Class Action News

Class Action News Search

Links are provided to a variety of class action news sources including USA Today, CNN, New York Times, Findlaw,MSnbc, Google and Yahoo. Links are also provided for Class Action Cases recently in the news.

Class Action Cases in the News

December 2011/January 2012

In a class action complaint filed December 14, 2011, Shirley J. White et al v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Case No. 11-cv-2243, U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas, it is alleged that the 2003-2007 Volkswagen New Beetle, due to a defect in the design and/or manufacture of the Tiptronic automatic transmission, has experienced transmission malfunctions and required replacements causing owners to sustain substantial monetary damages...
In another class action complaint involving Wal-Mart, Jeremy Braden v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., et al., Case No. 08-cv-3798 Wal-Mart workers alleged the fees they were overcharged by Merrill Lynch, a unit of Bank of America, to administer the Wal-Mart 401(k) plans. A $13.5 million settlement has been reached with the retailer and its plan administrator, Merrill Lynch...
In a class action complaint filed December 5, 2011 in Superior Court of the State of California, Jason Hilton, et al vs. Apple Inc., a California corporation; and Does 1 through 50, inclusive, it is alleged that Apple has categorized call center workers as contractors in order to avoid "the payment of these legally proscribed Business Related Expenses"
A federal class action lawsuit Edward Rossi v. The Procter & Gamble Company, Case No. 33-av-00001, has been filed in U. S. District Court, District of New Jersey. The class action claims that P&G made unsupported claims about what the product was able to do and that the disputed product has essentially the same ingredients as a less expensive product being marketed without the claims...
A class action lawsuit was filed December 13, 2011 in the United States District Court of Northern District of California, Randy Boysen, et al v. Walgreen Co, an Illinois Corp. d.b.a. Walgreens. The classaction alleges that Walgreens 100‰ Grape Juice and 100 ‰ Apple Juice contain significant levels of arsenic and lead...

October/November 2011

In the Johnson v. Apple Inc. class action lawsuit a settlement has been reached. If you purchased or received as a gift an iTunes gift card and stated on the card or package was language indicating that songs were priced at $.99 and you purchased an iTune song before May 10, 2010, you are a member of the settlement class. To view detailed information about the settlement visit Johnson v. Apple Inc. Class Action Settlement Website. Additional information can be found at this website for:

Important Dates and Deadlines
Instructions for Filing a Claim
File a Claim Form Release
ITune Class Notice
Frequently Asked Questions
While Galeos denies the allegations, a settlement has been reached in Cooperman et al. v. Galeos, LLC et al.. The class action lawsuit alleged that Galeos had mislabeled several of their salad dressing products. If you purchased a Galeos product between November 29, 2006 and May 3, 2011 you may be eligible to receive a refund...
A settlement has been reached In re: Farmers Insurance Co., Inc. FCRA Litigation. It was alleged that Farmers Insurance Company, Inc. (as well as Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and/or Mid-Century Insurance Company) violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act when determining premiums for some new and some existing clients. The settlement agreement provides for class members $35 and a free credit report. For detailed information about class membership and filing deadlines visit the Farmers Insurance Co., Inc. FCRA Settlement site...
A proposed settlement of Class Action for In re Del Monte Foods Company Shareholder Litigation, Consolidated C.A. No. 6027-VCL is (Del Monte Notice) pending in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. If you held any Del Monte Foods Company common stock at any time between November 25, 2010 and March 8, 2011 you are a part of this settlement class. A hearing will be held December 1, 2011 to determine whether the Court should approve the Settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate...
A class action constitutional rights lawsuit was filed October 4th in the Southern District of New York on behalf of several named individuals and anyone else who participated in the October 1st protest and subsequent mass arrest. The demonstrators were part of the "Occupy Wall Street" protests that have sprung up around the U.S. and overseas...
A Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement In re Michael Rubin, Plaintiff, v. MF Global, LTD., et al. has been reached. A series of proposed class actions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York beginning on March 6, 2008. The court, subsequently, issued orders consolidating these cases into the present litigation. Even though a settlement has been reached the settling defendants have denied and continue to deny that they have committed any act of wrong doing. To view settlement terms of the MF settlement, or to download Proof of Claim & Release, E-Claim Filing Guidelines or E-Claim Filing Template visit our recent class action notices.
In Cooperman et al. v. Galeos, LLC, et al., Case No. SACV 10-01815-JVS (FFMx), U.S. District Court, Central District of California a settlement has been reached. Individuals who purchased a Galeos product between November 29, 2006 to May 3, 2011 may be eligible for a full refund. Additional information about the settlement can be found on the Galeos class action settlement page and refunds can be claimed by completing the refunds form provided. Additional settlement information can be found by viewing Galeos Cafe Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement PDF and Galeos Cafe Settlement Agreement PDF.
In re Del Monte Company Shareholders Litigation/CUSIP24522P103/Ticker "DLM"/ISIN US24522P1030 A Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Class Action ("Notice") is currently pending in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. If you held any Del Monte Foods Company ("Del Monte") common stock at any time between and including November 25, 2010 and March 8, 2011 (regardless of the date of purchase of Del Monte common stock) you are a member of the settlement class. Copies of the notice may be downloaded below or requested from abdataclassaction by emailing fulfillment@abadata.com.
Del Monte Claim Form.pdf Del Monte E-Claim Filing Guidelines.pdf
Del Monte E-Claim Filing Template.xls Del Monte Notice.pdf
In Weeks v. Kellogg, a lawsuit alleging that Rice Krispies cereal and Cocoa Krispies cereal engaged in false advertising when they claimed that these cereals supported a person's immunity system, settlement has been reached. By agreeing to a settlement, Kellogg Company has avoided the costs and risk of a trial. They have denied any wrong doing and continue to stand by their advertising. If you purchased Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal or Cocoa Krispies cereal in the U.S. between June 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010 you may be entitled to a cash payment of up to $15. Claim forms must be submitted by Nov. 16, 2011. These forms my be submitted online or downloaded and mailed. Additional information can be found at www.CerealAdvertisingSettlement.com

August/September 2011

Lisa Margolis vs. Atlantic Coast Media Group LLC and Hydroxatone LLC - A class action lawsuit has been filed against Atlantic Media Group LLC and Hydroxatone LLC. The class action suit alleges "Defendants advertise that these products are tested as a free trial....(but instead of a free trial) Defendants send customers a three-month supply of products ...(and)bill the customer’s credit card" for products not ordered...
Trevino v. Westamerica Bank - Westamerica Bank has agreed to pay $2 million in refunds to class members who had more than one overdraft fee charge in a single day between July 1, 2006 and April 20, 2011. Members of the class action settlement do not need to do anything. You will automatically receive your settlement award unless you act before September 5, 2011 to exculde yourself from the class settlement...
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Final approval for the Dean Foods $30 million class action settlement sought by 9,000 Northeast dairy farmers has been given...
In Aguayo v. U.S. Bank, Case No. 09-56679 the 9th Circuit has reversed a lower court ruling that dismissed a class action lawsuit brought against U.S. Bank over post-repossession notices. The U.S. Bank has required California consumers to cover any short fall occurring in loan coverage after the sale of a repossessed vehicle...
A class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against WebMD Health Corp. on behalf of purchasers of "WebMD" common stock between February 23, 2011 and July 15, 2011. The complaint charges that WebMD and certain of its officers violated federal securities laws...
The U.S. Supreme Court has, in the last four months written decisions dealing with securities class actions (Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. v. Siracusano - March, Erica P. John Fund, Inc. v. Halliburton Co. - June), arbitration and class action (AT & T Mobility v. Concepcion - April), application of the Anti-Injunction Act to state class actions (Smith v. Bayer - June), and required commonality necessary in class actions (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes - June). These decisions will have far reaching impact on future class action litigation...
A proposed settlement has been made in the class action lawsuit begun in 1999 against United Artists Theatre Circuit, Inc. ("UA") and American Blast Fax, Inc. ("ABF"). In 1999 UA and ABF sent a fax to phone numbers in Maricopa County, Arizona advertising discount movie tickets. If you held one of the phone numbers to which these faxes were sent you may be entitled participate in the settlement...
If you purchased a Nokia 8860 phone in the United States directly from Nokia, AT&T or any other authorized seller, dealer, or distributor of the Nokia Model 8860, you may be a Class Member. Nokia denies any wrong doing but has agreed to settle the class action case brought against it (Terrell Ervin v. Nokia Inc. et al.) in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois. For information about your rights in this settlement and to find out whether you qualify for a settlement Benefit visit www.8860settlement.com.
If you are a female farmer or a hispanic farmer, you may be eligible for compensation if you were denied a farm loan during certain periods between 1981 - 2000. If you qualify and submit a timely claim it is possible to receive an award in cash. You can request a Claim Package at the Women and Hispanic Claims Program Site.
Legal Times - After more than 15 years of litigation, a federal judge in Washington has given final approval to the landmark $3.4 billion Native American Class Action Settlement. As part of the settlement, plaintiffs' attorneys will receive $99 million for legal fees. The final settlement also includes $1.9 billion for a land consolidation program...
Associated Press - After 10 years of litigation, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously not to certify Dukes vs. Wal-Mart as a class action suit. Reversing the decision made by San Francisco's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote has ruled that "there were too many women in too many different jobs at Wal-Mart" to wrap into one lawsuit. The decision by the Supreme Court, however, did not address whether Wal-Mart had discriminated against its female employees - only that the women did not have enough in common to constitute a "class".The plaintiffs' lawyers have promised to pursue the plaintiffs' claims that women employees were paid less than men in every region...

June/July 2011

Starkle Ventures v. United Artists Settlement Website - A proposed class action agreement creating a fund in excess of $6.8 million to pay class members, costs of suit, attorneys' fees and class representatives has been reached. The settlement affects anyone who held an Arizona fax number in 1999 and received a faxed advertising discount movie tickets. To determine if your fax number is on the list of numbers filed, visit the website above...
Online Media Daily - A federal Judge decided in June to approve Google's $8.5 million settlement in a class action privacy lawsuit brought against Google in 2010. The class action suit stemmed from privacy issues related to Google's launch of Buzz, its social network site. Originally the settlement included 12 entities but the Electronic Privacy Information Center and Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University were added to the list of organizations receiving settlement funds...
Courthousenews.com - A settlement agreement approved by a federal judge may end $6 billion class action litigation brought by the Skokomish Tribe against the city of Tacoma’s public utilities department in 1999. In addition to the public utilities department, the original suit named as defendants the United States, the city of Tacoma and five board members. Claims against the U.S., the city of Tacoma and board members were dismissed in 2000 and 2001...
Reuters - 15 former Coutrywide Financial Corp institutional investors which include T Rowe Price Group Inc., TIAA-CREF, California Public Employees' Retirement System and others have sued Bank of America Corp have filed suit in Los Angeles federal court after deciding not to join the $624 million settlement that was approved by the court in February...
PublishersWeekly.com - An objector brief has been filed in the Google Books litigation. Judge Denny Chin, a week earlier, gave the parties involved in the Google Books litigation until September 15th to come back with a revised settlement. The objector brief challenges the class action status of the suit based on the recent Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes et al. Supreme Court ruling...
Mondaq.com - The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion favored arbitration clauses requiring class action waiver over the right of the consumer to address issues as a class in a class action litigation...

