Like Lady Godiva and Sampson before her, a woman in Oregon took great pride in her long locks, which used to reach the small of her back. Until, she claims, a shampoo she bought from Walmart tangled her hair so badly she had to cut large chunks of it off. [More]
lawsuits
Court Rules That Companies Can’t Litigate In Secret Just To Protect Reputation
By 4.16.14
Since 2012, we’ve been telling you about the mysterious case of Company Doe, a business that had sued the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission over the agency’s SaferProducts.gov database and had convinced a court to let it do so anonymously in order to protect the company’s reputation, setting a dangerous precedent that would allow manufacturers to file such lawsuits completely out of view of the public. But a federal appeals court has sided with consumer advocates and ordered that Company Doe’s identity be revealed. [More]
Lawsuit: Magically Slimming Underwear Didn’t Do Any Magical Slimming
By 4.15.14
Why would you buy a slimming garment? Because you want it to make you slim, obviously. So when two Massachusetts women bought special skivvies marketed based on their weight-reducing ingredients and felt that no such weight reduction happened, they decided to sue. [More]
Former Chipotle Worker Claims She Was Fired For Taking Time To Heal After Abusive Situation
By 4.15.14
A former New York City Chipotle worker is suing the Mexican eatery, claiming she was fired from her job because she took time off to recover from an abusive situation involving her boyfriend. She says in the suit that when she fractured her finger during an altercation with her boyfriend, she was punished for taking time off on the doctor’s orders. [More]
Woman Suing Subway Because It’s Rude To Write “Big Mama” On Her Flatizza Box
By 4.14.14
A woman in California says she’s planning legal action against the Subway chain of sandwich shops because a Subway worker wrote the words “Big Mama” on her order and because was less-than-thrilled by the company’s response. [More]
Appeals Court Denies SeaWorld’s Attempt To Overturn OSHA Violation
By 4.11.14
The main reason that people nominated and voted for SeaWorld in our recently concluded Worst Company In America tournament was the controversy — highlighted in the documentary Blackfish — over its treatment of orca whales and, more precisely, the multiple deaths that have been tied to one particular whale. SeaWorld has been fighting workplace safety citations issued following the 2010 death of a trainer, but today a federal appeals court ruled against the park. [More]
Aereo Coming To Chromecast As Supreme Court Ruling Looms
By 4.10.14
As streaming-video service Aereo prepares to make its case before the U.S. Supreme Court later this month, it continues on in its effort to expand its audience (who may have their new toy taken away from them if the Supremes rule in favor of the broadcast networks). Today, Aereo announced that it will soon become available via Google’s Chromecast dongle, making it easier for people to see the streamed feeds on their TVs. [More]
Parents Of Autistic Kids Sue Disney Over New Waiting Line Policy
By 4.10.14
In an effort to discourage some ethically questionable visitors who had been hiring disabled “tour guides” (or who pretended to be disabled themselves) in order to skip long lines at Disney park attractions, the company instituted a policy change last October. Rather than moving directly to the front of the line, these guests are given tickets that tells them when to come back so they don’t have to endure a wait in line. But some parents of autistic children have sued Disney over the policy, saying it goes too far and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. [More]
GM Unsure If Or How To Compensate Ignition-Switch Victims, Could End Up Facing Criminal Case
By 4.7.14
Roughly 7 million cars and trucks recalled, at least 13 confirmed deaths tied to one faulty part, and a decade-long cover-up all adds up to one surefire thing: GM is getting dragged to court. But which court? In the midst of all the pending suits, shouting senators, Capitol Hill hearings, and other legalese, there’s still one big question up in the air for General Motors: is this mess only going to cost them money, or did they screw up badly enough to face criminal charges, too? [More]
Court Shoots Down Big Meat’s Challenge To USDA’s Country-Of-Origin Labeling Rules
By 3.28.14
Last year, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture enacted new rules requiring meat producers to provide more specific details on the country or countries of origin for their products. Saying the new mandate placed too onerous a burden on them, suppliers sued to block the rule change, but that challenge has been shut down by a federal appeals court. [More]
Court To Decide If Recalled GM Cars Should Remain Parked Pending Repairs
By 3.27.14
Earlier this week, plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against General Motors over the ongoing ignition-related recall of more than a million cars asked the court to issue an injunction that would compel GM to urge drivers to stop driving these vehicles until the repairs. Today it was announced that both sides will get to argue their position before the court on April 4. [More]
Former BofA CEO To Pay $10 Million, Is Barred From Being An Exec For 3 Years
By 3.26.14
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from former Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, the acquisition-happy buffoon who thought it would be a grand idea to buy Countrywide without doing any due diligence on all those worthless loans written by the failing company. And it will be another few years before he’s allowed to climb back to the top of the corporate ladder, as he’s agreed to a 3-year ban from serving as an officer or director of any public company. [More]
Supreme Court Hearing Arguments On Hobby Lobby’s Challenge To Contraception Mandate
By 3.25.14
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case that could have a far-reaching impact on businesses whose owners’ religious beliefs may run counter to the medical needs of their employees, as craft store chain Hobby Lobby and a Pennsylvania cabinet-making business each challenge the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that employers provide health insurance that includes coverage for contraception. [More]
GM Knew Chevy Cobalt Ignition Could Turn Itself Off, Released Car Anyway
By 3.25.14
If you’re a carmaker and you find out the vehicle you’re about to release had an ignition-switch issue that could not only stop the car’s engine but render the power steering, air bags, and power brakes useless, you probably wouldn’t release that car. It’s a shame you weren’t a General Motors executive 10 years ago. [More]
Amazon Begins Issuing Credits From E-Book Price-Fixing Lawsuit
By 3.25.14
While Apple is still fighting the court’s ruling that it was involved in e-book price-fixing with America’s largest book publishing companies, those publishers have all reached settlements with the various regulators, attorneys general, and others over the same allegations that they colluded to set an inflated price on e-books. Today, Amazon began issuing credit to its customers who paid too much because of the publishers’ actions. [More]
Senator Asks Justice Department To Hold GM Responsible For Ignition Fire Lawsuits
By 3.24.14
Earlier this year, GM issued a massive recall of nearly 1.4 million vehicles due to problems with the ignition switch. GM apparently knew about those problems — which have caused several fatalities — for up to thirteen years before issuing the recall, and reportedly also ignored piles of consumer complaints in that timeframe. Consumers’ entirely predictable lawsuits against GM have already begun, but those lawsuits are facing a big potential snag. [More]
Appeals Court Resurrects Fed’s Debit Card Swipe Fee Limits
By 3.21.14
In a move that will please banks and annoy retailers, a federal appeals court has overruled a lower court decision on swipe fees — the amount banks charge retailers for each debit card transaction — and revived the previous controversial standards put in place by the Federal Reserve in 2011. [More]
Fitbit Sued Over Itch-And-Rash-Inducing Wristbands
By 3.20.14
Nearly a month after Fitbit voluntarily recalled its Fitbit Force bracelets over complaints from thousands of users who developed itchy rashes while wearing the devices, and weeks after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission made the recall official, comes the first of what will likely be many lawsuits against the company. [More]
