Corporate Law

Smartwatch makers should fund $1B education campaign about driving dangers, lawyer’s suit says

A California lawyer has filed a nuisance suit to require the makers of smartwatches to fund a $1 billion public education campaign about the dangers of distracted driving while wearing the devices. “The temptation to check the tiny screen immediately after receiving a notification is virtually irresistible,” says the suit…

Apr 21, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Alleged patent quotas spur whistleblower suit by fired L’Oreal in-house lawyer

A former in-house lawyer claims in a whistleblower lawsuit that L’Oreal USA forced him to choose between satisfying quotas for patent applications and ethics rules. The lawyer, Steven Trzaska, says he was fired from his position overseeing patents and business development for L’Oreal in December 2014, the New Jersey Law…

Apr 21, 2015 8:47 AM CDT

Don’t participate in employee wellness program? Penalty can’t be too harsh, EEOC says in draft rules

Employers who want to punish employees who don’t participate in wellness programs can’t be too punitive, according to draft regulations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The preliminary regulations were drafted to take into account the Americans With Disabilities Act, which restricts medical information that employers can obtain from…

Apr 20, 2015 12:24 PM CDT

Playboy suit says law firm tried $6M case instead of seeking settlement within insurance limits

Playboy has filed a malpractice suit against its former counsel in an employee whistleblower suit. The lawsuit contends that Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton exposed the magazine company to additional liability by taking the case to trial. Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, the suit says the California-based…

Apr 20, 2015 9:35 AM CDT

Bankruptcy lawyer writes open letter to shop owner who vowed to turn away openly gay customers

A Michigan bankruptcy lawyer says a shop owner may need his services after announcing in a Facebook post that he would turn away gay customers. Grand Rapids lawyer Jeffrey Mapes wrote an open letter in response to the Facebook post by the owner of DieselTec in Grandville, Michigan, MLive.com reports.…

Apr 20, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

GM bankruptcy filing in 2009 blocks economic loss claims in ignition-switch cases, judge rules

General Motors Co. is protected by its 2009 bankruptcy filing from being held liable for claims that arose prior to that date, a Manhattan bankruptcy judge ruled on Wednesday. The decision in the Chapter 11 case is expected to affect primarily vehicle owners claiming economic loss due to the diminished…

Apr 16, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

AT&T to pay record $25M to settle with FCC over privacy breach at call centers

Telecommunications giant AT&T has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a FCC probe over privacy breaches at call centers in Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines. The FCC said the settlement is the largest it has ever obtained in a privacy case, reports the Los Angeles Times (sub. req.). The…

Apr 8, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Amid battle over bill banning fee-shifting bylaws in Delaware, legal experts point to loophole

Among a number of proposed changes in Delaware corporate law, a bill that would ban companies from enacting fee-shifting bylaws is the most controversial. Authorized by a state supreme court decision last year, such bylaws, if they are widely adopted, potentially could significantly curtail shareholder derivative litigation in the state…

Apr 8, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

Hospital filing accuses its former lawyer of blind-copying negotiation opponent on confidential docs

A federal court filing by a hospital litigating a failed management agreement with another medical facility says its former lawyer was secretly communicating with the opposing party during negotiations of that management agreement. The blind copies of confidential documents allegedly sent to Erlanger Health System by partner Ward Nelson of…

Apr 7, 2015 12:25 PM CDT

2nd Circuit refuses to reconsider its ruling limiting insider-trading convictions

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will not hear a challenge to a December ruling which sharply limited the ability of federal authorities to bring insider-trading cases. The New York Times reported Friday that the court issued a brief order denying a request by U.S. Attorney…

Apr 3, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

Jury awards $150M against Fiat Chrysler in fiery death of boy, 4, after Jeep is rear-ended

A jury in rural Georgia on Thursday awarded $150 million against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in the death of a four-year-old boy in a fiery rear-end crash. It found the automaker 99 percent responsible, due to the position of the gas tank in the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee., for the…

Apr 3, 2015 8:00 AM CDT

Uber info helps ID driver suspected in break-in attempt at home of fare he drove to airport

After driving a Denver woman to the airport last week, an Uber contractor went to the fare’s home and tried to break in, police say. But information from the online ride-sharing service soon helped track the suspect down, reports the Denver Post. The woman’s roommate was home at the time,…

Apr 2, 2015 1:10 PM CDT

Major US contractor settles first SEC case over confidentiality pacts that silence whistleblowers

In what is being hailed as a landmark federal enforcement action protecting the rights of whistleblowers, the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced a settlement with a major federal contractor over provisions in its confidentiality agreements for workers. Overly broad language in the Kellogg Brown & Root confidentiality pacts…

Apr 1, 2015 2:40 PM CDT

More companies thwart employee class actions in arbitration agreements

More companies are requiring employees to arbitrate serious complaints and barring them from bringing class actions after a 2011 Supreme Court decision upholding a ban on class actions in consumer disputes. The result, lawyers tell the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), is a drop in class action suits accusing corporations…

Apr 1, 2015 11:30 AM CDT

After boy’s death from allergic reaction to cookie, family sues; says store violated labeling laws

The family of an 11-year-old who died after eating a chocolate chip cookie that may have contained nuts has sued the supermarket chain that sold it. Filed in federal court in Nashville, Tenn., the suit contends that an employee at a Publix store outside the city misinformed the mother of…

Mar 25, 2015 4:25 PM CDT