Sure, some bartenders might serve you a beer a few hours before your official 21st birthday, but that’s a far cry from growing 40 marijuana plants under the assumption that your state is going to legalize pot at some point in the near future. [More]
legal
Passenger Dragged Off United Airlines Flight Will “Probably” Sue, But Not Yet
By 4.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In a press conference today, the legal team for the passenger who was forcibly removed from his seat and dragged off a United Airlines flight on Sunday by Chicago aviation officers who have since been placed on administrative leave pending investigation says the 69-year-old man will “probably” file a lawsuit over the incident, but not quite yet. [More]
Jewelry Store Worker Ordered To Pay $34.5K For Posting Fake Yelp Review Of Rival
By 4.6.17
While it might be tempting to trash a competing business online, faking a Yelp review can be costly, as one Massachusetts jewelry store employee recently found out. [More]
Mars Inc. Lawsuit Claims Consumers Might Confuse Chocolates For Supplements Brand
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
My, what a difference a few letters can make: Mars Inc. — maker of candy bars, chewing gum, and dog food — is suing Wisconsin chocolate company CocoVaa, claiming its brand could “confuse and deceive” consumers into thinking it is related to CocoaVia, a line of cocoa extract supplements and snacks produced by Mars. [More]
Jury Awards Burglary Victim $1.3M After Insurance Company Rejects $134K Water Damage Claim
By 4.3.17
It’s upsetting enough to have strangers break into your house and steal a bunch of your stuff, but one California homeowner also had to deal with more than a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of water damage caused when burglars filled up the bathtub and left the tap on. But when his insurance company wouldn’t fork over the cash to cover the damages, he took his claim to court. [More]
Dunkin’ Donuts Franchises Settle Lawsuits Over Butter Substitute
By 3.31.17 — Updated: 4.5.17
When you ask for a buttered bagel, what do you mean? Do you want a spread made from the milk of cows, or would you be fine with any spreadable facsimile thereof? A man who wanted the former sued Dunkin’ Donuts last year after getting a bagel that was slathered in butter substitute, and will now receive a settlement in the case. [More]
Man Says Leaking Waffle House Grease Is Damaging His Actual House
By 3.29.17
While living next door to a breakfast restaurant might sound like a dream come true to some, the neighbor of a Waffle House in Alabama says it was more of a nightmare, claiming grease and sewage from the business has leaked onto his property and damaged his home. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Walmart’s Private Label Craft Beer Is “Wholesale Fiction”
By 2.13.17
It can be hard to tell if that craft beer on the grocery shelf comes from the vats of a small, independent brewer, or if it is the product of a commercial vat. That’s the crux of a new class-action seeking lawsuit that claims Walmart is deceiving consumers with its private label “craft” beer brands in an effort to inflate prices. [More]
A Supplement Company Sued Over Research It Didn’t Like… And Lost
By 2.8.17
Unlike FDA-approved medications, makers of dietary supplements are not required to demonstrate that their products are safe or effective. That shouldn’t stop independent researchers from doing their own tests to find out if a product works or is dangerous, but when one Harvard professor tried to do just that, supplement makers tried to shut him up.. [More]
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]
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]
Lottery Players Want A Refund For Buying Losing Tickets To Rigged Games
By 1.4.17
The fallout of a rigged lottery scheme perpetrated by the former director of security for Des Moines-based Multi-State Lottery Association continues in the form of a lawsuit from hundreds of thousands of people who want refunds for their losing tickets. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Chick-Fil-A Discriminates Against Job Applicants With Disabilities
By 12.28.16
An autistic man who was interested in working at an Illinois Chick-fil-A claims in a lawsuit against the fast food chain that he was dissuaded from applying for a job after the restaurant’s manager said people with disabilities wouldn’t do well there. [More]
Judge Says Amazon Must Hand Over Names Of Customers Eligible For WEN Hair Care Settlement
By 12.22.16
Which is more important to you: keeping your personal data private, or the knowledge that a product you purchased is involved in a settlement that may entitle you to compensation? According to a federal judge, the latter is more beneficial to consumers. [More]
Faux Fish Company Ordered To Stop Using “Chickpea Of The Sea” Name
By 12.20.16
As more and more companies jump on the fake meat bandwagon, producing meatless burgers that bleed and now “vegan sushi” meant to mimic the experience of eating fish, it isn’t just consumers that are paying attention: established names in the meat industry are on the lookout for imitators, and ready to protect their trademarks. [More]
Big Olive Oil Accuses Dr. Oz Of Disparagement
By 12.1.16
The “Dr. Oz effect” usually refers to the popular talk show host’s ability to turn unproven “miracle cures” and weight loss fads into instant successes, but fortunes can swing the other way when the Great and Doctorful Oz says not-nice things about a product. [More]
Navajo Nation, Urban Outfitters Settle Lawsuit Over Clothing Designs
By 11.18.16
Urban Outfitters is no stranger to accusations that it’s ripped off designs belonging to others, or offended an entire culture with its clothing, but it can now put one more of those claims behind it after settling a lawsuit brought by the Navajo Nation in 2012. [More]
You Could Be Eligible For These Class Actions And Not Even Know It
By 11.7.16 — Updated: 11.8.16
The class action system is slow, profitable for lawyers, and flawed, but for now it’s the best tool that ordinary consumers have for holding companies that have wronged a lot of people responsible with a relatively small financial impact. Not all suits are well publicized, though, and you might not know that you’re eligible. Did you buy a computer between 2003 and 2008? How about “natural” cleaning products or lavender-scented baby products? [More]