April/May 2011

Center for Class Action Fairness, LLC - The Center for Class Action Fairness has filed an objection to the $3.4 billion Cobell Indian trust settlement.
On May 16, 2011 in The United States District Court for the District of Columbia a Joint Motion for Final Approval of Settlement and Entry of Final Judgment in the matter of Elouise Pepion Cobell et al. v. Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, et al. was filed. Additional court documents concerning Cobell v. Salazar $3.4 billion Indian Trust Settlement can be found at www.IndianTrust.com
Reuters - A federal district court has amended the distribution of settlement funds in Google's Buzz social network class action litigation to include EPIC (The Electronic Privacy Information Center). EPIC is responsible for filing a complaint with the FTC concerning Google's Buzz and Gmail user privacy. Google had agreed last year to a $6 million settlement that was to be distributed to groups advocating for Internet privacy. EPIC was excluded from this proposed settlement even though the had submitted all documentation required within the timeline mandated.
ACC - In Serrano v. 180 Connect, Inc. the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's remand order and held that "...once federal jurisdiction has been established by the removing defendant, the objecting party/plaintiff bears the burden of proof". The home-state controversy exception to CAFA permits federal courts to decline to exercise jurisdiction under specific circumstances...
Reuters.com - Tentative approval of the $410 million settlement between Bank of America Corp. and roughly 1 million customers charged excessive overdraft fees has been given in the US District Court of Miami. Bank of America is one of two dozen banking entities in the US, Canada and Europe named in the class action litigation that was consolidated in 2009. The November 2009 complaint accused Bank of America et al. of routinely processing debit transactions from largesst to smallest rather than in the order the transactions took place...
BGR.com/fox59.com - A class action lawsuit has been filed in California claiming that AT&T systematically overcharged for data usag on iPhones and iPads. The two attorney firms bringing the action hired a private consulting firm to study the data charges. The study revealed that At&T overstated data usage by 7‰ to 300‰...
PRNewswire-USNewswire - Preliminary approval of a Proposed Settlement in McDaniel v. Qwest Communications Corp was granted by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The telecommunications companies of Sprint, Qwest, Level 3, and WilTell Communications were defendants in this class action lawsuit. Class members include current or previous owners of land next to or under a railroad right of way under which fiber optic cable was installed. If you, or someone you know is a class member more information regarding this class action can be found at the Illinois Fiber Settlement website. In order to receive payment you must submit a claim form. These forms will be mailed after the Court grants final approval to the settlement..
In a class action complaint (Castaneda, et al v. Fila USA, Inc.) filed May 2011 Fila, Inc. is accused of making false claims concerning the benefits the consumer receives by wearing Fila athletic apparel. This suit is being brought on behalf of anyone in the US who purchased Fila toning apparel...
MyBankTracker - JPMorgan Chase has agreed to a settlement in the class action lawsuit brought by Marine Corps Capt. Jonathan Rowles alleging that the bank failed to reduce the interest rate on his mortgage as required by federal law...
Law.com - The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco has filed class action suits in Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco v. Deutsche Bank Securities, 10-497839, and Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco v. Credit Suisse Securities, 10-497840. The FHL Bank is demanding "repayment and damages over pools of loans it bought" claiming it relied on "untrue statements and omissions of important information in deciding to purchase the certificates". This is only one example of suits filed across the country trying to recoup losses from "toxic mortgages"...
For the second time in two years Groupon has had a class action suit filed against them alleging that the "Groupon-brand gift certificates...are sold and issued by Groupon with expiration dates that are deceptive and illegal under both federal law and the laws of the District of Columbia "...
A class action law suit filed against GoDaddy alleging that call center bonuses were "subjective and arbitrary" has been dismissed for lack of evidence by an Arizona court but the judge gave the plaintiffs the option of refiling...
Pymnts.com - A class action suit has been filed in California alleging that Consumerinfo.com, which also operates freecreditscore.com and freecreditreport.com fraudulently misrepresents its credit scores...
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has vacated a lower court ruling that had returned to state court Back Doctors LTD., individually and on behalf of a class, v. Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Co . This case has been remanded to the district court for decision on the merits. At issue is the contention that Metropolitan uses software that pays medical providers less than the policies require the insurer to pay...
PS3News.com - After refiling an amended complaint against Sony for dropping Linux support for its PS3, Sony has filed a motion to dismiss the amended PS3 Other OS class action lawsuit that was filed against them. Sony states that the newly amended complaint is "Insufficient to state a claim"...
FortWayne.com - The controversial Wal-Mart class action case alleging discrimination against female employees has prompted many differeing opinions. Some feel the diversity of the class makes it difficult to proceed while others feel there is a very real similarity to the benchmark case of Brown v. Board of Education when examining gender discrimination issues...

February/March 2011

In a March 2011 ruling made In The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in an Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida Sher v. Raytheon 3.9.11 opinion.pdf the prior ruling for class certification under Rule 23 was overturned and class certification was denied. The Court of Appeals held that the district court erred by "not sufficiently evaluating and weighing conflicting expert testimony".
First transit settlement agrement.pdf A settlement agreement for 5.9 Million has been reached in The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois between Hunter, Stoike, et.al. v. First Transit, Inc. and First Student, Inc. Final approval of this settlement agreement is expected in August 2011. The plaintiffs alleged that First Transit violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCR") when they took adverse action against the plaintiffs and others in the class based on consumer reports without first providing the class members a copy of the report and a summary of FCRA Rights...
AllMediaNY - The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments March 29^th in a gender discrimination law suit brought against Wal-Mart. The issue being decided by the Supreme Court is whether or not the class action law suit brought on behalf of current and past female employees of Wal-Mart should be allowed to proceed. The Justices are not deciding whether gender discrimination existed only if the lawsuit can proceed. If they rule that the class action case can proceed, it will be one of the largest class action discrimination cases allowed. It is estimated that this class action could involve 500,000 to 1.6 million women. Progress of the appeal process can be followed on the Wal-Mart Class Website along with an audio of the oral argument made before the Supreme Court...
ConsumerAffairs.com - Another class action suit has been filed against Verizon Wireless Challenging Verizon Wireless ‘Get It Now’ Plan and their practice charging customers for this Plan and not providing a clear explanation of the charges...

seattlepi.com

a class action is alleging that Livingsocial.com is violating consumer protection

If you purchased NIVEA Good-bye Cellulite Products between January 1, 2007 and February 15, 2011 and you are a resident of Florida or California you are member of the proposed class action settlement. You will need to submit a claim form postmarked by July 19, 2011. Find more information about this proposed NIVEA settlement..
Marketwire - A lawsuit seeking class action status has been filed in US District Court for the District of Minnesota on behalf of purchasers of the common stock of Best Buy Co., Inc. The suit alleges that Best Buy violated federal securities laws by making false and misleading statements concerning consumer demand for its electronic products...
Wall Street Journal - A recent ruling by the California Supreme Court found that asking a customer for their zip code violated a California state law which prohibits merchants from requesting or requiring "personal identification information" as a condition of accepting the credit card. After handing down its ruling, the California Court sent the case back to a lower court which is to rule on a motion for class action status. The California Court ruling may prompt closer examination of this practice in other states with credit card laws...
Bloomberg - In Re Checking Account Overdraft Litigation, 09-02036, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Miami) Bank of America has agreed to pay $410 Million to settle overdraft manipulation claims. The settlement was reached Jan. 27, 2011...

December 2010/January 2011

HP LaserJet Printer Settlement - In re: HP LaserJet Printer Litigation, Case No. CV 07-0067 AG. To be considered a member of the settlement class you must have purchased or otherwise acquired in the U.S. an "Affected HP Model" . The proposed settlement may provide an e-credit for future purchases of printers and printer supplies. The only way a qualified member of the class settlement can participate in the settlement is to complete and file a claim form by February 15, 2011.
post-gazette.com - In Pennsylvania a Fayette County Common Pleas judge rejected, in August, a summary judgment motion filed in a class action suit against Erie, one of Pennsylvania's major insurance companies. Erie has been seeking dismissal of the charges or, barring the dismissal, transfer of the case to the state Insurance Department. The case revolves around "denying stacked uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under its household exclusion clause..."
The National Law Journal - In another Toyota class action suit, Toyota, while admitting no fault, has reached a settlement with owners and lessees of 2006-2009 model Prius vehicles. The class action suit, filed in 2009, alleged that the factory installed high intensity discharge headlights were defective because they intermittently shut off.
MissouriLawyersMedia - Preliminary approval of the $3.4 billion settlement for Native Americans was given by Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan.The formal beneficiary notification period will begin January 20th. The number of potential beneficiaries could reach 600,000 and $20 million of settlement money has been set aside to aid in locating/identifying beneficiaries. April 20th has been set as the deadline for individuals to opt out of the class action and pursue individual claims...
PRNewswire - Authentidate Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: ADAT) has announced a tenative settlement agreement in the class action brought against Authentidate by shareholders (Authentidate Holding Corp. Securities Litigation, Case No. 1:05-CV-5323-LTS). This proposed settlement of $1.9 million affects shareholders who purchased common stock between July 16, 2004 and May 27, 2005. Authentidate is a "secure health information exchange and workflow management software."...
Livinglies - Bank of America and BAC Home Loans are named in a class action suit filed in St. Louis Federal Court. It is alleged that, despite acdepting TARP funds and agreeing to the attached loan modification requirements, BOA and BAC have "strung out, delayed, and otherwise hindered the modification processes". The class is comprised of all homeowners with loans serviced by BOA or BAC who are eligible for loan modifications but have not received the modifications to which they are entitled...
washingtonpost.com - In a proposed settlement of an antitrust class action lawsuit, Dean Foods while admitting no wrong doing has agreed to alter its milk-buying practices for the next 30 months and place $30 million into a fund to settle antitrust claims. DFA and DMS were also named parties in the suit but they did not join the proposed settlement...
Public Justice - The Kentucky Supreme Court has struck down the class action ban in the consumer contract of all Insight Communications Kentucky customers. This decision, made December 2010, allows consumers affected by a service lapse in 2006 to join forces in pushing for a class action settlement from Insight...
Business Wire -A class action lawsuit against JPMorgan and HSBC has been filed alleging that these two institutions manipulated and suppressed the price of silver bar financial products. This proposed class action effects you if you purchased or sold the iShares Silver Turst ETF or the ETF Securities Silver Trust or CME Group Inc's "COMEX"...
The Charleston Gazette - A West Virginia County Judge has been asked to approve a $150 million settlement in which DuPont would agree to pay for contamination clean up and monitoring of residents for illnesses that might have been caused by the contamination
The Post-Bulletin - In December 2010 the Minnesota Court of Appeals authorized the class action suit brought against Philip Morris on behalf of people who purchased Marlboro Lights in Minnesota for personal consumption. Philip MOrris is considering an appeal of the court decision...
Bloomberg - California U.S. District Judge Selna has made final a tenative ruling issued in November that allows economic-loss lawsuits against Toyota to move forward. These suits allege that Toyota drove down the value of their vehicles by failing to fix or disclose the defects that caused the unintended acceleration and failure to stop...

