Class Action Lawsuit and Litigation News
Woman sues Cabela’s for a crossbow lesson that ended with weapon recoiling into her eye
A Texas woman claims she was not given proper instructions before shooting a crossbow for the first time
08/22/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Amy Martyn
Amy Martyn is a writer and investigative reporter now based ... Read Full Bio→

A Texas woman’s first attempt to shoot a crossbow went horribly wrong, according to a lawsuit she filed against the retail chain Cabela’s, where she had her botched lesson.
Tonya Kuykendall says in her lawsuit that she visited Cabela’s, the hunting and fishing store owned by Bass Pro Shops, in 2016 and asked to test out a crossbow equipped with a scope.
The employee at the Waco, TX location where she visited, identified in the suit only as “Austin,” took her to the store’...
Verizon blames employee error for firefighters' data interruption during California fires
During California’s biggest wildfire on record, a fire department vehicle’s service was compromised
08/22/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Kristen Dalli
Kristen Dalli is a New York native and recent graduate ... Read Full Bio→

When a fire department vehicle’s wireless service was interrupted in the midst of California’s biggest wildfire, the wireless provider -- Verizon -- pointed its fingers at a customer service error.
In a court filing this week, the Santa Clara Fire Department said one of its crews had its service significantly affected as it was fighting a wildfire at the Mendocino Complex.
“County Fire has experienced throttling by its ISP, Verizon,” Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony ...
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Texas representative cites lawsuit abuse in attempt to gut the Americans with Disabilities Act
So-called lawsuit 'trolls' are being blamed for efforts to dismantle the civil rights legislation
09/21/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Amy Martyn
Amy Martyn is a writer and investigative reporter now based ... Read Full Bio→

The Americans with Disabilities Act has been in effect for 27 years, and is responsible for familiar accessibility features like handicapped-designated parking spots and ramps in public spaces and large businesses.
Like other civil rights legislation, the ADA is enforced by either filing a complaint with the federal government or by filing suit. However, a few unscrupulous attorneys and plaintiffs have abused this to such an extent that the ADA may soon face legislation...
Evanger's sues beef supplier after having to conduct a recall
The company says the beef it bought was laced with horsemeat and euthanizing drugs
04/27/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

Pet owners may remember a recall initiated earlier this year by Evanger’s after the pet food company said that certain lots of its “Hunk of Beef” product were contaminated with pentobarbital. The chemical is known to cause drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, and nausea – and in this case, it caused the death of a pug in Washington.
Now the company is suing its beef supplier, Wisconsin-based Bailey Farms LLC. According to Courthouse News, the suit charges ...
Washington state seeks judgment against food trade group
Attorney general claims intentional subterfuge during ballot initiative
01/28/2016 | ConsumerAffairs
By Mark Huffman
Mark Huffman has been a consumer news reporter for ConsumerAffairs ... Read Full Bio→

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has asked a state court for a summary judgment against the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), as well as imposition of civil penalties.
The request stems from a lawsuit over the 2013 ballot initiative that attempted to require a special label on food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO).
GMA, a Washington, DC-based food industry trade group, marshaled industry resources to oppose the measure, saying it wou...
Barclays to pay $2 billion to regulators for its role in the 2008 financial crisis
The bank’s CEO said he was ‘pleased’ with the DOJ settlement
03/30/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Amy Martyn
Amy Martyn is a writer and investigative reporter now based ... Read Full Bio→

Ten years after the 2008 housing crisis triggered major losses in the world’s economy, a British banking giant accused of helping fuel the meltdown has finally reached a settlement with United States regulators -- and it’s about $3 billion less than what the feds originally asked for.
Barclays has agreed to pay $2 billion to the United States Department of Justice to settle a longstanding investigation into its subprime mortgage loans.
The housing crisis cost the United S...
Tesla shareholders file suit over SolarCity acquisition
The plaintiffs say they were given misleading and false information in order to secure approval
04/03/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

Back in November, we reported that Tesla shareholders had greenlighted the acquisition of SolarCity. At the time, CEO Elon Musk promised that the deal would add $1 billion in revenue by 2017, even though some experts questioned the move based on SolarCity’s past earnings.
Now, two shareholders have filed a lawsuit against Musk and certain Tesla officials, stating that the financial statements they were given before the vote were false and misleading, according to Courtho...
CEO of Bumble Bee Foods indicted on price-fixing charge
The Justice Department claims the executive conspired with other tuna companies to set prices
05/17/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Mark Huffman
Mark Huffman has been a consumer news reporter for ConsumerAffairs ... Read Full Bio→

Federal prosecutors have secured an indictment against Christopher Lischewski, the CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, on one count of price fixing.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury in San Francisco, claims that Lischewski conspired with others in the industry, from November 2010 to December 2013, to set prices for canned tuna.
Through his lawyer, Lischewski said he is innocent.
"When the facts are known and the truth emerges, Mr. Lischewski will be found not guilty, and that...
JPMorgan Chase to pay $264 million to settle corruption charges
Positions and internships were often given based on referrals of foreign officials and clients and not merit
11/17/2016 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

