Legal News Articles & Interviews

Santa Clara, CA Women on birth control or presumed to be infertile have been reporting surprise pregnancies while on Ozempic and similar medications. Referred to as “Ozempic Babies”, they add to increasing concern over the side effects of these diabetes and weight-loss drugs. Healthcare professionals, seeing an association between these medications and unexpected pregnancy on birth control, are warning that these drugs may decrease the effectiveness of oral contraception.

Philadelphia, PA After Monsanto's first Roundup trial win in Philadelphia, plaintiff Carl Kline claims that key evidence linking non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to the weed killer containing glyphosate was unable to be presented during the trial and he has appealed the ruling. A new Monsanto Roundup trial has been ordered.

San Francisco, CA Tesla and former Black sub-contractor Owen Diaz have finally settled a California labor racial harassment lawsuit. The settlement ends a long-running battle over how much Tesla would pay Diaz after getting one of the largest awards in a U.S. employment discrimination case overturned.

Santa Clara, CA In a recent California Supreme Court ruling, a worker’s time spent on an employer’s premises undergoing security checks is compensable as hours worked, but time spent driving from the security gate to the parking lot does not qualify as “hours worked”. This California labor law decision emphasizes that the extent of employer control is what mainly defines the classification of "hours worked."

San Francisco, CA  Phillips 66 Co. and refinery workers duked it out before a California federal judge on March 14 over meal-break and time-rounding policies. Workers claims that Phillips automatically deducted 30-minute break periods from hundreds of workers' pay add up to $46.5 million in violation of California labor law.

Trenton, NJ On March 27, District Court Judge Michael Shipp issued a brief order that permits J&J to contest scientific evidence linking talc products to ovarian cancer. The ruling could seriously disrupt the 53,796 talcum powder lawsuits that have been consolidated in the District Court for the District of New Jersey. The order cites recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence. The changes in law – specifically the federal rules governing expert witnesses -- may have a significant impact on class action lawsuits in general.

Santa Clara, CA  As of early March, at least 8,334 hair relaxer lawsuits are pending in a federal MDL (multidistrict litigation). Following a study that linked cancer to hair straightener products in late 2022, African American women have filed product liability lawsuits claiming certain cosmetic companies caused their uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and other serious injuries.

Santa Clara, CA Should you find yourself charged with possession of a controlled substance, understand that an arrest doesn't equate to a conviction. Such criminal law offenses are viewed with considerable gravity across many states, yet there exist numerous defense tactics that could be leveraged to contest the charges you're facing, tailored according to your case's specifics.

Los Angeles, CA Disney Hotels is facing yet another class action lawsuit claiming California labor law violations. This time, maintenance workers claim they are paid less than fast food workers. You’d think that Disney could afford to either supply its maintenance crews with tools or pay them the proper hourly rate, considering that its hotel rooms begin at $500 and some go for more than $800 per night, depending upon the location. That would likely be more cost-effective than a class-action lawsuit. Clearly, Disney is not the happiest place on earth for everyone.

San Francisco, CA Qwick, a gig economy online staffing company for hotel and restaurant workers, is required to pay its misclassified California workers $1.5 million in restitution and convert all workers to employees. This agreement settles a misclassification lawsuit brought by the City Attorney of San Francisco and it significantly reclassifies thousands of workers – permanently. Misclassified as independent contractors, workers will now be entitled to employee rights and benefits.