Cook County Clerk Loses Bid to Be Freed From Oversight
A federal appeals panel affirmed a decision that the Chicago-area clerk’s office needs an independent monitor in place to prevent political hiring and firing.
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Settlement
Biden Policy Shift Kicks Down the Door to Police Misconduct Probes
Rescinding a Trump-era memo, the new guidelines state that career lawyers, rather than political appointees, will have the authority to approve settlements between the Justice Department and local law enforcement.
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Rental Scooters
A federal court in California approved a class action settlement between the city of Oakland and a class that claims the city allowed rental scooters to block sidewalks and driveways.
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Man Wrongly Imprisoned for 20 Years Settles Lawsuit With San Francisco
A man wrongly convicted of murder has settled his lawsuit against the city of San Francisco and the cop who allegedly framed him. The amount remains undisclosed.
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Court Unlikely to Ground Airline Antitrust Settlement Over Distribution Fears
Two airlines have agreed to amounts that will give mere pennies to passengers, but claims against others remain pending — leaving the final class award up in the air, so to speak.
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Pennsylvania State Police Will Pay Up After Fitness Test Drew Bias Suit
Settling a complaint by the Obama-era Department of Justice, the commonwealth faces a $2.2 million bill to be distributed among women who applied to be troopers as far back as 2003.
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Kids’ Apps
A federal court in California granted final approval of class action settlement agreements in which Disney, Viacom and others agree to limit the collection of personal data and targeted ads for kids under the age of 13 in a dispute reaching “thousands of apps popular with children.”
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Judge Approves US Women’s Soccer Settlement on Working Conditions
The ruling clears the way for the Women’s World Cup holders to appeal a judge’s dismissal last year of their claims that they’re unfairly paid less than men’s national team players.
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Expedia Settles False Advertising Class Action With Hotels
Travel booking giant Expedia and its affiliates will take steps to ensure non-partnering hotels are no longer falsely advertised as “sold out” on its platforms under the terms of a class action settlement approved Friday.
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Forest Service Agrees to Stop Challenged Logging Project in Mendocino National Forest
The U.S. Forest Service will pay $191,000 in legal fees to settle the lawsuit over its plan to allow commercial timber harvesting of fire-damaged trees in a California forest.
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Largest Pipe Maker in US Sues Law Firm for Legal Malpractice in Asbestos Lawsuit
JM Eagle, the country’s largest manufacturer of plastic pipe, filed a multimillion-dollar legal malpractice lawsuit against law firm Walsworth, claiming the firm cozied up to plaintiff firms who sued the company in asbestos lawsuits and was too willing to settle such cases.
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Insurer Agrees to $25M Settlement Over Oklahoma Earthquake Claims
Farmers Insurance denied over 1,000 damage claims as Oklahoma grapples with a spike in earthquakes the federal government blames on fracking.
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Data Speeds
A federal court in San Francisco preliminarily approved a $12 million settlement in a class action relating to AT&T slowing down data speeds for customers with unlimited data plans.
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LaHood, French Billionaire Resolve Probes in Wider Campaign Finance Plot
The France-based billionaire was accused of making unlawful campaign contributions while the former Transportation secretary was under a separate ethics investigation involving an undisclosed cash “loan” from the billionaire.
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Debt Collector Settles DA Letterhead Suit for $1 Million
A debt collection company could have been liable for up to $4.55 million for using district attorney letterhead in demand letters to extract fees from bad check writers.
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Owner of Plastics Plant Asks for Limits on Settlement Payments
A plastics company urged the Fifth Circuit to rescue it from an order that will force it to pay penalties for plastic pellets that can be dislodged by animals from soil surrounding its plant.
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Nipsey Hussle
The estate of rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was shot to death outside of the clothing store he owned in Los Angeles in 2019, and the Crips LLC reached a settlement in a trademark dispute over Nipsey’s slogan “The Marathon Continues.”
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Patagonia, Anheuser-Busch Settle Beer Label Trademark Spat
Outdoor gear retailer Patagonia reached a settlement with global beer producer Anheuser-Busch over a trademark lawsuit claiming the “Patagonia” beer label appropriated the outdoor brand’s identity, according to court briefs filed Monday
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Purdue Pharma Consultant to Pay Nevada $45 Million in Opioid Settlement
Nevada says the money will help pay for costs stemming from the opioid epidemic.
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Apple Settlement
A federal court in California granted final approval to a $310 million class action settlement in a case brought by Apple users who claimed the company used operating system updates to slow down the performance of older iPhone models.
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