Corporate Law

Debt-buying industry and lax court review are burying defendants in defaults

After more than four decades as a commercial litigator, Ward Benshoof was shocked at what he learned two years ago while handling a post-judgment debt-collection case. What had been accepted as evidence seemed to have no more substance than the shadow of smoke. And as he later learned, it also was not evidence at all.

Nov 1, 2015 4:20 AM CST

Chinese companies doing business in the US build barriers to legal remedies

While an increasing number of Chinese companies are doing business in the U.S., China has nevertheless built a legal firewall around its financial services firms by refusing to acknowledge the jurisdiction of U.S. courts and regulatory agencies.

Nov 1, 2015 2:45 AM CST

Divided SEC OKs crowdfunding rules for contributions to companies

Implementing a 2012 law that allows companies to seek crowdfunding from individuals via the Internet, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday voted 3-1 to adopt new rules. They limit contributions to no more than 5 percent of net worth or $2,000, whichever is higher, for individuals who either…

Oct 30, 2015 3:35 PM CDT

Delivery drivers’ suit against Amazon says plaintiffs were paid less than minimum wage

Add another group of workers to the growing list of “independent contractors” who have filed wage-and-hour suits against major companies over claimed misclassification. On Tuesday, four drivers who formerly delivered for Amazon Prime Now while working as independent contractors for Scoobeez Inc. filed suit against both the delivery company and…

Oct 29, 2015 9:20 AM CDT

Woman survives accident after 6 days trapped in car, gets recall notice and sues GM

Kristin Hopkins survived an accident that left her trapped in her upside-down vehicle in freezing conditions for nearly six days last year. Finally a passer-by happened to spot her, some 140 feet off the road, at the bottom of a wooded embankment. However, she had to have both legs amputated…

Oct 26, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

Fired general counsel can target individual directors in whistleblower suit, federal judge rules

A fired general counsel can name directors of the company that formerly employed him as individual defendants in a whistleblower suit, a federal judge has ruled. However, plaintiff Sanford Wadler can actually sue only the chief executive of Bio-Rad Laboratories under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the San Francisco case, ruled…

Oct 26, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

U-Haul sues over claimed Chicago truck-towing scheme

More than half a dozen Chicago-area towing companies participated in a scheme to tow U-Haul trucks and trailers without authorization, forcing the company to pay hefty fees amounting to thousands of dollars, a lawsuit alleges. U-Haul of Illinois filed the Cook County Circuit Court suit last week against 14 defendants,…

Oct 26, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Deadline looms for beer and tuna refund bonanza in major class-action settlements

There may not be a free lunch, but a beer and tuna bonanza awaits savvy consumers who apply in time for refunds in class-action settlements. Under a $20 million settlement with Anheuser-Busch Companies LLC that was OK’d by a federal judge in Miami, Florida, this week, consumers who can prove…

Oct 23, 2015 8:30 AM CDT

AIG launching consulting company to advise corporate clients on efficient legal operations

American International Group Inc. is launching a new consulting company that will advise outside corporations on how to make their legal operations more efficient. The Legal Operations Company will use internal data from the insurance giant’s Legal Operations Center to help clients set competitive prices and identify areas where legal…

Oct 21, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Lawyer for fugitive Paul Ceglia says in personal lawsuit that Facebook and its counsel defamed him

One of the lawyers who represented fugitive Paul Ceglia in a high-profile unsuccessful lawsuit against Facebook Inc. and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has now filed suit against Facebook on his own behalf. Attorney Paul Argentieri alleges that Facebook, Zuckerberg and the company’s general counsel, Colin Stretch, defamed him in a statement…

Oct 21, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

Amazon sues 1,114 John Does over alleged fake review offers targeted to its site

Expanding on earlier litigation, Amazon.com Inc. filed suit Friday against 1,114 John Does who allegedly offered to post fake consumer reviews on the Internet giant’s website, for a fee. The alleged offers were made on Fiverr.com, for as little as $5, USA Today reports. Potential customers would presumably be those…

Oct 20, 2015 2:35 PM CDT

Lawyer can’t avoid $364K contempt sanction by filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, court rules

A Michigan lawyer who was held in civil contempt and ordered to pay nearly $364,000 in sanctions for violating a court order and helping a client sell an insurance firm can’t discharge the debt by filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, a bankruptcy court has ruled. Finding that attorney David…

Oct 2, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Mom’s release doesn’t preclude child’s copyright suit over T-shirt design, federal judge rules

A mother’s release allowing a second-grader in New York City to participate in a clothing company’s T-shirt design contest does not preclude the child’s subsequent copyright suit, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. However, U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods hasn’t yet decided what he says is the central issue in the…

Oct 2, 2015 10:45 AM CDT

Supreme Court to consider whether RICO reaches acts committed overseas

R. J. Reynolds has won Supreme Court review of its claim that it can’t be held accountable in U.S. courts for alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act committed overseas. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case on Thursday to decide whether RICO has extraterritorial…

Oct 2, 2015 9:50 AM CDT

County sues Volkswagen for $100M, seeks civil penalties for violation of emissions laws

In what may be the first such lawsuit against Volkswagen, a Texas county has filed a complaint seeking an estimated $100 million in damages over alleged violations of local vehicle emissions laws. Harris County doesn’t have any Volkswagens in its fleet, but is seeking in its complaint (PDF) to address…

Sep 30, 2015 12:35 PM CDT