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Ruling on Wal-Mart class-action case may have broader impact
Topics |
2010/11/28 21:07
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pThe fate of the largest job bias lawsuit in the nation's history — a claim that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shortchanged women in pay and promotions for many years — hinges on whether the Supreme Court will let the class-action case go to trial./ppThe court is likely to announce as soon as Monday whether it will hear the retail giant's appeal asserting that a single lawsuit cannot speak for more than 1.5 million employees./ppBusiness lawyers and civil rights advocates are closely following the Wal-Mart case for its implications for class-action litigation.
This may sound like just a technical, procedural issue, but because of the economics of it, class-action certification is often the most important issue to be decided, said Washington lawyer Roy T. Englert Jr./ppIf the high court permits the Wal-Mart case to proceed as a class action, it will put enormous pressure on the retailer to settle, he said. The plaintiffs have not specified the damages they would seek, but given the size of the class, it could mount into billions of dollars./ppThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several large corporations have joined with Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer, in urging the high court to hear the appeal and to restrict the use of class-action claims.
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Class action lawsuit against United Water could cost millions
Headline News |
2010/11/28 21:06
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pSeveral Union City residents have filed a class action lawsuit against United Water on allegations that the company cheated customers by selling them useless warranties that do not cover repairs./ppThe warranties, which cost about $150 a year, are supposed to cover the repair of broken water pipes, sewer pipes and other items, the attorneys for three 18th Street plaintiffs, said. Although the application says Guaranteed Acceptance in large print, there are actually many exclusions, the attorneys said./ppMulti-unit dwellings are actually excluded from the warranty, but that has not stopped United Water from marketing and selling the policies to the owners of multi-unit buildings, the lawsuit says./ppThe suit was recently filed in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, where United Water is based./pp
Attorneys Carl Mayer and Bruce Afran held a press conference Tuesday at the courthouse. Afran estimated that if all New Jersey residents in a situation similar to the plaintiffs were to join the suit, and the suit was successful, it could cost United Water as much as $50 million./p |
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Conn. high court to hear immigrant benefits case
Topics |
2010/11/28 21:06
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| pThe Connecticut Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in a case where state lawmakers voted to end medical benefits for some impoverished legal immigrants. The justices are set to hear the case Tuesday. /ppA Hartford Superior Court judge ruled in December 2009 that a state law approved earlier that year violated the constitutional rights of legal immigrants by denying them medical benefits. The state appealed. /ppLawmakers approved the legislation to save $9 million from a program serving about 4,800 immigrants who are elderly, disabled or are parents of needy children. /ppA 1996 federal law barred legal immigrants from receiving Medicaid until they had lived in the country five years. Connecticut had provided medical benefits to legal immigrants who'd been in country less than five years before last year's vote. /p |
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$450m class action launched against NAB
Law Firm News |
2010/11/28 21:05
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pA $450 million class action is being launched on behalf of National Australia Bank shareholders who lost money during the global financial crisis because of NAB's exposure to toxic debt./ppLegal firm Maurice Blackburn will lodge the claim in a Victorian court tomorrow./ppThe firm says NAB had bought $1.2 billion in collateralised debt obligations (CDO) in 2006 which had a heavy exposure to the US sub-prime housing market./ppIt will allege that between early January and late July that year, NAB failed to properly disclose to shareholders all material information relating to its CDO exposure./p
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Supreme Court: drugs can be forced on defendant
Topics |
2010/11/27 21:06
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pA case involving ATamp;T that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court this week has sweeping ramifications for potentially millions of consumers./ppIf the court rules for the telecom, any business that issues a contract to customers, such as for credit cards, cell phones or cable TV, could prevent them from joining class-action lawsuits./ppThis would take away one of the most powerful legal tools available to consumers in such cases, particularly those involving relatively small amounts of money. Class-action suits allow plaintiffs to band together in seeking compensation or redress, giving more heft to their claims.
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Court Appoints Lawyer for Bernard Kilpatrick
Law Firm News |
2010/11/02 23:19
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| pIt's the ongoing public corruption investigation that's led to charges against numerous city officials, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. It now appears his father could soon be at federal court, as well./ppThe case looks like it's at a point where decisions have to be made both by the prosecutors and by Mr. Kilpatrick, said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor./ppThis time that Mr. Kilpatrick is Bernard Kilpatrick, the father of the disgraced former mayor./ppKwame Kilpatrick is already facing charges related to raiding the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, but now his father has asked for a federal defender - a sure sign he's in trouble, too./ppA target letter is often viewed as an invitation to someone to make contact with the government and explore the possibility of resolving the case, Henning said./ppHe said it's not clear what the charges would be against the elder Kilpatrick, who is long suspected of orchestrating pay-to-play deals involving city contracts. However, whatever money he might have made appears to be gone. Bernard Kilpatrick had to sign an affidavit of indigency to qualify for a court appointed attorney./p |
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