investors who had purchased Simon to raise money for the fair are taking United to court, accusing the airline of negligence. [More]
After SCOTUS Ruling, Some Rush To Trademark Racially Charged Terms, Symbols
By 7.26.17
The same day that the Supreme Court ruled that it’s unconstitutional for the Patent and Trademark Office to ban racially charged or offensive trademarks, some people jumped at the chance to get trademark protection on a variety of products — from apparel to beer — bearing brand names and symbols that range from highly questionable to inflammatory. [More]