October/November 2010

claimsjournal.com - DuPont has offered to pay $70 million and provide medical monitoring for the next 30 years in an effort to end a class action legal battle that has been playing out in West Virginia. This proposed settlement would wipe out a $196 million award that they have been fighting for the last 3 years...
largocargosettlement.com - In Largo Cargo v Google Settlement the court has granted preliminary approval of a $3.5 million settlement affecting advertisers who were charged by Google when their ads were displayed on the content network after leaving the CPC content bid field empty. This settlement affects advertisers who created ads between Oct. 2007 and July 2009. For information about settlement deadlines visit largosettlement.com.
Forbes - In a 96 page class action complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Dmitriy Shirokov and 4,577 similarly situated individuals asserts that the lawyers at Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver have sent out copyright infringement letters that are "a fraudulent extortion attempt...(seeking)statutory damages that aren't available because of the improper copyright application..."
The Blog of LegalTimes - The Cobell Pigford Settlements received final approval in November when the U.S. House of Representatives passed two multibillion dollar settlement agreements. $3.4 billion settlement was authorized as compensation for Federal mismanagement of trust accounts for natural resource royalties over the last century. It also authorized $1.15 billion in payment to black farmers who say they experienced discrimination from the Dept of Agriculture when allocting agriculture loans
law.com - Judge Ungaro ruled Aug. 18, 2010 that 4 of the 26 statements made during a BankAtlantic Bancorp investor conference call were untrue. Jurors will be asked to decide whether these statements were intentionally false and misleading. If this case actually goes to trial it will be only one of twelve since Congress passed the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act in 1996...
gmanews.tv - Filipino World War II vets have filed a class action suit against the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) asking for full benefits similar to their American counterparts. Included in the suit is a question about the disparity in financial benefitsawarded in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to veterans who are citizens and veterans who are non-U.S. citizens...
Cityam.com - In Morrison v National Australian Bank the court has ruled that Section 10(b) of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act allows that "only transactions in securities listed on domestic exchanges, and domestic transactions in other securities, to which Section 10(b) applies."...
Jacksonville.com - A Duval County (Florida) jury has ruled in favor of the tobacco company Philip Morris in tobacco litigation descended from the decertification of the Engle class action lawsuit...
law.com - A U.S. District Judge has denied class certification in a suit brought against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) alleging that they schemed to maintain higher prices by delaying the market date of a generic version of Wellbutrin SR. The suit was brought on behalf of of consumers and indirect purchasers of the drug. A class of direct purchasers - mostly drug wholesalers - have already been certified as a class and granted permission to proceed against GSK with claims similar to those of the denied class...

August/September 2010

Bloomberg.com - After four years of litigation,Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle a class action suit brought by the New York City Employees' Retirement System. The suit alleged that Apple backdated stock options between 2001 and 2006. The city will seek preliminary approval of the settlement in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of CAlifornia...
KansasCity.Com - A Summary Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action has been posted In re Spectranetics Corporation Securities Litigation. This notice is directed to all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the common stock of Spectranetics from March 16, 2007 to September 4, 2008, inclusive.
PRWeb.com - A class action lawsuit has been filed against National City Bank alleging that PNC Bank (operating as National City Bank) charged customers excessive finance charges in violation of the Truth in Lending Act. It is further alleged that their statements were so vague that customers incurred excessive finance charges when paying their bills at bank branches...
A.B. Data, Ltd. Class Action Administration - A Notice of Pendency and Settlement of Class Action was issued August 26, 2010 in connection to In re Ticketmaster Entertainment Shareholder Litigation. The suit alleged that the Defendanst breached their fiduciary duties to the shareholders in their merger with Live Nation, Inc. The notice administrator can be reached at:

Ticketmaster Share Holder Litigation
Notice Administrator
Attn: Fulfillment Department
C/O A.B. Data, Ltd.
3410 West Hopkins Street
PO Box 170500
Milwaukee, WI 53217-8042
866-561-6065
414-961-7499 (fax)
fulfillment@abdataclassaction.com
The Times-Picayune - A class action law suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans charging BP and other companies involved with the drilling and subsequent oil leak should be held liable for punitive damages. A three to one punitive damage award is possible if the defendant is found guilty of "malicious behavior and dangerous activity carried on for the purpose of increasing a (defendant's) financial gain."...
AboutLawsuits.com - The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has decided that all of the federal lawsuits brought over the Gulf oil spill should be consolidated for pretrial litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Panel's transfer order was issued August 10, 2010 and consolidates 77 actions that have been brought to date...
In re Take Two Interactive Securities Litigation, No. 1:06-cv-00803-RJS, and SEC v. Brant, No. 1:07-cv-1075-DLC Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action, Application for Attorney's Fees and Expenses and Fairness Hearing - The Proposed Settlement of this Class Action is pending in the United States District Court Southern District of New York. Links to proof of claim and release form , as well as an E-Claim Filing Template can be completed but must follow theTake-Two E-Claim Guidelines. For more detailed information visit In re Take-Two Interactive Securities Litigation Website. The due date to submit a claim form in this case is September 21, 2010.
MarketWatch - A class action lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded securities of Massey Energy Company between February 1, 2008 and May 16, 2010. The complaint alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934...
KansasCity.Com -A Summary Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action has been posted In re Spectranetics Corporation Securities Litigation. This notice is directed to all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the common stock of Spectranetics from March 16, 2007 to September 4, 2008, inclusive. This proposed settlement will be heard on January 21, 2011 to determine 1) Whether the proposed settlement of claims is fair...2) whether the proposed Plan of Allocation is fair...3) whether the award of attorneys fees is fair...4) whether the Class Action should be dismissed with prejudice...The Stipulation of Settlement and the Form 8-K have been posted.

June/July 2010

PCMag.com - Classmates.com has agreed to pay more than $9.5 million to settle a class action suit brought against the website in October 2008 by Anthony Michaels and joined 2 months later by Xavier Vasquez. If you are a member of the settlement class and you complete a valid claim form by August 17, 2010 you are entitled to receive a credit of $2.00 off of the purchase or renewal of www.classmates.com Gold Membership. If you are a member of the settlement subclass you are entitled to receive EITHER a cash payment of $3.00 OR a credit of $2.00 off of a Gold Membership. You can download a copy of the Settlement Class Claim Form or go to https://cert.gardencitygroup.com/clm/fs/claim and input:

Claim # 81846140
Control # 0500116102

Classmates Class Action Settlement Agreement
Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement
Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Approval of Settlement
Michaels v. Classmates Online, Inc., et al.
Vasquez v. Classmates Online, Inc., et al.
Amended Consolidated Class Action Complaint
THR, Esq. - In a lawsuit filed by Voltage, the "Hurt Locker" producer is suing an unnamed number of John Does (1-5,000) in an antipiracy lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It is expected that Voltage will subpoena ISP addresses and use this information to track down individuals behind the IP addresses...
Reuters - In the class action suit brought against Toyota, a U.S. District Judge has given Toyota 30 days to product non-privileged communication English-language documents and 60 days to produce 20,000 pages in Japanese-language...
PRWeb - A class action lawsuit filed in the Federal District Court of the U.S. for the Eastern District of New York (Case No. 10 Civ. 2075) on behalf of current and past CVS employees alleges that CVS violated Fair Labor Standards Act and New York State labor laws. It is alleged that CVS required employees to work during meal and/or rest breaks...
The Register - A class action lawsuit has been filed by former employees of Go Daddy claiming that Go Daddy broke the law by using a "subjective and arbitrary" process to withhold commissions...
Oregon Business News - Without admission of any wrong doing Wal-Mart has agreed to set aside up to $4 million for 28,000 of its former employees in Oregon. The class-action lawsuit in the courts for almost five years had accused Wal-Mart of violating Oregon's wage and hour laws...

