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Week Adjourned: 11.20.09
November 20th, 2009. By LucyC
Hey—is it Revenge of the Geek week?
Top Class Actions
Microsoft Boxing Out Gamers? Microsoft got hit with a class action this week, over allegations that it unfairly banned Xbox Live Service from subscribers with modified Xbox consoles.
The issues relate to modifications made to Xbox consoles by tens of thousands of Xbox owners, which are against the terms of use for Xbox/Xbox Live, and Microsoft’s decision to ban those consoles. The lawsuit alleges that the timing of the ban was designed to avoid revenue losses that would have resulted had Microsoft implemented the ban prior to the release of the blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game, or less than two months after the release of Halo 3: ODST.
The class action includes anyone who has had their Xbox console modified and banned from Xbox Live, and did not receive a refund for the prorated time left on the Xbox Live subscription.
YoCash is OurCash Now? Facebook and Zynga are also facing a class action, alleging that they
Asbestos News Roundup: 11.19.09
November 19th, 2009. By LucyC
A roundup of recent asbestos-related news, asbestos lawsuits and the latest asbestos hot spots-places where asbestos has been found-and that you should be aware of.
Asbestos Settlements
Buffalo, NY: A settlement of more than $3 million dollars has been awarded to a local union boilermaker for injuries resulting from exposure to asbestos on the job. Earl W. Tredinnick, III, 61, of Elma, New York, who worked as a Local 7 Union Boilermaker between 1967 and 2002 developed mesothelioma in the fall of 2008, and brought suit against various companies responsible for a variety of asbestos-containing products. (PRWEB)
Asbestos Hot Spots
Oakland, CA: Lehman Brothers has agreed to spend $3.7 million to complete the demolition of more than 90 buildings at the former Oak Knoll Naval base. Lehman, now bankrupt, had partnered with SunCal Companies in a planned 960-unit residential development project in the East Oakland hills area. After touring the site in October, the financial company agreed to release funding that will pay for contractors to remove asbestos, trash and debris from barracks, homes, garages and other structures. The buildings will be levelled. (Oakland Tribune)
Asbestos Scams
Syracuse, NY: Frank Onoff, a key player in a decade-long asbestos removal scam in central New York, has pled guilty in federal court and agreed to cooperate in the case filed against
Asbestos News Roundup: 11.17.09
November 17th, 2009. By LucyC
A roundup of recent asbestos-related news, asbestos lawsuits and the latest asbestos hot spots-places where asbestos has been found-and that you should be aware of.
Asbestos Lawsuits
Jefferson County, TX: A Texas-based carpenter has filed an asbestos-related disease lawsuit against 38 companies, claiming that his asbestos-related disease was wrongfully caused, that the defendant companies failed to test the asbestos-containing products before they were introduced into the marketplace, and that they failed to warn him about the dangers of asbestos. 
The named as defendants in the suit are : A.O. Smith Corp., A.W. Chesterton Co., American Optical, Ametek, Babcock Borsig Power, Bayer Cropscience, Bechtel, CBS Corp., Certainteed, Cleaver Brooks, Coltec Industries, Crane Co., Crown Cork & Seal, D&F Distributing, Exxon Mobil, Fluor Enterprises, Fluor Maintenance Services and Foster Wheeler.
And: Garlock Sealing Technologies, General Electric, Georgia Pacific, Goulds Pumps, Green Tweed, Henry Vogt Machine Co., Honeywell International, Industrial Holdings Inc., Ingersoll Rand, John Crane, Kelly Moore Paint Co., Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, Pneumo Abex Corporation, Sepco Corp., Treco Construction Services, Uniroyal Holdings, Washington Group International and Zurn Industries. (SETexasRecord.com)
Asbestos Hot Spots
Alberta, Canada: Asbestos has been found at Suncor Oil operations in the Canadian Oil Sands,
What’s in Your Kid’s Favorite Drink? (Big Brother wants to know…)
November 16th, 2009. By LucyC
College kids, caffeine and alcohol. How many red flags does that sentence raise for you? Well, it’s raised a few at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically, is adding caffeine to alcoholic beverages legal, and is it safe from a health perspective? Short answer: the Agency isn’t sure…or at least that’s how it appears.
So, last week the FDA issued a press release alerting the public about its latest course of action on this issue—which by the way is not new. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece on this in August, stating “Last year, [2008] about a dozen attorneys general secured settlements with beer giants Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and MillerCoors LLC, which agreed to remove caffeine, guarana and other stimulants from drinks such as Sparks.”
But that’s another story. I digress. The FDA press release informed the public that it has issued letters to 30 manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages—basically putting them on advisement that the whole issue is under investigation. The crux of the matter is:
“Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a substance added intentionally to food (such as caffeine in alcoholic beverages) is deemed “unsafe” and is unlawful unless its particular use has been approved by FDA regulation, the substance is subject to a prior sanction, or the
Week Adjourned: 11.13.09
November 13th, 2009. By LucyC
Top Class Actions
Sued for SUA? Toyota…Unintended Acceleration Fast-Tracked to Class Action. A national class action was filed this week against Toyota Motor Corporation on behalf of Toyota and Lexus owners, alleging that the cars are prone to ’sudden unintended acceleration’ (SUA).
So what the heck is SUA? Well, in short, a situation where your car takes off or accelerates or gets stuck in ‘go’ mode—without intention—your intention.
As yet there’s no definitive explanation for SUA. Toyota has reportedly cited that it could be due to ill fitting floor mats getting stuck around the gas pedal…but the lawyers aren’t buying. Legal
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