In a per curiam decision Wednesday, the US Supreme Court remanded, for further review of standing, a case concerning whether cy pres settlements satisfy Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e)(2). The class action case, Frank v. Gaos, originated with an alleged violation of the Stored Communications Act (SCA) by Google. Plaintiffs claimed that Google’s use of referrer headers breached the [...]
Facebook announced on Tuesday that a settlement has been reached in a civil rights case against the social media giant, as Facebook has agreed to take proactive steps to prevent advertisers from engaging in unlawful discrimination. Last year the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Communication [...]
A jury in a San Fransisco federal court on Tuesday found that Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused a man’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This lawsuit is only the second of 11,200 Roundup lawsuits to be tried against Monsanto Company and Bayer for cancer-causing Roundup. The first verdict was rendered in August for $289 million against Monsanto. This [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Cochise Consultancy v. United States, ex rel. Hunt on whether the discovery rule in the False Claims Act (FCA) statute of limitations should apply to lawsuits where the government has not intervened. The FCA allows private citizens to file a qui tam action against a person they [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled in a split decision Tuesday that a provision in the 1855 Treaty between the Yakama Nation of Indians and the US preempts Washington state’s fuel tax. The case before the court involved Cougar Den, a wholesale fuel importer incorporated under Yakama law. Cougar Den obtains fuel in Oregon and transports [...]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law a bill legalizing smoking medical marijuana. In a statement, the governor said that in 2016 over 70 percent of Florida voters approved medical marijuana. He went on to thank his colleagues in the legislature for ensuring the will of the voters is upheld. DeSantis also signed [...]
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday released a redacted version of the warrants used to raid Michael Cohen’s home. This release follows Judge William Pauley granting a request by multiple media outlets for the documents to be made public. Hundreds of pages of documents were released. The documents [...]
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and former Bishop Michael Bransfield for knowingly employing child sexual abusers. The Diocese operates six high schools and 19 elementary schools in the state. The Diocese published a report in November that listed 18 priests who have been credibly accused of [...]
Oregon’s House of Representatives approved a bill Monday that would ban the use of hydraulic fracturing for the exploration of or production of oil and gas in Oregon. The bill was passed by a vote of 42-12. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the bill would ban fracking until January 2, 2030. [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in Nielsen v. Preap that immigrants who have committed certain crimes are not entitled to a bond hearing and once detained can be held in federal custody until their removal proceedings are resolved. In an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court overturned two Ninth Circuit decisions (Preap v. [...]
