Legal News Articles & Interviews

 San Francisco, CAStaples has been hit with yet another unpaid overtime lawsuit in California federal court. According to this latest proposed class action, nonexempt employees were forced to work through meal and rest breaks without compensation. But minutes add up, as the office supply chain knows from previous wage theft lawsuits it eventually settled.

Los Angeles, CA As experts and attorneys are beginning to investigate the cause, or causes, of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, they are focusing on a Southern California Edison electrical transmission tower as a possible cause of the Eaton fire. SoCal Edison has already been hit with wildfire lawsuits and attorney Wayne McClean has handled numerous fire cases. “Word is out that the wildfires were caused by Edison’s faulty wires, and we want to make sure that Southern California Edison [SCE] does the right thing, that it takes responsibility,” says McClean, who practices personal injury law and also represents people with cases against utility companies. 

New York, NY On December 30, three former employees of Verizon Communications filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 56,000 Verizon Communications, Inc. retirees who formerly participated in either the Verizon Management Pension Plan or the Verizon Pension Plan for Associates. The breach of fiduciary duty ERISA lawsuit is the newest in a series of pension risk transfer litigation – a new twist on a familiar story because it involves old-fashioned defined benefit pension plans rather than 401k plans.

Washington, DC “'You've got the shrinks!' cried Mr Twit.” Roald Dahl’s "The Twits" tells the story of a deliciously dreadful old couple who torment each other (and their pet monkeys) with malicious pranks, including one where Mr. Twit gaslights his wife into believing that she’s shrinking.

Oakland, CAApple has filed in federal court a proposed $95 million payout to settle claims that Siri—Apple’s digital assistant— recorded owners' conversations without consent (after they activated Siri unintentionally) and allowed third-party contractors—such as advertisers—to listen in. The settlement could include anyone who owned a Siri-equipped device, such as the iPhone and Apple watch. Reuters reported that the class period began when Siri incorporated the "Hey, Siri" feature that allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.

Los Angeles, CA On November 26, Rob Bonta, California’s Attorney General, announced that his office had filed 31 criminal charges and two enhancements against US Framing West and two employees for multiple violations of California labor laws. US Framing allegedly underpaid its workers by roughly $40,000 at a public works project in Cathedral City. The criminal charges cite the company for grand theft, payroll tax evasion, prevailing wage theft, filing false documents with the State, and failing to pay more than $2.5 million in state payroll taxes during this period.

Santa Clara, CA An Apple employee has filed a California labor PAGA lawsuit accusing the tech giant of harmful workplace policies by spying on its workers and violating workers’ privacy rights via their personal iCloud accounts and non-work devices. This lawsuit isn’t the first complaint about Apple’s ability to access workers’ private information but it details how company policies can make you subject to surveillance.

Queens, NY A recent awareness event held in Queens brought together dozens of women to discuss the possible link between hair relaxers and serious health issues, including reproductive cancer.  A panel of women also addressed more product label transparency, particularly warning labels regarding harmful chemicals that are found in hair straighteners.

Anaheim, CA Disney has agreed to pay $233 million to settle a California labor class action lawsuit that will affect over 50,000 current and former employees, including Cast Members directly employed by Disney and employees working for contractors such as Sodexo. The settlement ends a wage theft lawsuit originally filed five years ago alleging the company failed to comply with Anaheim's $15 minimum wage ordinance. After duking it out with union cast members last summer, Disney agreed to raise their base pay to $24 per hour.

Washington, DC In a surprise move, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) to conduct clinical trials to study the effectiveness of smoking cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. It is no secret that veterans with PTSD commonly use marijuana to manage their symptoms when other medications are ineffective. Until now, however, there has been no scientific evidence as to its safety and effectiveness.