April/May 2010

Reuters - A Los Angeles County Superior Judge has ordered the consolidation of at least 40 of the California state court lawsuits filed against Toyota and recommended that these consolidated cases be assigned to a judge in Orange County. The final decision in assigning the cases, however, will rest with the chief justice of the state Supremem Court...
The Leadership Conference - A coalition of civil rights groups have filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of labor, domestic violence, social justice organizations, et. al. challenging Arizona's S.B. 1070. This Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief Class Action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on May 17, 2010.
PCMag.com - AT&T has reached a class-action settlement in which they agree to allow eligible AT&T Wireless, Cingular and AT&T Mobility customers (past and current) access to codes, upon request, that will unlock their handsets. This agreement does not include phones with which AT&T has an exclusive contract...
Miami Herald - Twelve lawsuits have been filed in Gulfport since April 30 on behalf of groups affected by the oil rig explosion and subsequent oil slick. Attorneys in seven of these cases have moved to dismiss the lawsuits and transfer the complaints to the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation...
NPR - BP, Transocean, Cameron, Halliburton and other companies associated with the April oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico face potential class action suits brought by homeowners, charter boat companies, fishermen, restaurants, shipping companies, municipalities and others...
Law.com - The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the court, not arbitrators, should decide issues surrounding enforceability of class action waivers in arbitration clauses. In Puleo v. Chase Bank USA the six-judge majority ruled that "An unconsionability challenge to the provisions of an arbitration agreement is a questions of arbitrability..."
Joystiq -Todd Densmore and Antal Herz have filed thesecond class action law suit against Sony alleging that Sony's PlayStation 3 e.2.1 update made some features of the console unusable. This suit joins an earlier suit filed against Sony in late April in the United States District Court of the Northern District of California which alleges that PS3 owners paid substantially more because of the OS functionality and that removal of this feature diminishes the value of the PS3...
centredaily.com - A Class Action Suit has been brought against Google, Inc. on behalf of Galaxy Internet Services, Inc., its customers, and Massachusetts WIFI users. The suit alleges that collection of WIFI information by Google was private information and that collection of this data violated both Federal and Massachusetts privacy laws...
lawyersandsettlements.com - A 2.5 million tentative settlement has been reached in a discrimination class action law suit brought against Mulcahy Inc., a commercial construction company, by eight Latino employees. The case began in 2007 but was later filed as a class-action...
ADR Prof Blog - The Supreme Court has granted certiorari in AT&T Mobility v Concepcion, 2010 WL 303962, Docked 09-893 (May24, 2010). The question being addressed in this case is: "Whether the Federal Arbitration Act preempts States from conditioning the enforcement of an arbitration agreement..." AT&T filed the initial petition for certiorari.ATTBriefinOpp.pdf A brief in opposition has also been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court..
MarketWatch - GTCR has announced the settlement of class action lawsuits filed in Delaware and Kansas related to the proposed acquisition of Protection One. The settlement payment of $3,250,000 will be made contingent upon court approval. Public Stockholders of Protection One who hold stock as of the close of business the day before the expiration of the tender offer made by Protection Acquisition Sub. Inc...
PR Newswire - In re Novagold Resources Inc. Securities Litigation in US District Court in the Southern District of New York and Philip Elliott and William Kormos and Novagold Resources Inc., et al. in the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario and the Supreme Court of British Columbia there is a proposed settlement of class actions. Settlement hearings will be held before the U.S. Court, the British Columbia Court and the Ontario Court. The proposed settlement is for approximately $26,000,000...
The Madison St. Clair Record - A class action law suit has been filed by Back Doctors against MetLife Auto and Home alleging MetLife uses a biased computer software that will sometimes exclude or deny a portion of the coverage without first determining whether the denied charges are reasonable. Back Doctors are seeking certification of its class action suit plus damages...
AboutLawsuits.com - The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has decided to consolidate and centralize federal Toyota litigation dealing with sudden acceleration problems and class action lawsuits that ensued in the Central District of California. There are an additional 40 similar lawsuits which may be included in the MDL at a later date...
Law.com - The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Rome has granted preliminary approval to a proposed settlement of $18 million between Mohawk Industries and its employees. This suit was filed in federal district court in Rome, Georgia in 2004 and later heard by the U.S. Supreme Court Mohawk Industries, Inc. v. Carpenter" In the suit it was alleged that Mohawk employees received depressed wages becauseof the hiring of undocumented workers...
computerworld.com - In a lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court McAfee is "accused of duping customers into subscribing to third-party services and passing consumers' credit/debit card billing information." McAfee is accused of violating several different state and federal consumer protection laws...
insurancenewsnet.com - In a 5-4 ruling of the Supreme Court In re: Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates v. Allstate Insurance, the Supremem Court held that federal court rule supersedes state law in allowing class actions. The class action was brought in New York federal court...
beckersettlement.com - If you were arrested on Saturday, April 15, 2000 in Washington, D.C. in connection with IMF/World Bank related demonstration you could be eligible to participate in the settlement reached by the attorneys of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund in the case of Becker, et al., v. District of Columbia, et al. Your deadline to file a proof of claim form in Becker et al.is May 17, 2010. View the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Notice of Class Action, Proposed Class Settlement and Hearing .
The BLT: The Blog of LegalTimes - RCN Corp. has agreed to a proposed class action settlement without admitting any wrongdoing or liability. The class action suit alleged that RCN "hindered or barred RCN broadband internet subscribers’ ability to engage in peer-to-peer (P2P) transmissions." RCN is a Herndon, VA based company that provides telecom service in the D.C. area, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Lehigh Valley...
ClassActionLawsuitsInTheNews - Netflix users have filed a class action lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Netflix and Warner Home Video alleging the delayed availability of Warner Brothers DVDs to Netflix users constitutes a scheme to restrain trade...
FoxNews.com - As of early March there have been at least 89 class-action lawsuits filed against Toyota that could eventually cost $3 billion. These estimates do not include payouts for wrongful death and injury lawsuits also filed against the automotive giant...
Reuters - Final settlement approval has been reached In re Parmalat Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 04-md-1653 and No. 04-0030 whereby the former auditors of Parmalat SpA agreed to pay $15 million to settle the class action lawsuit...
The Sydney Morning Herald - Property developer Lend Lease Group has announced that the U.S. class action brought against a subsidiary filed by workers involved in the World Trade Center clean up has been settled. Settlement money will come from an emergency fund set up by Captive Insurance Company and established by the U.S. Congress to protect the city and state from potential lawsuits that could arise from the clean up efforts. Certain conditions must, however, be satisfied before the WTC class action settlement goes into effect...

March 2010

MarketWatch - Novelos Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, has had a class action complaint filed against it in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The complaint alleges Novelos violated Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Novelos has reviewed the complaint and intends to defend against it...
InsuranceNewsNet.com - A proposed settlement has been reached in the 11 year class action lawsuit against The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (SBLI). The plaintiffs and SBLI agreed to settle this lawsuit for $18,675,330 plus costs of noticing and administering the settlement. An SBLI Litigation Settlement Fund Website has also been established...
CNNMoney.com - A class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Medivation, Inc. alleging that Medivation violated federal securities laws by misrepresenting the effectiveness of its experimental drug Dimebon...
ABC Rural (Australia) - Without admitting wrong doing, AWB has settled a class action law suit brought by its Australian shareholders. The settlement of nearly $40 million was reached to settle a $100 million claim...
The Lawyers Weekly (Canada) - Although only 10-15‰ of the proposed class members are Canadian in Silver v. Imax Corp., [2009] O.J. No. 5573 and [2009] O.J. No. 5585, Justice van Rensburg certified the plaintiffs' statutory and common law claims...
Leagle - Facts, procedural history, and conclusion of Russell and Sandra Aucoin, v. Peter Y. Gauthier and Edward D. Jones & Co. Court of Appeals of Louisiana, First Circuit whereby the plaintiffs were appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit as res judicata due to a prior arbitration...
The Gazette (Division of Canwest Publishing Inc.) - Cadbury has agreed to pay $5.7 million to be removed from a class action lawsuit brought against Cadbury Adams Canada Inc. et. al. The class was to include every Canadian who ate a chocolate bar between 2001 and 2008...
In at least three (Stephanie Creer, Kathy Hensley, and Christie Christensen) separate class action law suits, Jillian Michaels, fitness guru is accused of making false claims regarding the effectiveness of her diet supplement...
Financial Times - Toyota is now facing as many as 44 class-action lawsuits filed under both state and federal law. It is estimated that claims against Toyota could reach $3.6 billion...
Greenstocks Central -LDK Solar, without admitting wrong doing, has settled a class action lawsuit brought against it in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. LDK has agreed to pay the class members $16 million in the proposed settlement which is awaiting preliminary approval from the court...
Insurancenewsnet.com - After 11 years of litigation, SBLI (The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts) has reached a proposed settlement. Judge Margaret Hinkle preliminarily approved the proposed settlement but final court approval of the settlement cannot take place until after the fairness hearing scheduled for May 2010. More information about the settlement can be found at www.sblisettlement.com
The Madison St. Clair Record - In a 2004 class action law suit against First Health filed in Madison County, health care providers alleged a "silent PPO" denied them additional patients and clients that would have made up for the discount they provided the insurance company. Belleville chiropracter Kathleen Roche is the sole class member who wants the proposed settlement overturned...

February 2010

RedlandsDailyFacts - McCuneWright, LLP of Redlands California, filed the first class-action lawsuit against Toyota concerning acceleration defects. They have since filed for a preliminary injunction that would require Toyota to expand its recalls. A possibility exists that a panel of federal judges may combine all of the class action suits into multidistrict litigation...
Tennessean.Com - Gibson Guitar is facing class action litigationalleging Gibson and others of fixing the retail prices on guitars...
Courthouse News Service - A Manhattan-based federal appeals court upheld the reduced attorney fee award that was assigned attorneys in the class action litigation that claimed former detainees were unconstitutionally strip-searched at the Schenectady County Jail. In awarding reduced fees U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe used a modified lodestar method based on the attorneys' normal hourly rates...
The Daily Record.com - Fair Finance Co. will go into involuntary bankruptcy and it is likely that the class action lawsuit brought against the company will be dismissed...
Times Colonist (Canada) - A class action lawsuit was brought in the Canadian courts against Scotiabank. The class includes 5,300 Scotiabank sales staff working in retail branches across Canada...
ConsumersAffairs.com - A class action lawsuit has been brought against "Bill Me Later" a payment option found on EBay charges interest rates in excess of that allowed under California law...
JSOnline (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) After defending two executives of Merge Healthcare Inc., the medical software company has filed suit to recoup $880,000 spent in their defense and $3 million the firm paid to settle the class action suit that had been brought against them...

January 2010

PR Newswire - Comsumer Watchdog filed an amicus curiae brief urging the federal court to reject the revised proposed Google Books settlement. It is felt that the revised judgement suffers from the same "fundamental problems as its predecessor..."
California Progress Report - eHarmony has ended a 3 year legal battle by agreeing to settle a class action civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. In the settlement eHarmony admitted no wrong doing but agreed to a legal settlement which still needs to be approved by Superior Court Judge Ann Jones in Los Angeles County in February 2010...
Business Week - Toyota's sticking gas pedals has spawned at least 4 class action suits: Graves v. Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia Inc., 09-cv-1247, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia (Charleston); Hauter v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., 10-cv-105, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Santa Ana); Choi v. Toyota Motor Corp., 09-cv- 8143, Kmetz v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., 09-cv-8478, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles); and Gellman v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., 10-cv-20006, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami). The sticking gas pedals has also prompted Toyota to recall millions of vehicles and stop production of eight models while a solution is sought...
Chillicothe Gazette.com - Of the 31 claims made against Chillicothe-based Petland Inc. under RICO, 2 have been allowed to move forward while the remaining 29 claims were dismissed. The Humaine Society of the United States had supported the class action claim and providedattorneys...
Blue Maumau -The end of January closed the window for Quiznos Subs franchisees in deciding whether to join in or opt out of the settlement agreement of four class action lawsuits that was approved in Illinois Federal Court last November. Quiznos claims that the cost of settlement is about $100 million but monetary compensation to be paid out is less than $25 million...
Thompson.com - A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has affirmed the decertification of a class action brought on behalf of consumers who purchased the drug Neurontin or its generic form. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania held that the plaintiffs had not shown there were questions of fact common to the class...
Daily Finance - In a class action suit originally brought in 2001,Nationwide was charged with accepting "revenue sharing payments". A preliminary rulling was issued November 2009 that found Nationwide "may be a fiduciary"...
Business Wire - An $11.5 million settlement has been reached In re ATI Tech. HDCP Litigation.. Almost $2 million in this settlement will go toward funding a variety of public interest and privacy groups...
PR Newswire - A class action lawsuit has been filed in the District of Connecticut on behalf of persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired the securities of Terex Corporation...
The Southeast Texas Record - A suit seeking class action status has been filed in Galveston County District Court against Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. The suit alleges TWIA "arbitrarily chose to pay a small fraction of the value" of affected residences...
Bank Info Security - Five financial institutions have filed a class action suit alleging two acquiring banks should be included as defendants in the Heartland Payment Systems data breach. This suit was filed after a proposed $60 million Visa/Heartland data breach settlement...

