LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

North Hollywood, CA After numerous labor complaints ranging from safety issues to retaliation from management, a group of exotic dancers had enough. They picketed and sought a union vote at their workplace -- the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood – and after more than a year’s fight they became the first strippers since the 1990s to unionize. Read More

Santa Clara, CA A California federal judge last month said he won’t dismiss a Smart Glove Holdings forced labor lawsuit filed by AirBoss until he has more information to bring before a California court. The Malaysian glove maker is trying to have the $68 million California labor lawsuit tossed. Read More

Santa Clara, CA Labor lawsuits, particularly wage and hour claims, have skyrocketed in the past decade. In fact, wage and hour claims are among the most common lawsuits that California employers face. For instance, Shamrock Foods Co. was hit with a meal and rest break violation in March; the popular eatery Breakfast Republic is facing several violations of California labor law including meal and rest breaks; and in April Community Hospice of Modesto was slammed with a class action lawsuit over unpaid wages and other California labor law violations. Read More

Los Angeles, CA After an eight-week trial and two days of deliberations, Farmers Group Inc. has been cleared of discrimination and wrongful termination charges. Former California-based insurance agents claimed they were discriminated against for their age and fired to be replaced by younger, ostensibly more productive workers. However, jurors determined that, because the four plaintiffs were independent contractors, Farmers Group did not violate California employment law. Read More

Newark, NJ On May 10, the states of New Mexico and Mississippi joined cancer victims and the U.S. Department of Justice in moving to dismiss the latest LTL bankruptcy petition. The bankruptcy is an essential element of Johnson & Johnson’s $8.9 billion offer to settle all outstanding and future talcum powder lawsuits. Of that $8.9 billion, $400 million is reportedly  to be set aside to settle state consumer protection lawsuits. That is news. Read More

Santa Clara, CA Due to so many hair straightener lawsuits filed since a study found the products linked to certain cancers, a multi-district litigation (MDL) has been established in the Northern District of Illinois to consolidate all hair relaxer lawsuits. Recent complaints also allege the hair relaxer products cause fertility problems. Lawsuits against L’Oreal and other hair relaxer manufacturers have skyrocketed, however Revlon was not officially named in lawsuits because the cosmetic giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June – one week before the NHI study was released that triggered hair relaxer litigation. Read More

Kingston, RI A University of Rhode Island study has confirmed that increased PFAS content in blood promotes weight gain and makes it harder to keep a lower body weight after weight loss. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS/PFOA) “forever chemicals” have previously been linked to a variety of health conditions, including cancers, liver disease and thyroid disease. The newly-found connection with obesity effectively doubles the health risks caused by this environmental contaminant. Read More