Steve Larson has been representing investors, consumers and employees in class actions in Oregon for over 20 years. He is a shareholder at the law firm of Stoll Berne in Portland, Oregon.
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This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.
A federal judge in Florida gave final approval to a $3.6 million settlement between Global HR Research and a nationwide class of job applicants.
AT&T will pay $60 million to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for allegedly slowing data speeds for millions of wireless customers who paid for the “unlimited” plans.
Stoll Berne was recently named in the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms rankings for 2020.
Last week, the full House passed the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (FAIR) Act, HR 1423, to end forced arbitration.
Shortly after the California lawmakers passed a bill calling for gig economy workers to be labeled employees rather than independent contractors, an Uber driver in San Francisco filed a proposed class action alleging she and other drivers were misclassified as independent contractors and underpaid. The legislation, which, if signed by the governor will take effect in 2020, requires employers to prove three things to classify workers as independent contractors: that the workers are free from
A class action filed by Louisiana homeowners against Chinese companies over allegedly defective drywall have reached a $248 million settlement to resolve the dispute.
A federal judge in Illinois granted final approval to a $75 million settlement in a class action involving concussions in student-athletes.
On July 30, 2019, several class actions were filed against Capital One after it revealed it had been the target of a data breach in which 106 million people had their personal information stolen by a hacker who is now facing federal criminal charges. The suits, all brought by Capital One credit card customers, blame the bank for failing to put in place proper security practices for protecting their sensitive information. The complaints allege that
On Monday, Oregon federal district court judge Michael Simon preliminarily approved a $32 million settlement that would resolve multidistrict litigation against Premera Blue Cross over the health insurer’s 2015 data breach that affected an estimated 11 million customers and employees. In a 58-page order, Judge Michael H. Simon said the proposed settlement is fair, considering that the proposed class members have “several strong arguments” regarding Premera’s allegedly inadequate data security measures. The judge also noted
The Public Justice blog recently posted an article, “Major Victory in Oregon Vindicates Class Actions.” To read the blog post, click here. This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions. Sign up to receive Class Actions Blog posts in your inbox! Email Address
Automobile owners and lessees reached a $14 million settlement with auto parts maker Showa Corp. in a class action alleging that Showa was involved in a long-running scheme to fix the prices of powered steering assemblies and shock absorbers.
Plaintiffs in a class action have entered into a settlement with a number of third parties who are alleged to have participated in or materially aided sales of securities by the now-defunct Aequitas companies of Lake Oswego, Oregon. The settlement totals $234.6 million and is on behalf of approximately 1,600 investors. It is believed to be the largest settlement of a securities lawsuit in Oregon history. The complaint in the class action lawsuit alleges that
On June 21, 2019, Tom Petty’s estate and other well-known music industry luminaries filed a class action suit against UMG Recordings Inc. (“UMG”) in California federal court alleging that the recording company negligently stored the artists’ Master Recordings in an inadequate and substandard storage warehouse located on the backlot of Universal Studios that was a known firetrap.
A federal judge in New York approved an $80 million settlement in a class action that alleged the largest dental supply companies colluded to fix prices on crowns, anesthetic and other supplies. The class includes 200,000 dentists.
An MDL case entitled In re Hyundai and Kia Fuel Economy Litigation involved alleged misrepresentations involving fuel usage for Hyundai and Kia automobiles. A district court in California approved a nationwide $200 million settlement. A divided Ninth Circuit panel reversed the approval of the settlement holding that the district court must weigh all the varying state consumer protection laws before certifying nationwide class action settlements. Lawyers for plaintiffs and defendants saw this troubling decision as
A majority of the the U.S. Supreme Court held recently that consumers that purchase Apps from Apple’s App store are direct purchasers able to pursue a proposed antitrust class action under federal law. The majority rejected Apple Inc.’s contention that the consumers are “indirect purchasers” barred from pursuing federal antitrust damages under the high court’s 1977 ruling in Illinois Brick. Instead, the majority found the App Store buyers are direct purchasers from Apple, sidestepping calls
A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Minnesota federal court that alleges that four large beef-packing companies and an industry information-sharing service have schemed to suppress the prices they pay for cattle and inflate the prices they charge consumers. The lawsuit names Cargill, Tyson Foods, National Beef Packing and JBS USA Food Co. — who collectively control 70% of U.S. beef processing — as defendants. Agri Stats Inc., a price forecasting service for beef, pork
A New York state court judge has granted class action status in a high-profile lawsuit in which many guests at a wedding reception in 2015 became violently ill. Nine ambulances were called to the July 31 reception after guests started vomiting and having diarrhea on the grounds of the Arrowhead Lodge at Oneida Shores Park. The lawsuit alleges the food—specifically the macaroni and cheese—provided by the caterer caused the illnesses. The bride’s father, is the
A federal judge in Washington state has ruled that Amazon delivery drivers that had filed a collective action alleging that Amazon misclassified drivers as independent contractors fit the definition of transportation workers who are exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour relied on a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which said in New Prime v. Oliveira that transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce, including those classified as independent
A cattle ranchers’ trade association filed a class action in federal court in Illinois accusing meatpackers including industry powerhouses Tyson, JBS SA, Cargill and National Beef Packing Co. of conspiring to keep down cattle prices. The complaint alleges the meatpackers are seeking to push the cattle industry toward the level of consolidation already seen in poultry processing.