December 2009

Newsinferno.com - A discussion of bellwether trials was held in December 2009 in regards to the Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. All Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits pending in federal courts were consolidated for " centralized and coordinated pre-trial proceedings" in October 2009...
law.com - In re American Investors Life Insurance Co. Annuity Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation a Pennsylvania federal judge has granted final approval in a class action RICO settlement for $184-$530 million as a pay out to a class of mostly elderly investors...
Financial Post (Canada.com) - A case before the Supreme Court of Canada this month asks the question " (Can a) class action...be allowed to proceed if there is a contract between the parties that includes a provision mandating that ny dispute be resolved throught arbitration...
postcrescent.com - A class-action lawsuit was filed in Federal Court against Miamisburg, an Ohio-based papermaker. It is alleged that phasing out subsidies being paid for retiree helath insurance premiums "violates both previous union contracts and federal benefits laws..."
The Berkeley Daily Planet - Caltrans (owns and maintains California state highways) announced that a billion dollar settlement had been reached in a class action lawsuit brought by Californians for Disability Rights et al. The proposed payout is to begin as soon as the courts sign off ...
CNET News - Comcast has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought in 2007-2008 alleging that Comcase "blocked peer-to-peer traffic on its high-speed internet network.". In an off-shoot of the same allegation, Comcast is in the process of appealing an FCC ruling that found the alleged activity unlawful...
Kentucky Injury Lawyer Blog - A settlement has been proposed in the 2007 class action lawsuit brought against Honda by owners of 2003-2008 Honda Civic Hybrids which contended that the gas mileage claims grossly over-estimated the actual gas mileage...
PR Newswire - Two class action lawsuits were filed in U.S.District Courts for the Northern District of California in San Francisco and the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta. It is alleged that AT&T subsidiaries consistently withhold overtime wages from more than 5,000 First Level managers...
On December 8, a settlement was reached in the Cobell v. Salazar class action lawsuit regarding the mismanagement of individual Indian trust fund accounts and the Obama Administration. This suit has been in the court system for almost 10 years. Result: The federal government will create a $1.4 billion Accounting/Trust Fund and a $2 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund. In addition, a $60 million dollar Indian Education Scholarship fund will be set up in efforts to improve Native American access to higher education. Settlement agreement must be approved by Congress and a federal district court. Documents for Cobell v. Salazar, et al. are available through the US Department of Justice website. Additional settlement information can be found at www.cobellsettlement.com

November 2009

LawyersandSettlements.com - Final settlement terms have been reached in the Peregrine Class Action Lawsuit that alleged materially false and misleading statements were made in public filings, press releases, etc. This settlement coupled with prior recoveries brings the total settlement amount to more than $117,000,000. Distribution of this recovery is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2010...
LegalNewsline.com - The U.S.Supreme Court heard in November 2009 an appeal of the decision made by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that a "national company's place of business should be determined by where the majority of its operations are located". This decision comes in a ruling concerning a 2007 class action lawsuit - Hertz Corporation v. Melissa Friend, 08-1107...
Bloomberg.com - Final approval of a settlement between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and workers who claimed that Walmart violated wage-and-hour laws has been made. Walmart is to pay between $65 - $85 million as part of a global $640 million resolution of wage-and-hour claims. The global settlement covers more than 30 lawsuits brought in federal courts by Walmart workers. The company has also agreed to pay $40 million in a recent Massachusetts class action settlement based on allegations similar to those in the global settlement.
TollRoadsNews - As part of a court supervised class action settlement, Southern California tollers have agreed to repay about $1.4 million and waive an estimated 29‰ of toll penalties owed for violations since early 2003...
The Southeast Texas Record - 10 years agao Toshiba settled a class action lawsuit for $2.1 billion. Since that time the number of class action litigation suits brought forward along with subsequent settlements have shrunk substantially. This article examines the cause for the decrease in class action litigation across the board...
RiskMetricsGroup - Hong Kong's Law Reform Commission has proposed allowing multiparty litigation. The Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong's Class Actions Sub-Committee has detailed recommendations. If adopted Hong Kong would join a growing number of non-US jurisdictions that allow class actions.

October 2009

October 13 was the 9-year anniversary of Garcia v. Vilsack. Lawyers for the Hispanic farmers involved in this suit filed against the USDA have asked the US Supreme Court to intervene. A similar lawsuit was filed by black farmers and settled for $1 billion almost a decade ago. The USDA has stated that a 2002 ruling rejecting the farmers' request for class certification which was later upheld by the US Court of Appeals has prevented them from taken any action. The government has stated that each of the Hispanic farmer claims should be tried separately. This could involve tens of thousands of individual suits. The US District Court in Washington, D.C. has postponed a hearing on this matter until the U.S. Supreme Court can rule on case petitions.
PlasticsNews.com - More than 25 lawsuits seeking class action status were consolidated as multidistrict litigation in US District Court in Kansas City, MO. The lawsuits accuse manufacturers of knowing that BPA is harmful and failing to warn consumers...
The AmLaw Litigation Daily - A $20 million jury verdict on behalf of 170 Texas cities against several online travel companies has been announced. The travel companies were routinely buying hotel rooms at a wholesale price, paying a ‘bed tax’ on this wholesale amount and reselling the rooms at a higher price...
TollRoadsnews - As part of a court supervised settlement of a class action suit lodged in Souther California on behalf of motorists owing a hundred times more than the original unpaid tolls, tollers are to repay $1.4 million in tolls. The Settlement Agreement between Avery, et al. v. Orange County Transportation Authority, et al. has been filed in the Orange County Superior Court. The Notice of Pending Settlement lists exclusion deadlines of January 2010 and a Final Fairness Hearing in February 2010.
A Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Class Action has been filed on behalf of all persons who purchased Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. during the period from April 23, 2002 through April 5, 2006 inclusive. A hearing will be held in February 2010 to determine whether the proposed settlement is acceptable...
A federal court has certified the class action brought against Charles Schwab & Company, Inc. on behalf of investors in the Schwab YieldPlus Fund. The deadline for exclusion from the proposed YieldPlus class action is December 28, 2009. A Notice of Pendency was filed with the US District Court in the Northern District of California in September 2009.
Auto Spies - A national class action lawsuit on behalf of Toyota and Lexus owners who have experienced incidents of sudden unintended acceleration was filed November 2009...

September 2009

American Laundry News - Veliz vs. Cintas Corp. alleged that Cintas misclassified route drivers in order to avoid paying overtime required by state and federal laws. Cintas has reached a settlement agreement in principle to pay approximately $24million.
Grand Theft Auto ‘Hot Coffee’ class action suit has been settled for twenty million. The twenty million will be paid into a settlement fund for the benefit of class members. The settlement is subject to the completion of final documentation and final approval by the court.
TG Daily - A second class action has been filed in the Northern District of California Court alleging "Intel knows or should have known that its battery life claims did not provide an accurate indication as to the battery life a consumer could expect. Intel failed to inform customers that the testing was conducted under conditions which were far from how an actual user would actually use the computer". If this class action proceeds against Intel it will be eventually consolidated with an earlier class action suit with similar allegations.
A class action lawsuit (the "Complaint") was filed on August 31, 2009 in the US District Court for the District of Maryland On behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of UltraShort Financials ProShares Fund ("SKF"). The complaint alleges that SKF violated the Securities Act by filing a registration statement that contained materially false and misleading information...
Baltimore Sun - In a class action suit brought against Dannon Yogurt over misleading advertising on its Activia and Dan Active lines of yogurt, a settlement has been reached. If you purchased either of these products since their introduction to the market in 2006 (DanActive® in 2007), upon timely completion of a claim form, you will be eligible for a cash refund. The claim forms will only be available when the US District Court approves the settlement. Learn more about the settlement from www.CSGRR.com/Dannon.
A class action complaint has been filed against General Mills, Inc., and Yoplait USA, Inc. in Florida alleging false advertising claims. The Florida Federal Court is being asked to approve a class certification in this case.
iStockAnalyst - Isilon(R) Systems has agreed to settle a shareholder class action lawsuit filed in November 2007. A memorandum of understanding has been entered and a binding stipulation of settlement is expected sometime in Oct/Nov 2009. The proposed settlement is to provide for a $15 million payment to the plaintiff class.
BNET - The US Department of Justice has informed the federal judge overseeing a proposed class-action settlement of the Google Book Search case that they oppose the settlement as it is currently structured. The Final Fairness Hearing scheduled for October 2009 has been cancelled and a rescheduled date has not been set. Additional information about the proposed settlement agreement can be found on the Google Book Settlement site.
The Salt Lake Tribune - In response to the Omniture-Adobe deal announced September 15th, a proposed class-action suit was filed on behalf of Omniture share holders. The suit alleges that board members failed to conduct a fair and open sales process that would have maximized the value of the shares...

August 2009

iPhoneAlley | August 17,2009 - Two class action lawsuits have been filed against both Apple and AT&T regarding their current lack of MMS support for the iPhone. The class action law suits were filed in US District Court in Eastern Louisiana and Southern Illinois. Both suits allege that Apple and AT&T misled customers by failing to warn them that the advertised MMS feature was currently missing...
AllBusiness.com - Several lawsuits have been filed in federal court against Bayer Corp. over Yaz/Yasmin birth control pills and many more filings are expected. It is alleged that the new ingredient in this contraceptive presents risks that the company failed to warn about...
Expedia Litigation Settlement Website -A proposed settlement has been made on behalf of consumers who booked hotel stays through Expedia from January 2001 through June 11, 2008 and paid a "Tax Recovery Charge" and a "Service Fee"...
Business Courier - In a tenative settlement of a 2003 class-action complaint brought against Cintas Corp., Cintas has agreed to pay $24 million. While not admitting guilt, the settlement was reached in order to avoid additional expense and distraction...
In a Third Circuit Court Decision, the District Court Order granting certification of Americans with Disabilities Act Class Action under Rule 23(b) against UPS has been reversed. "The Third Circuit opinion in Hohider v. United Parcel Service, Inc., _F.3d_(3d Cir. July 23, 2009) held that the District Court abused discretion in granting the certification...

The Journal of Commerce Online - A class action lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Souther District of California against UPS alleges that as much as $100 million in overtime wages is owed account managers throughout the United States...

Los Angeles Times | Business - Bank of America (BofA) is the first financial institution to no longer require its customers to arbitrate grievances. It has not, however, done away with its prohibition on customers joining class-action lawsuits. It is believed BofA's change in policy has more to do with its response to the National Arbitration Forum's decision to stop handling credit card disputes...

July 2009

Wireless Week.com - Sprint Nextel has had a national class action suit alleging overcharges dismissed by U.S. District Judge Bryan. His ruling does not prevent the suit from being refiled as a California-only class action however...

BizTimes.com - A $200 million class action lawsuit was filed against Northwestern Mutual in California. The suit seeks certification of the class on behalf of California employees who were denied minimum pay and overtime by Northwestern Mutual. Northwestern Mutual asserts individuals named in the suit were private contractors and not employees...

