Do phrases like “low fat,” “gluten-free,” “made with real fruit” and “good source of vitamin C” on the package of a processed fruit snack product make you think that the product is a healthy food? These phrases have all been on the packaging of fruit-like snack substances from General Mills: Froot by the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Gushers. Marketing copy on the front of a box is no substitute for taking a moment to read nutrition information and ingredients. But that hasn’t stopped the Center for Science in the Public Interest from filing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company tried to make consumers believe that their products were wholesome and fruit-based, not full of trans fats, preservatives, and food coloring. [More]
lawsuits
Big Dairy Accused Of Pricefixing Milk By Paying For Cows To Be Killed
By 10.18.11
A new class action lawsuit accuses several dairy industry juggernauts of paying mainly small farmers to send their entire herds to the slaughterhouse in order to reduce the supply of milk and jack up milk prices. [More]
Target Manager Sues, Says Was Fired For Working Through Lunch
By 10.18.11
An ex-Target manager is suing his former employer, accusing the retailer of firing him for working during his lunch break. Ironically, he says it was retaliation for the complaints he had made about being denied uninterrupted breaks. [More]
Woman Sues Facebook For Allegedly Violating Wiretap Law
By 10.17.11
Accusing Facebook of violating federal wiretap laws by tracking her web use when she wasn’t logged in to the site, a Mississippi woman is taking the social networking giant to court. Her suit, which seeks class action status, is going after Facebook for trespassing, invasion of privacy, unjust enrichment and breach of contract. [More]
ATM Council Sues Visa And Mastercard For Forcing Them To Charge Consumers Set Fees
By 10.14.11
Visa and Mastercard have been accused of price fixing in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the the National ATM Council. The suit alleges that nonbank ATM operators could charge customers lower ATM fees when they use other, cheaper payment networks, but are prevented from this by the set access fees Visa and MasterCard charge. [More]
Woman Sues After Sex Toy Causes Pain, Bleeding
By 10.13.11
A Northern California woman is suing a sex toy manufacturer, saying she was hospitalized with pain and bleeding after using the device with her boyfriend. The woman wants damages from the company for personal injury, negligence, and breach of warranty. [More]
SF Giants, MLB Sued Over "San Francisco" Logo
By 10.12.11
If you’ve ever visited San Francisco, you’ve likely seen — and perhaps purchased — a coat or sweatshirt emblazoned with the city name in a distinctive script font, much like the “San Francisco” on jackets and other gear worn by the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Well, now the team, along with Major League Baseball, finds itself in a legal battle with the apparel company that says it owns the trademark. [More]
Passenger Sues Continental, Others Over Turbulent Flight
By 10.11.11
When what was supposed to be a 20-minute flight turns into two-plus hours of turbulence, it’s easy to understand why a passenger would be peeved. But is worthy of a lawsuit against four airlines? [More]
Oracle Must Pay Nearly $200 Million In Largest False Claims Act Settlement
By 10.7.11
The U.S. General Services Administration has nailed tech company Oracle Corporation for allegedly violating the False Claims Act. The company will have to pay $199.5 million for failing to meet contractual obligations, apparently because it didn’t provide correct information about sales practices and discounts offered to customers. The figure is believed to be the largest settlement collected under the act. [More]
Couple Sues Cox After Cable Guy Kills Their Son
By 10.5.11
An Arizona family is suing Cox cable company after one of the cable companies’ outsourced technicians executed their son in a botched break-in. That ex-contractor is now sitting on death row. [More]
Man Sues After Eating Listeria-Tainted Cantaloupe
By 10.5.11
Cantaloupe tainted by listeria have led to 13 deaths, and now, a lawsuit against Jensen Farms and Walmart. [More]
Horizon Organic Sued Over Claims That Its Milk Is Good For Your Brain
By 10.4.11
We all know that milk does a body good — or at least that’s what they say in the commercials — but a new lawsuit claims that one of the nation’s largest producers of organic dairy products is greatly overstating the brain health benefits of some of its milk offerings. [More]
Doctors Sue Washington State For Limiting ER Visits For Medicaid Patients
By 10.3.11
In order to curb medical costs, Washington state lawmakers have capped the amount of annual “non-emergency” visits Medicaid patients can make to emergency rooms at three. Furious about the seemingly arbitrary restriction on patients’ rights, a group of doctors has sued the state over the measure. [More]
Pennsylvania Woman Wins Fifth Lawsuit Against Walmart Over $.02
By 9.30.11
A woman in Pennsylvania is once again making headlines after she successfully sued Walmart over a $.02 price discrepancy and won $100 for her troubles. But this isn’t the first — or second, third, or fourth — time she’s taken Big W to court over small change. [More]
680 lb Man Fired For Being Obese
By 9.29.11
Ronald at one point weighed 680 lbs, a fact that never interfered with his ability to do his job. He received high marks in his performance reviews. Despite this, he was fired for his weight. [More]
Reebok Spent At Least $64 Million On Deceptive EasyTone Ads
By 9.28.11
Earlier today, we wrote about the $25 million settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Reebok over the shoemaker’s misleading ads for its EasyTone line of shoes. And while that $25 million in refunds is a nice slab of cash, it’s chump change compared to what Reebok has spent marketing the shoes — and what it’s earned off their sales. [More]
SEC Warns S&P It May Sue Them
By 9.28.11
In an unprecedented move, the SEC warned S&P that it might be suing it over its rating of a mortgage-backed bond. It’s the first warning a credit rating firm has gotten over its behavior leading up to the financial crisis. [More]
More Groupon Employees Sue Over Unpaid Overtime
By 9.27.11
Groupon was hit with a second employee lawsuit alleging that the company failed to pay overtime. It’s only the latest in a series of major setbacks for the social coupon site casting its future into doubt. [More]
