Lawsuits & Litigation

Will Lexmark’s ‘Ink War’ Reach the Supreme Court?

Lexmark added Impression products to the list of over two dozen defendants in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in U.S. Court for the Southern District of Ohio, a suit that began by the company in 2010. Although all of the other defendants buckled to Lexmark’s clout, either choosing to settle, or with the court granting Lexmark default judgments against absentee defendants, Smith and his attorney stood their ground electing to fight the lawsuit.

Appeals Court issues ‘Catch-22’ Ruling for NSA Spying Lawsuit

The 2-1 panel ruling did not dismiss the case outright, kicking the case back to lower federal court for further deliberation. The ruling, however, severely weakens the validity of the lawsuit and likely for similar cases of privacy invasion by the spying program in the future.

Dole Executives Fined $148 Million for Valuation Fraud

Laster believed that the executives fraudulently created grim sales forecasts, as well as drove the stock price down by understating the cost savings of Dole’s 2012 sale of its Asian operations, as well as cancelling a planned stock buyback. These activities led to Murdock purchasing the remaining shares for $13.50 each in a $1.2 billion purchase. Laster ruled that the executives undervalued the shares by $2.74 apiece, ordering that they pay the difference, a total of $148.2 million to the investors, many of them pension funds, that filed the class-action lawsuit.

‘Deadly’ Keyless Ignition Systems Blamed in Class-Action Lawsuit against Ten Automakers

In addition to suing for compensatory and punitive damages, the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction mandating that the automakers install the automatic shutoff components in all current and future vehicles with keyless ignition systems.

Appeals Court Strikes Down New Jersey’s Sports Betting Law…Again

Governor Chris Christie, along with state politicians and residents, has been hoping to revive the industry through sports wagering. Judge Rendell acknowledged the local sentiment, writing in the majority opinion, “While PASPA’s provisions and its reach are controversial and, some might say, unwise, we are not asked to judge the wisdom of PASPA and it is not our place to usurp Congress’ role simply because PASPA may have become an unpopular law.”

Judge Dismisses Part of Plavix Multidistrict False Claims Lawsuit

Judge Freda Wolfson of the U.S. District of New Jersey has granted some relief for drugmakers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis in a complicated multidistrict whistleblower lawsuit against the two companies over marketing claims involving the blood-thinning medication Plavix. Wolfson granted motions to dismiss several claims made by former Sanofi sales representative Elisa Dickson, alleging that

Judge Orders Release of Detained Immigrant Children

Gee had already found DHS in violation of the agreement in July, with the most recent ruling being a stern rebuttal of the government’s request to reconsider the ruling. DHS has argued that complying with the agreement would lead to a large influx of illegal immigrants crossing the border; however Gee called the argument “repackaged and reheated,” saying it was “speculative,” and equating it to “fearmongering.”

If Mike Could be Like Me

Jordan told reporters, “This shows I will protect my name to the fullest. It’s my name and I worked hard for it, and I’m not just going to let someone take it.”

According to Jordan’s attorneys, the use of his likeness for advertising should have been valued at roughly $10 million, whereas Dominick’s attorney Steven Mandel argued that the Jordan’s legal team is overvaluing the amount, and that the jury should award Jordan $126,900 for his likeness in the ad.

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Labor Department and Home Care Workers

Calling it a “tremendous victory,” Sarah Leberstein, senior staff attorney for the National Employment Law Group said, “Paying workers less than the minimum wage for their work hours, and not paying an overtime premium after 40 hours a week benefits no one.” According to the advocacy group Caring Across Generations, domestic care is one of the U.S.’s lowest paying industry, with an average hourly wage of $9.61.

Will Class-Action Litigation of Ashley Madison Account Holders Succeed?

The second data dump comes after Biderman questioned the credibility of the hacker’s claims, with the Impact Team taunting him with a message regarding Thursday’s disclosure, “Hey Noel, you can admit it’s real now.” As reality does indeed set in for both ALM and the millions of users whose personal lives may be altered forever by the leak, sorting out legal liability in the matter will be messy.