CBCNews - PR-Inside.com - A class action lawsuit challenging the proposed acquisition of Central Jersey Bancorp by OceanFirst Financial Corp. has been filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Owners of Central Jersey common stock may want to obtain additional information about this class action.

The AmLaw Litigation Daily - The Fifth Circuit has reversed a lower court ruling that had denied class certification in the Flowserve Securities Class Action Case. The lower court had denied certification and granted the defendants' motion for summary Judgement. It was determined by the lower court that the plaintiffs had not sufficiently established loss causation...

BankInvestmentConsultant.com -Judge Sonia Sotomayor history with class action in her tenure on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is examined in this article. Her most prominent financial services class action ruling came in her 2001 antitrust suit brought against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc...

National Consumer Law Center - The NCLC has recently added to their bookstore "A Quick Guide to Federal Evidence and Objections" written by Timothy Eble offering a condensed version of federal rules of evidence designed to assist attorneys in the courtroom by facilitating objections using rule number.
June 2009

AP - Class-action status has been granted litigation brought on behalf of Passaic, New Jersey inmates. It is alleged that the jail has become dangerous, unsanitary and overcrowded...

Business First of Columbus - Accusing Skybus Airlines Inc. of violating the WARN act, a settlement reached in the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware has awarded a settlement of $925,000...

Bloomberg.com - In a Pensacola, Florida court this June R.J.Reynolds was ordered to pay $30,000,000 to Hilda Martin whose husband died of lung cancer after years of smoking. This case is one in a series of cases brought in Florida since the Florida Supreme Court, in the 2006 "Engle" Case, ruled that smokers could not sue as a group...

news-press.com - A two day conference was held in Orlando to help attorneys representing manufacturers, suppliers, homeowners and builders in their class action dealing with the Chinese drywall problem. The pros and cons of a class action vs. individual law suits were discussed...

consumeraffairs.com - In a class action suit brought by a California resident on behalf of all Kaiser members whose insurance plans are part of a private employer group medical plan against Kaiser Permanente, an insurance provider, who never received reimbursement of their copayment...

Business Standard -Mumbai, India. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is planning to finance investor associations in their efforts to fight "collective suits". These suits resemble the US class action suits.

Business Insurance, United Kingdom - Changes proposed in the way costs are handled in Unived Kingdom civil litigation may lead to an increase of "class action-like"litigation.

May 2009

Securities Docket.com - A writ of certiorari has been granted in Merck & Co., et al., v. Reynolds, et al. (08-905). Shareholders allege that Merck provided misleading information about the risks of Vioxx. The US District Court dismissed the case but the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling...

The Telegraph.com - Tyson Foods has settled a class action suit that began in 2004. The lawsuit alleged that Tyson Foods, Inc. artificially inflated their poultry product weights between 1997-2003. The case was in litigation for seven years and survived two appeals...

Reuters - A US District Court has ruled in MaryGrace A. Coneff, et al. v. AT&T that the classaction lawsuit against AT&T arising from the 2004 merger of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless can proceed. AT&T had argued that customers were bound to individual arbitration rather than class action...

CreditCards.com - "What the new credit card law means for you" discusses the direct and indirect impact of the new credit card legislation signed into effect by President Obama in May. Highlights of the law address limited interest rate hikes, clearer due dates and times, elimination of double-cycle billing, more time to pay bills...

The Dough Roller - Providing a summary of the latest credit card legislation, "The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act" signed by President Obama, possible ramifications of the bill's passage are examined. American Express Blue Cash and Discover Card have already curtailed some of their benefits...

govtrack.us - Introduced in the last days of April, 2009, S. 931: Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 is designed to eliminate the practice of forced binding arbitration. (Also see: H.R. 1020) S. 931 has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

In re: Sterling Financial Corporation Securities Class ActionInformation dealing with Sterling Financial Corporation Securities, Notice of Pendency and Settlement of Class Action, Sterling Proof of Claim, Sterling Financial E-Claim Filing Guidelines and Financial E-Claim Filing Template impacting those people who purchased or otherwise acquired the common stock of Sterling Financial Corporation ("Sterling" or the "Company") between April 27, 2004 and May 24, 2007, inclusive.

Haaretz.com - The Tel Aviv District Court threw out a settlement that had been reached earlier between the plaintiffs and "food giant" Straus Group which would have required Straus to offer their product at a 24‰ discount for the next year...

In re Milliron v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., No. 08-04149(JLL) (ES) - If you were or are a customer of T-Mobile and you paid or were charged a flat-rate Early Termination Fee ("ETF") any time during the period of July 23, 1999 through February 19, 2009 a class action settlement could affect your rights. Latest information about this proposed settlement can be found by viewing ETF Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement (pdf) or the Order Granting PreliminarilyApproval To Proposed ETF Settlement (pdf). The Claim Form for T-Mobile Early Termination can be filled out online.

In Re: Bextra and Celebrex Marketing, Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation, a settlement agreement and release has been reached. The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer: Marketed both drugs claiming both provided benefits greater than "NSAIDs", an unsubstantiated claim; Marketing was inconsistent with FDA approved statements; False marketing inflated their prices for consumers. If you paid some or all of the purchase price for Bextra and/or Celebrex on or before July 29, 2005 you are a member of the proposed settlement class. Consumer Claim Forms for the Bextra and Celebrex Settlement must be completed and postmarked by Oct. 23, 2009.

Law.com - In class action suits alleging Aetna, Cigna, Oxford, WellPoint and Horizon Blue Cross of New Jersey underpaid claims for treatments out-of-network, the Federal judge in Newark urged plaintiff attorneys to coordinate their efforts and cooperate...

In Joseph Bohm and John Lee, et al v. Park West Gallery, Inc., PWG Florida, Inc., Vista Fine Art, LLC d/b/a Park West At Sea, Albert Scaglione, and John Does 1-100 a class action is brought on behalf of a nationwide class of purchasers of artworks at shipboard auctions...

April 2009

BeaufortGazette.com - In 2002 Dryvit Systems, Inc. settled a class action suit that was brought in the state of Tennessee. The judge ruled that claimants in other states were entitled to the same settlement as that received by claimants in Tennessee. Dryvit is accused of violating South Carolina's laws governing class actions...

engadgetHD.com - In response to a class action suit filed in 2007, United States Magistrate Judge Gold of the Eastern District of New York has ruled that Toshiba will need to pay over $1 million...

FierceBroadbandWireless - A class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court of Oklahoma accusing AT&T Mobility and RadioShack of "common law fraud and violation of state consumer protection acts" in response to a netbook and data plan that failed to make clear the astronomical charges they might incur if they were to exceed a set amount of internet usage...

MarketWatch - In early March the U.S. District Court in Southern California dismissed three consumer class action law suits brought against Qualcomm that alleged antitrust violations...

Maryland Community Newspapers Online - In Maryland a county Circuit Court judge has allowed a class action lawsuit on behalf of those who received tickets as a result of speed cameras. It is alleged that the agreement between ACS State and Local Solutions violated a 2006 state law...

The Michigan Messenger - Dow Chemical appealed the class action status of a dioxin contamination case before the Michigan Supreme Court in early March. This case was originally filed 6 years ago in Saginaw Circuit Court...,
March 2009

New Orleans Business News - Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is involved in two "overlapping" class action lawsuits both dealing with the timely handling of claims after 2005 hurricanes. Claims were settled in the class action suit brought in Orleans Parish but...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Georgia U.S. District Judge Cooper has allowed a class action suit brought on behalf of 16,000 sex offenders in Georgia to proceed in "subclasses."...

The Australian - The Australian class action against the manufacturers of Vioxx began in March 2009. The company settled its US personal injury claims in November 2007 for $5.2 billion...

San Francisco Chronicle - California legislators, in an attempt to restrict access to class action suits, have introduced legislation to limit the right of consumers...

February 2009

Public Justice has filed an amici curiae brief in support of the plaintiff in Komarova v. National Credit Acceptance, Inc. in the California Court of Appeals that questions the integrity of arbitrations handled by the National Arbitration Forum (NAF)...

In Homa v. American Express Company the Third Circuit rejected the credit card's arugments that its mandatory arbitration clause banning class actions and " the Utah choice-of-law provision" should allow them to " bar New Jersey consumers from bringing class actions against it..."

Associated Press - In a February 2009 decision U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman decertified the class action lawsuit brought against Microsoft alleging Microsoft's "Windows Vista Capable" was misleading...

Bloomberg.com - After refusing to reinstate $145 billion statewide class action settlement, thousands of individual cases made their way to the Florida courts. In the first of the thousands of individual lawsuits brought against Altria's Philip Morris/ Virginia Slims cigarettes, a state court jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages... Philip Morris USA will seek Appellate Review...

Richmond Times-Dispatch - February 6, 2009 the Circuit Court of Davidson County dismissed the class action lawsuit brought against the Altria Group and Philip Morris USA. The Court ruled that the class action suit was barred by Tennessee's consumer protection law...

In Altria Group, Inc. v. Good the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that federal law does not wipe out lawsuits against tobacco companies for defrauding the public with fraudulent claims that "light" cigarettes were less harmful...
Public Justice filed an amici brief opposing preemption filed on behalf of the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, AARP, and Public Justice.

January 2009

ArmyTimes- The Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to a $20 million class action settlement in response to the suit originally filed by five veterans groups alleging invasion of privacy. Settlements for those veterans who can show damage will range from $75 to $1500. Any remaining funds will be donated to veterans' charities...

knoxvillebiz.com - A class action lawsuit has been filed against TVA on behalf of "all individuals who own or owned real property located on the Emory or Clinch Rivers downstream from the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County..."

Quad-City Times - U.S. District Wolle ruled that two counts of the four count complaint against Deer & Co. brought by the Flex Retirees Organization can proceed as a class action...
FinalCall.com News - New Orleans public school employees can move forward with their class action lawsuit which seeks damages for alleged wrongful termination and contract violations...

Asbestos News - W.R. Grace has agreed to a proposed settlement of the class action suit filed against them. For a history of the W.R.Grace story see: W.R. Grace and the Libby, Montana Asbestos Tragedy, W.R. Grace Company Indicted on Federal Criminal Charges, W.R.Grace to pay record Superfund fine.

Business Journal - H &R Block agreed to a $4.85 million settlement in California. Block was sued by the California attorney general in early 2006 for using deceptive advertising to disguise...

December 2008

LosAngeles Times - Wal-Mart announced at the end of December 2008 that it would settle as many as 63 class action suits scattered through out the country. The settlements could cost from $352 million to $640 million depending upon the number of claims submitted...

