Costco learned a very expensive lesson this week: A “Tiffany” ring is a specific product sold by a specific company; not just a generic name for any diamond engagement ring. Now the warehouse retailer must pay Tiffany & Company $19.4 million for marketing and selling “Tiffany” diamond rings that had nothing to do with the famed jewelry store. [More]
ruling
Toyota To Pay $14M To Victims Of Crash Involving Camry
By 6.12.17
Eleven years after a crash caused by a Toyota Camry that accelerated uncontrollably, killing three people and injuring several others, a judge upheld a jury’s finding that Toyota was liable for the incident, ordering the carmaker to pay $14 million.
Bank Of America Ordered To Pay $46M Over Improper Foreclosure
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Bank of America must pay $46 million for improperly foreclosing on a California couple’s home in 2010. [More]
Judge Blocks California Law Prohibiting IMDb From Publishing Actors’ Ages
By 2.23.17
After nearly two months of refusing to comply with a recently enacted California law that requires it remove information about actors’ ages and birthdays, Internet Movie Database (IMDb) received a bit of reprieve this week when a federal judge granted the company’s motion for an injunction, blocking the state from enforcing the new law. [More]
State Supreme Court Rules Flower Shop Owner Discriminated Against Same-Sex Couple
By 2.16.17
Back in 2013, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit on behalf of a same-sex couple who claimed their longtime friend and florist refused to provide the flowers for their wedding because of their sexual orientation. Today, that case is being put to rest as the Washington state Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that the florist’s actions violated state laws. [More]
Anthropologie Must Face Complaint From Customer With Crohn’s Barred From Using Employee Restroom
By 2.6.17
Anthropologie will not be able to avoid having to explain why it allegedly violated Illinois state law by refusing to allow a customer with Crohn’s disease to use the employee restroom, resulting in the customer losing control of her bowels in the store. [More]
Apple Must Face Lawsuit Claiming It Ran App Store Monopoly
By 1.13.17
A federal appeals court has breathed new life into six-year-old lawsuit over Apple’s alleged monopoly control of its App Store. [More]
Lawsuit Against For-Profit Sanford Brown Institute Moves Forward, Despite Arbitration Clause
By 6.16.16
The highest court in New Jersey has ruled that a lawsuit filed by former students against for-profit educator Sanford Brown Institute can move forward, even though the school’s enrollment agreement has an arbitration clause that takes away students’ right to file such lawsuits. [More]
Hormel Must Pay Workers For The Time It Takes To Put On, Take Off Uniforms
By 3.1.16
Over the past several years, companies have come under scrutiny for a variety of practices that some see as wage theft, including not providing reimbursement for uniforms, requiring some work to be performed off the clocks, and mandating employees clock out for a break even if they don’t take one. Today, Wisconsin’s highest court found that Hormel Foods owes hundreds of workers back wages for failing to provide compensation for the time spent putting on and taking off required clothing and equipment. [More]
Labor Board Orders Walmart To Rehire 16 Employees Fired For Striking
By 1.22.16
In 2013, a group of Walmart workers chartered buses and traveled to the retailer’s Arkansas headquarters to protest what they believed were inadequate wages and unfair treatment of employees. Several people involved in that event were subsequently fired, but a federal labor court now says Walmart must rehire, and provide back pay to, 16 of these workers.
Time Warner Cable Must Pay Nearly $230,000 For 153 Robocalls To The Wrong Person
By 7.8.15
We can all agree that automated robocalls are an annoying interruption. But you know what’s worse? Receiving those automated calls meant for someone else, telling the company to place you on the Do Not Call list and then continuing to receive a total of 153 prerecorded messages. [More]
Judge Rules That Early Termination Fees Are ILLEGAL In California
By 7.31.08
A California Superior Court judge has ruled that cellphone early termination fees are ILLEGAL and that Sprint must pay $18.2 M as part of a class action lawsuit. Of course, the decision could be appealed, but in the meantime…. (drum roll, please) the judge ordered Sprint to stop trying to collect the fees from customers in California who were refusing to pay them!
FCC Takes Action To Prevent Cable Companies From Dropping Digital Broadcast Networks From Analog Cable
By 9.13.07
In 2009, broadcast channels are going to switch over to digital, freeing up a large swath of bandwidth that will be sold to the highest bidder. At that point, says the FCC, cable companies were going to drop broadcast networks from analog cable.
