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City’s anti-immigration ordinances preempted 

Published: September 10, 2010
Tags: immigration, preemption

Federal immigration law preempts municipal ordinances that prohibit employers and landlords from dealing with illegal immigrants, the 3rd Circuit has ruled.

Skilled Healthcare reaches settlement over staffing case 

Published: September 9, 2010
Tags: California, class action, inadequate staffing, nursing homes

Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. has announced a $50 million lawsuit settlement over staffing in its California nursing homes, helping it avoid a $677 million damage verdict.

CDC: Auto accidents costs U.S. $100 billion 

Published: September 8, 2010
Tags: auto accidents, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle accidents

Automobile accidents cost the United States economy almost $100 billion annually, with a cost to each licensed driver of roughly $500 per year, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Privacy lawsuit costs Google $8.5 million 

Published: September 8, 2010
Tags: Google, privacy, social media

Google has offered to pay $8.5 million to settle claims brought over privacy concerns with the launch of its social networking site Buzz.

Calif. bill would bar judges from hearing donors’ cases 

Published: September 7, 2010
Tags: campaign contributors, Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Co., elected judges, judicial misconduct

The California state legislature has passed a bill that would bar superior court judges from hearing cases involving their largest campaign contributors.

FTC proposes new consumer credit rules 

Published: September 3, 2010
Tags: Fair Credit Reporting Act, Federal Trade Commission

WASHINGTON - The Federal Trade Commission has proposed new rules changing the notices credit reporting agencies must provide to consumers, users and furnishers of credit report information under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

States enact tax amnesty programs 

Published: September 1, 2010
Tags: amnesty, taxation

Illinois has enacted enacting a tax amnesty program that will allow taxpayers to pay outstanding tax balances without penalty or interest.

Prescription drug claims preempted 

Published: August 31, 2010
Tags: consumer protection, Medicare, Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act, preemption

Federal Medicare law preempts a state consumer protection lawsuit alleging that the plaintiffs’ health insurer wrongfully denied prescription drug benefits, the 9th Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.

Supreme Court case could eviscerate consumer class actions 

By Sylvia Hsieh - Published: August 31, 2010
Tags: arbitration, AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, class actions, Federal Arbitration Act, preemption, Stolt-Nielson v. AnimalFeed International Corp., unconscionability, Wyeth v. Levine

Class action lawyers who represent consumers and employees are bracing themselves for the possible end of practice as they know it.

The cause of their anxiety: a U.S. Supreme Court case that has garnered little attention but could wipe out class actions involving consumer contracts or employment agreements that contain arbitration provisions.

California litigants can choose trials with time limits 

Published: August 31, 2010
Tags: jury trial, peremptory challenges

California lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill that allows civil litigants to opt for trials with time limits and smaller juries.