JPMorgan Chase has caught the ire of regulators for allegedly hiring and giving internships to candidates based on requests from foreign governments, officials, and clients. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) points out that this type of nepotism is a breach of federal law, and now the company must pay a $264 million settlement.
“Referral Hires did not compete against other candidates based on merit and, in most instances, were less qualified,” SEC officials sa...
Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay millions in talcum powder lawsuit
A man claims he developed cancer because of asbestos in talc-based products
04/06/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Sarah D. Young
Sarah D. Young has been a columnist for a blog ... Read Full Bio→

Johnson & Johnson has been sued thousands of times over the past few years over its marketing of talcum powder. Many women have claimed the company knew of a link between ovarian cancer and talc use for decades.
Asbestos-related lawsuits are the most recent challenge for the pharmaceutical giant. The latest lawsuit to hit the company was filed by a man, Stephen Lanzo, who alleged that he developed mesothelioma after inhaling dust that was generated through his regular us...
Johnson & Johnson to pay over $110 million in latest talcum powder lawsuit
The company faces a blizzard of lawsuits over its talc-based products
05/08/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

Just over a year ago, a South Dakota woman was awarded $55 million after a jury decided that the Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder she used for years caused her to develop ovarian cancer. It was the second major blow to the company in recent months, as another jury had awarded $72 million to the family of an Alabama woman who had died of cancer after regularly using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder.
Now, yet another lawsuit against the company has found success. On Thursday, ...
Facebook sued for allegedly allowing housing discrimination
The besieged social networking company faces one more headache
03/28/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Mark Huffman
Mark Huffman has been a consumer news reporter for ConsumerAffairs ... Read Full Bio→

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and three of its member groups have sued Facebook, claiming its advertising allows landlords and real estate brokers to exclude certain groups from viewing ads for housing.
The complaint alleges that Facebook, despite being warned that discriminatory advertising may violate fair housing laws, still offers that option to advertisers. Specifically, the suit alleges Facebook allows advertisers to exclude families with children, wome...
CFPB takes aim at online lead aggregator over abusive practices
The agency says the company regularly led consumers into 'bad deals'
09/07/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

An online lead aggregator has caught the ire of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for directing consumers towards lenders who offered illegal or unlicensed loan services.
Zero Parallel, LLC has been charged by the agency of allegedly selling consumers’ payday and installment loan applications to collectors who were likely to make void loans that lenders had no legal right to collect. The CFPB’s proposed order against the company and its owner Davit Gasparya...
Target to pay $18.5 million in latest settlement of its 2013 data breach
The settlement covers 47 states and the District of Columbia
05/23/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

No one ever said that legal settlements were a quick process, but after more than three years, 47 states and the District of Columbia will be compensated for Target’s infamous 2013 data breach.
Target will pay a record $18.5 million in penalties for a data breach that compromised millions of customer credit and debit card accounts. California will get the largest part of that settlement at $1.4 million. Alabama, Wisconsin, and Wyoming did not paticipate in the action and...
Panera Bread to face jury trial for franchise that added peanut butter to allergic child’s sandwich
A judge has determined that the family’s lawsuit can move forward
06/15/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Amy Martyn
Amy Martyn is a writer and investigative reporter now based ... Read Full Bio→

Panera Bread’s grilled cheese sandwiches don’t come with peanut butter, but as a precaution, Elissa Russo says she advised a Massachusetts store that her daughter has a severe peanut allergy -- twice. She was ordering the meal online and had left warnings about her daughter’s allergy throughout the “comments” sections in the delivery portal.
After the food arrived, Russo’s six-year-old took one bite into her grilled cheese and said it tasted funny. Her parents opened t...
Claim that Roundup caused man's cancer goes to trial in California
The dying plaintiff is suing Monsanto, the company that makes it
06/18/2018 | ConsumerAffairs
By Mark Huffman
Mark Huffman has been a consumer news reporter for ConsumerAffairs ... Read Full Bio→

A trial is getting underway in California today in which a consumer who used Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup claims the product caused his cancer.
Forty-six year-old Dewayne Johnson is the first of hundreds of plaintiffs against the chemical giant to have his case heard in court. Johnson worked as a school groundskeeper and, during the course of his job, says he regularly used Roundup to keep grass and weeds under control.
Johnson's case was bumped to the top of the heap af...
FAA fines company $200,000 illegal drone flights
The agency alleges that 65 illegal flights took place over Chicago and New York City
01/18/2017 | ConsumerAffairs
By Christopher Maynard
Christopher Maynard is a New York-based writer and editor who ... Read Full Bio→

Commercial drones are an ideal product for getting spectacular aerial views, but operators must be careful of where they fly them. That’s a lesson that SkyPan International is learning the hard way after reaching a settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The aerial photography company has agreed to pay $200,000 for allegedly conducting 65 illegal flights above the cities of Chicago and New York City from 2012 to 2014. In a press announcement, the FAA s...