Bloomberg.com - A class-action lawsuit (Keller v. Madoff, Bernard Madoff Securities and John Does 1-100, No. CV808-5026) was filed in New York by 5 investors seeking as much as $100,000 from Bernard Madoff, the investment advisor. The proposed class could grow to more than 1000 people...

law.com - A federal judge has given final approval to the $95 million price-fixing class action suit involving lumber manufacturers. In re OSB Antitrust Litigation U.S. District Judge Diamond decided that the plaintiffs' attorneys are entitled to one-third of the settlement funds...

Business Journal - In a December class action settlement Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to Pay 100,000 current and former hourly Minnesota employees up to $54.25 million. The exact amount will depend upon the number of claims submitted...

wvgazette.com - Federal U.S. District Judge Longstaff rejected class action status for suits brought in 23 separate states against DuPont alleging that DuPont made false, misleading and deceptive representations about the safety of non-stick cookware...
SCNow.com - A recent class action scam was reported in North Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs was issuing a warning this month. It was reminding consumers that no "legitimate class action lawsuit will have someone contact you by phone..."

Asbestos.net - An agreement in principle has been reached between W.R.Grace & Co. and over 10,000 claimants. The agreed upon settlement requires W.R.Grace to contribute $140,000,000 to a trust fund...Confusion over the tenative agreement in the Zonolite Class Action Lawsuit is still being reported, however...

November 2008

SteelGuru - The seventh lawsuit in a series of class action litigation suits was brought against US steelmakers in October 2008 in the US District Court of Northern Illinois...

StateJournal.com - In a class action suit brought against Monsanto for the residents of the Nitro area a Putnam County Judge has issued a gag order...See also Carter v. Monsanto Co. et. al...

IntoMobile News - In a second class action lawsuit against Sprint, plaintiffs are seeking to recover "illegally levied Early Termination Fees" for clients who were customers as far back as 1999...

2theadvocate.com - A class-collection has been certified by U.S. District Judge Barbier of New Orleans against ICF International for non-payment of overtime to employees working in the Road Home program...

Digital Journal - A class action lawsuit was filed in the Rochester New York U.S. District Court alleging that Hardings Inc., a machine tool maker, had issued flase statements that inflated stock prices for their company...

Consumer Goods &Retail Industry Litigation Blog - A consumer antitrust class action lawsuit was filed 10/27/08 against Whole Foods Market, Inc. alleging a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act et. al...
October 2008

Bloomberg.com - Farmers in 5 states sued Bayer, a German producer of genetically modified seeds, after small amounts of this seed was found in rice they were raising for consumption. Their bid for a class action suit was denied and individual suits are now planned...

New Orleans Business News - Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., a state-run insurer,acknowledged no wrong doing but has agreed to a $35 million settlement in two class action suits that alleged they had failed to offer settlements on hurricane claims in a timely fashion...

Rutland Herald - A class action lawsuit brought against Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners on behalf of 1243 investor pass holders has been certified by a federal judge...

afterdawn.com - A class action lawsuit has been filed in California alleging that Microsoft concealed the failure rate of their Xbox 360 in order to better compete with Play Station 3 and Nintendo Wii in 2006...

MarketWatch - Class Action status has been granted to the Fifth Third 401(k) lawsuit pending in Cincinnati, Ohio. The lawsuit alleges that Fifth Third Bancorp and certain top executives at the company mismanaged the Plan and "breached their fiduciary duries under ERISA..."

courier-journal.com - A settlement has been reached in the federal class-action lawsuit brought against CSX and General Electric. About 17,000 people are eligible for claims against the $3 million settlement...

Reuters - A class action lawsuit filed in New York area court claims that Biovail "misled investors about regulatory approval status" of its generic antidepressant Wellbutrin XL...

The Madison St. Clair Record - A class action lawsuit has been brought against the Lowe's home improvement store in Glen Carbon claiming a violation of the Fair and Accurate Transactions Act (FACTA)...

September 2008

Tampabays10.com - A class action lawsuit against Symantec Corporation (makers of Norton Products) was certified in California this month. You may be affected if you installed upgrades to a Norton product between December 5, 2001 - April 11, 2008...

Gazette.com - The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado has denied the ACLU's attempt to have mentally ill jail inmates who are now or will be confined in the future in the Criminal Justice Center of El Paso County certified as a class...

9wysr.com - A class action settlement between PayPal and PayPal customers who had an account not directly connected with a credit card has been reached. Customers between February 2004 and the present who had difficulty obtaining refunds...

MarketWatch - A summary judgment has been awarded by a federal judge in New York in favor of current and former employees of Gristede's grocery chain supporting their class claims that the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law had been violated...

The Capital Times - Charter Communications has agreed to a $28.5 million clss action lawsuit settlement brought by installers and other employees working for the cable company to compensate for "off the clock" required work...

MarketWatch - Class Action Proceedings were initiated against Behr Dayton Thermal Products, LLC, Behr Datyon Thermal Plant, LLC, Behr America, Inc., and Chrysler, LLC (former plant owners) on behalf of all persons living in or spending significant time in neighborhoods near the plant...

abc News - A second suit seeking class action status against Apple and AT&T regarding the performance of the IPhone 3G has been filed in a San Diego state court. This new complaint asks for appropriate disclaimers and...

IndyStar.com - Pension funds, labor unions and insurance companies have had their class action lawsuit against Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals and Zyprexa certified...

Seattlepi.com - Consumer rights were reaffirmed in a recent Washington State Supreme Court ruling against At&T's service agreement. Consumers were denied the right to "file a class action lawsuit, require confidentiality, shorten the Washington Consumer Protection Act statute of limitations, and limit availability of attorney fees..." Read the Washington State Supreme Court ruling in McKee (Michael) v. AT&T Corp., No. 81006-1

August 2008

Columbiatribune.com |NEWS - In a class action law suit filed in Missouri, it is alleged that Warren Funeral Chapel and its owners violated the "right of sepulchre" of the deceased...

ars technica - A preliminary settlement was announced in the class-action case against ValueClick, Commission Junction and Be Free. Without admission of wrong doing, ValueClick has agreed to pay $1 million into a settlement fund...

ajc.com - In a class action lawsuit filed by Home Depot employees, it is alleged that the employees’defined contribution plan was mismanaged. This suit was initially dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has made a partially positive ruling allowing the case to more forward...

Forbes.com - The State Supreme Court in the state of Washington has found AT&T’s Consumer Services Agreement that required class-action lawsuit waivers in conflict with the state’s Consumer Protection Act and affirmed the decision made by the Chelan County Superior Court that denied the "company’s motion to send the dispute to arbitration"...
July 2008

LDNews - A group of franchisees in Pennsylvania have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Quiznos touts "grossly inflated company profits at their expense..."

Marketwire - A class action lawsuit was filed in California on behalf of prisoners alleging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is not currently providing adequate diagnostic testing and treatment for Hepatitis C...

WBIR.com - In a class action settlement that acknowledged no wrong doing, Credit Bureau Trans Union has agreed to provide free credit monitoring for nine months...

WTHR.com - In a dispute over changing odds posted by the Hoosier Lottery, a class action law suit has been filed claiming the lottery misrepresented the odds...
June 2008

www.twcsettlement.com - A proposed settlement has been offered in a class action lawsuit that alleged Time Warner Cable sold subscribers’ names and personal information to other companies for marketing purposes...

Bloomberg News (New Orleans) - A New Orleans U.S. District Judge has decertified a class-action suit brought against Big Lots Inc. alleging failure to pay overtime...
Financialwire.net via COMTEX - The class-action status of a lawsuit filed against General Motors Corp. alleging that GM sold four million vehicles with defectively designed parking brakes was upheld by the Arkansas Supreme Court...
The Morning News - Five cases that potentially represent the largest judgments against Wal-Mart are examined by the Morning News. Dukes v. Wal-Mart (employment discrimination), Haley v. Wal-Mart (Alleges "systematic understaffing and overtime limits"), Braun/Hummel v. WalMart (Missed rest breaks and work off the clock), Savaglio v. Wal-Mart (Meal and rest breaks not provided in violation of state law), Braun v. Wal-Mart (Missed meals, missed rest breaks, falsified time cards)...

NYTimes.com - In this June 2008 article Tort reform legislation being introduced in various state legislatures is discussed by Jonathan Glater...

LegalNewsline.com - In his speech to the Federalist Society U.S. Senator Cornyn discussed his Securities Litigation Attorney Accountability and Transparency Act (Senate Bill 3033) designed to prevent plaintiffs' attorneys from giving kickbacks for filing lawsuits...
May 2008

The Southeast Texas Record - The final order for the last defendant's settlement in the Arkansas "click fraud" class action was approved in Miller County Circuit Court. Originally filed in February 2005 against Yahoo, Time Warner, Overture Services Inc., Netscape Communications Corp., Google,...

Law.com - An antitrust Class Action accusing GlaxoSmithKline of using "monopolistic tactics" in delaying the release of a generic version of the antidepressant Wellbutrin has been certified by U.S. District Judge Bruce Kauffman. In re Wellbutrin Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation the plaintiffs' team urged ..

Reuters (Melbourne) - Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. of Australia, the world's #2 slot machine maker, is working to settle a class action suit brought by shareholders claiming Aristocrat Leisure did not accurately update earning predictions...

International Herald Tribune -Former Pamalat shareholders and other investors will be issued 10.5 million existing shares "in full satisfaction of any and all claim asserted against it in the class action, worldwide,"...

The New York Times- Merck, without admitting any wrongdoing, has agreed to pay $58 million as part of a multistate settlement that accused Merck of down playing the health risks of Vioxx in television commercials...

Fox Business - Two public pension funds along with other Yahoo! shareholders are pursuing a class action lawsuit against the Yahoo board of directors regarding breach of their fiduciary duties in the thwarting of the proposed Microsoft merger proposal...

New York Times- Discussing more in depth the decertification of the $800 billion class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of smokers who were misled by the "light cigarette" advertisements, options for individuals who may wish to pursue this litigation are explained along with information about related cases.

International Herald Tribune - Information about the overturned class action court decision can also be found in the AP story "US:: Tobacco companies win a legal round over smokers"...

New Electronic Claim Filing Guidelines to replace guidelines from March 26, 2008 have been posted In re Motive, Inc. Securities Litigation, the "class action" currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

An updated included CUSIP List In Re CP Ships LTD. Securities Litigation has been posted. Securities with CUSIPs 22409V102, 22409VAD4, 22409VAE2, 22409VAB8 & 22409VAC6will be accepted.

The Daily News Online (www.memphisdailynews.com) - A class action complaint against Morgan Asset Management Inc., et. al. has been brought on behalf of thousands of Regions' employees whose employee pension plans have been severely impacted...

Forbes.com- The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has reversed certification of a 'light cigarettes' class action given in a lower court's ruling. The class action suit had been brought against cigarette makers R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Phillip Morris...

April 2008

Reuters - A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of all purchasers of the Schwab YieldPlus Fund Investor Shares and Schwab YieldPlus Fund Select Shares in United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts...

epicos.com - A class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina alleging that false and misleading statements regarding the Company's prospects were made by the defendants....

The New York Times - The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan overturned class-action status that had been granted by a lower court to smokers in a "light cigarettes" suit...

Bloomberg.com - The new federal identity-theft law requiring merchants to show no more than the last 5 digits of a credit card number has prompted a number of class action cases against large and small violators of this new law...

consumeraffairs.com - With one class action lawsuit settled out of court, a new class action law suit against Apple Computers has been filed alleging that customers were misled by by Apple's claim of "millions of colors" in the new MacBook... Also read more in the AppleInsider "Apple hit with another 'millions of colors' lawsuit."

AppleInsider - An explanation of the first "millions of colors" class action lawsuit brought against Apple is explored. This lawsuit was settled out of court..

lawyersandsettlements.com - A class action lawsuit against Candela Corporation (NASD: CLZR) alleging materially false and misleading statments about the company's financial health were made between February 1, 2006 to August 21, 2006. This lawsuit has been brought on behalf of Western Pennsylvania Electrical Employees Pension Fund and other institutional investors...

PatriotLedger.com - A class action lawsuit has been brought against Hannaford Bros. It is alleged that there have been approximately 2,000 cases of debit or credit card fraud related to the security breach effecting over 160 Hannaford stores in the New England area...

Chevrontoxico.org - A historic class action lawsuit was launched against Chevron in 2003 alleging the company is responsible for dumping billions of gallons of toxic wastewater into Ecuador's rainforest...A report by a court appointed expert in the final phase of this class action has proposed Chevron pay $7-$16 billion...

March 2008

Washington Post - A settlement has been reached in Charles Parker, et. al., v. Sears, Roebuck and Co. Sears Holdings Corp. has agreed to install safety brackets or offer gift cards in this Illinois class action lawsuit settlement...

SFBC Administrator Notice of Pendency explaining the hearing on the proposed settlement, the pendency of class Action and the right to share in Net Settlement Fund...

Suprema Notice of Pendency explaining the hearing on proposed partial settlement in re Suprema Specialities, Inc. Securities Litigation.. .

February 2008

Eschelon Notice of Pendency explaining the proposed settlement of the Eschelon class action on behalf of Eschelon share holders during March 20, 2007 through August 31, 2007...

In re: AirGate PCS, Inc. Securities Litigation A notice of pendency and proposed settlement on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired AirGate PCS, Inc....

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has replaced its February 2007 decisionin the Dukes v. Wal-Mart sex discrimination class action case and issued a new opinion that reaffirms a federal district court's certification of a class action with only slight modifications. For additional information see: The UCL Practitioner and Wolters Kluwer Labor & Employment Law

NBC10.com - A class action law suit has been filed on behalf of Maryland residents whose drinking water taken from wells has been poluted by toxic chemicals. This lawsuit alleges that Constellation Power Source Generation, Inc. contaminated groundwater near fly ash dump sites...

January 2008

The Dallas Morning News - Two American Airlines Inc. passengers have sued American Airlines for delays experienced by approximately 12,000 passengers in December 2006. They are seeking class action status ...

Business Wire - While the number of securities fraud class action litigation cases increased 43‰ litigation for 2007 over all was 14‰ below the ten year average...

Reuters - A lawsuit seeking class action status was filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of those shareholders of Basin Water, Inc...

December 2007

Panama City (wjhg.com) -Governor Crist and legal support are looking closely at the increased insurance premiums being charged in Florida and researching the possibility of a class action suit as a remedy for the consumer...

Reuters - "US Lawmakers Urge SEC to Look at Litigation Impact" Rep. Fossella (NY Repub.) and Rep. Meeks (NY Dem.) urged a review of the impact of securities class-action litigation. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in 2008 dealing with this type of litigation...

The New York Times - Class-Action Cases have risen with the increase of litigation related to subprime lenders. This issue is examined by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal

November 2007

In Massachusetts the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled November 19 against Dynamics Research Corp. In 2003 DRC sent a 5-line email explaining a new dispute resolution program was being implemented and continued employment precluded any class action against the company. Read the Court of Appeals' decision or Public Justice's amicus brief.

Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield settles nation wide class action law suit that will affect how physicians are reimbursed...

EdgarOnline - GMH Communities Trust (the "Company") has reached a settlement agreement in the class action lawsuit brought on behalf GMH common share purchasers during specific time periods in 2005, 2006 and 2007...

Pollstar - Class Action status has been granted by a Los Angeles judge making it possible for a class-action lawsuit against Clrar Channel Communications and Live Nations alleging illegal ticket inflation...

TimesOnline - This Business section article from TimesOnline examines a recent U.K. class action case against retailers and manufacturers who defrauded footbal fans by overcharging for "replica kits." Class Action Lawsuits and their European transitionis also examined...
October 2007
Channel Register- The US Supreme Court has denied HP's appeal of a class action status granted by the District Court of Oklahoma in 2005...

Bloomberg.com- This opinion piece by Ann Woolner discusses the merits of class action suits being brought against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. by hourly workers...
September 2007
The Supreme Court of New Jersey has decertified the class action suit brought against Merck on behalf of union health plans that had purchased Vioxx for their members...

(Bloomberg.com)A US Appeals Court has reversed a 2006 ruling and ordered a federal judge to reconsider a proposed class-action lawsuit against underwriters...
August 2007
Nike, Inc. has agreed to a $7.6 million settlement in a class action that charged Nike with racial discrimination...

LegalNewsline.com- A class action lawsuit has been brought against Expedia, Inc. charging Expedia with violating the identity theft prevention statute that requires no more than the last five digits of a credit card...

Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) and PharmaNetDevelopment Group Inc. (formerly SFBC International, Inc.) have reached a settlement in the securities class-action lawsuit against PharmaNet Development Group...

PRNewswire -A Texas law firm has announced a classaction lawsuit against the online auction site ebay on behalf of consumers who have used this auction service...

July 2007

Public Justice - The Supreme Court of the State of Washington in Scott v. Cingular Wireless has rulled that the cell phone company cannot ban its customers from bringing class actions against it...

PrimeNewswire - A class action against Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing, LLC et.al. on behalf of those affected by the Coffeyville Resources refinery Oil spill has been filed in the US District Court, District of Kansas...

Law.com - A motion to dismiss a class action law suit brought against the Italian dairy company Parmalat prior to their bankruptcy reorganization was denied by Federal Justice Kaplan in the Southern District Courts of New York...

HeraldNewsOnline.com | Member of the Sun Times News Group -Class Action status was granted to a lawsuit brought against Caterpillar alleging that workers who retired between 1992-1998 should be entitled to provisions in a previous contract...

June 2007

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit re: Lewallen v. Green Tree Servicing, L.L.C. denied Green Tree its right to arbitrate Lewallen's claims...

May 2007

A complaint was filed this month in California by AXIS Dance Company seeking to enjoin hotels.com from continued violation of California's civil rights laws. Plaintiffs are not seeking damages. "Plaintiffs bring this action to remedy ongoing discrimination against persons with mobility disabilities"...

April 2007

The accounting firm of Ernst & Young have agreed to a $9 million dollar settlement in a class-action suit that has lasted five years involving PNC Financial Services Group, American International Group, and Ernst & Young... (BankNet360) April 13

New Jersey Federal Judge dismisses with prejudice a consolidated securities class action filed against Merck & Co., Inc. in connection with Vioxx disclosures... (LawFuel.com) April 13

After 7 years State Farm settles class action suit brought by 70 Oklahoma policy holders in a case involving tornado damage and alleging the use of biased experts...

The California Wage and Hour Law Weblog examines the recently released survey conducted by Harris Interactive that found California one of the worst state legal systems...

March 2007

First BanCorp PressRelease-An agreement in principle was announced by First BanCorp on March 5 to settle claims in a shareholder class action...

DallasNews.com-The Supreme Court announced it would not consider the appeal by AT&T to overturn a lower court decision that allowed a class action lawsuit to proceed in the state court...

Consumer Law & Policy Blog- This blog sponsored by Public Citizen's Consumer Justice Project discusses recent actions of the Texas Supreme Court that makes class action certification difficult and yet prevents individual litigation of the same claims...

Re Astropower, Inc. Securities Litigation-A Summary Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Class Action for all persons who purchased the common stock of Astropower between May7, 2001 and April 1, 2003...

New York Law Journal-In the class action lawsuit against Comverse Technology the federal judge overseeing this action has vacated a magistrate's lead counsel recommendation...

Layover.com-A $6.25 Million class action settlement has been reached in the action brought by OOIDA against Bridge Terminal Transport, Inc...

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research- "The Sorcerer, the Apprentice, and the Broom," an article by Peter Wallison, discusses problems encountered with private securities class actions...

Lawyers and Settlements-The advantages and disadvantages of class action litigation to settle grievances with stock brokers...

New York, NY-A shareholder class action has been filed in the Central District of California against New Century Financial Corp. alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934...

RISMedia-A class action motion has been filed by patent holder Real Estate Alliance, Ltd. against the National Association of Realtors alleging patent infringement...

February 2007
"Class-Action Law Gums Up Courts" Forbes.com reports on February 15 in an article by Brian Wingfield. This article discusses the impact CAFA 2005 has had on the Federal Courts and class action litigation...

A multi-billion dollar sex discrimination class action brought against Wal-Mart may impact as many as two million past and present female employees Legalweek.com reports...

Bloomberg.com reports the $200 billion lawsuit against the Philip Morris unit of Altria Group cannot proceed until an appeals court decides its class action status...

An article posted in a Federal Civil Practice Bulletin Blog discusses a District Court decision dealing with attorneys' fees awarded in a recent class action...

Class Action Suit brought on behalf of consumers of T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and A.J. Wright charging negligence for failure to maintain adequate computer security when handling consumer credit card information...

U.S. District Judge Senter considers certifying a class action against State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. regarding Mississippi Katrina lawsuits...

An allegation that Openwave Systems, Inc. violated the federal securities law has prompted a class action lawsuit to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Sourthern District of New York...

Notice of Final Settlement concerning Pearson v. Boliden Limited et al securities class action litigation and Canadian citizens who acquired common shared in Boliden Limited...

Investment News reports that certification of a class action against Midland National Life Insurance Co. has been recommended by a judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii...

Other Cases in the News

Wells v. Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B.
Baltimore Court Preliminarily Approves Class Action Settlement Between TLPJ, JPMorganChase Bank and Chevy Chase Bank Over Allegedly Excessive Interest Charges to Credit Cardholders...(Read TLPJ Press Release).
For additional details visit Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

Class Action Lawsuits Listing/Links
A list of some of the current class actions is given and links provided for further information.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. v. Dabit, Shadi(PDF)
Syllabus and Opinion (March 21, 2006)

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. v. Dabit, Shadi
Article by Deborah Ziff, Medill News Service

Class Action Litigation Information

A Service of Timothy E. Eble, P.A.

Class Action News

Class Action News Search

Class Action Cases in the News

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