Mealey's Class Actions : Mealey's : Legal News & Analysis

Mealey's Class Actions

May 08, 2024
Judge Mostly Denies Summary Judgment In ERISA Case Over Annuity Calculations

CHICAGO — Denying the bulk of a summary judgment motion in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act dispute over allegedly outdated mortality tables used to calculate joint and survivor annuity (JSA) benefits in two Citgo Petroleum Corp. pension plans, an Illinois federal judge said in part that he “cannot credit one expert's opinion over another” at this stage.
May 08, 2024
Judgment Entered Dismissing UCL Suit Against OnlyFans For Automatic Renewals

LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge on May 7 entered judgment dismissing a putative class action against two entities that own and operate the adult entertainment website OnlyFans after granting a motion to dismiss claims that the company violated California’s unfair competition law (UCL) by failing to notify subscribers that they would be automatically charged monthly for subscriptions to various OnlyFans models.
May 08, 2024
Lockheed Martin Moves To Dismiss ERISA Suit Over Pension Risk Transfers

GREENBELT, Md. — Moving to dismiss one of a quartet of similar recent putative class actions challenging pension risk transfers (PRTs) under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Lockheed Martin Corp. told a Maryland federal court that the retirees are receiving all the benefits they are due and fail to state their claims.
May 07, 2024
Parties Reach Agreement In Principle To Settle Fracking Securities Litigation

HOUSTON — A federal judge in Texas has issued an order directing the parties in a shareholder lawsuit against a hydraulic fracturing operator and three of its senior executives to file a settlement agreement and a motion for preliminary approval in light of the parties’ joint motion notifying the district court that they have reached an agreement in principle to settle the case. The parties did not provide details related to the agreement.
May 07, 2024
Redfin Seeks To Settle Commissions Conspiracy Claims For $9.25 Million

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Redfin Corp. and home sellers who have accused the broker and others of violating the Sherman Act by entering into an agreement to artificially inflate the cost of commissions in residential real estate transactions filed in a federal court in Missouri on May 6 a notice of pending settlement and joint motion to stay as to Redfin; on the same day, Redfin filed a Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stating that the settlement was for $9.25 million.
May 07, 2024
Parties In ERISA Imprudence Case Over Funds Report Unspecified Global Deal

SAN FRANCISCO — With a bench trial imminent, parties in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action over the allegedly imprudent retention of certain funds told a California federal court on May 6 that they reached an unspecified agreement “in principle to a global resolution” of the class action and a recently filed related case.
May 07, 2024
Federal Judge Rules For Class On 2 Issues In ERISA Residual Annuities Case

NEW YORK — After “resolving the two disputed issues” in favor of the class after a Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that drew an unsuccessful certiorari petition, a New York federal judge has entered a revised final judgment in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action over residual annuities.
May 06, 2024
‘Waste Of Time’ Summary Judgment Ruling Trims ERISA Class Case Over Fees, Funds

BOSTON — Saying “this entire summary judgment exercise has been a monumental waste of time,” a Massachusetts federal judge partly granted the defendants’ motion in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action challenging management of retirement plans but denied summary judgment as to imprudence allegations regarding record-keeping fees and retention of challenged funds.
May 06, 2024
Mortgagors Appeal Finding That Broker Price Opinion Was Not An Inspection Fee

GREENBELT, Md. — A couple who filed a putative class complaint against their lenders over a broker price opinion (BPO) fee that appeared on their account after their mortgage was identified as being in active loss mitigation and a putative class member who attempted to intervene filed a notice of appeal on May 4 after a federal magistrate judge in Maryland granted the lenders summary judgment and ruled that the BPO fee at issue was not an inspection fee prohibited by Maryland’s usury statute.
May 03, 2024
On Remand, Judge Dismisses Putative Class Action Against Google For Banner Ads

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On remand from the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, a federal judge in California dismissed with prejudice putative class claims brought against Google LLC by two website owners for violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws in relation to Google’s former practice on its Android search app of superimposing its logo and a “Related Pages” banner on the plaintiffs’ websites, which featured links to competitors’ websites.
May 03, 2024
2nd Circuit Affirms Expert Exclusion, Summary Judgment In Food Labeling Case

NEW YORK — A district court properly excluded testimony from experts retained by a class of consumers who alleged that an “All Natural” claim on snack foods and granola bars is deceptive or misleading, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said May 2, and because they failed to show that the company’s label would deceive a reasonable consumer, the court affirmed summary judgment and found that arguments that the court erred in decertifying the class are moot.
May 03, 2024
Amended Complaint Planned In Fiduciary Breach Case Against Health Plans’ Sponsor

CAMDEN, N.J. — In a granted joint stipulation, parties in a high-profile putative class Employee Retirement Income Security Act fiduciary duty case over alleged “mismanagement of prescription-drug benefits” told a New Jersey federal court they agree that a pending dismissal motion will be mooted by a forthcoming amended complaint.
May 03, 2024
Production, Brief Ordered In Nonparty Discovery Disputes In Apple Antitrust Suit

SAN FRANCISCO — In response to recently filed briefs concerning discovery plaintiffs seek from two nonparties in their iPhone app monopolization class action against Apple Inc., a California federal magistrate judge issued an order partly granting their motion to compel certain records from app developer Rocket Money, while addressing the company’s concerns about discovery burdens and protecting the confidentiality of its records.
May 03, 2024
Faulty Shingles Dispute Terminated Following Parties’ Notice Of Settlement

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After receiving notice of settlement from a group of property owners and roofing manufacturer, a Kansas federal judge ordered a dispute over the company’s allegedly faulty shingles to be administratively terminated.
May 02, 2024
Split 2nd Circuit Affirms Effective Vindication Ruling In ERISA Arbitration Row

NEW YORK — In a 2-1 ruling on a high-profile Employee Retirement Income Security Act issue, a Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel on May 1 upheld denial of a motion for individual arbitration over an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) deal, with the majority applying the effective vindication exception as three other circuits did “in closely analogous cases” and asserting that “this is not actually a class action.”
May 02, 2024
Borrowers’ Class Suit Alleging Lender Wrongfully Denied COVID Relief Dismissed

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge in Pennsylvania on May 1 dismissed without prejudice borrowers’ putative class action alleging that their lender violated state and federal statutes when it denied some borrowers COVID-19 aid and approved only a portion of the aid for others, finding that the plaintiffs failed to state a claim under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL) or the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
May 02, 2024
Judge Dismisses Consumer’s UCL Suit Against Herbal Cough Drop Maker

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California federal judge granted a cough drop maker’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and dismissed without prejudice a putative class action filed against it by a consumer who claimed that it deceptively advertises its cough drops as offering herbal and medicinal benefits in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL).
May 02, 2024
7th Circuit Vacates Class Certification Denial In Prisoner Dental Care Case

CHICAGO — A Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel vacated a trial court’s denial of class certification in a case against an Illinois county and sheriff by a former detainee who alleges that he and others were denied sufficient dental care, finding that the lower court erred in concluding that commonality, typicality and superiority were not met; the appellate panel also declined the county’s argument that class representatives cannot receive incentive awards and instead ruled that they are appropriate for named plaintiffs “so long as they comply with the requirements of” Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.
May 02, 2024
Washington Jury Awards Hospital Workers More Than $98M In Wage, Hour Damages

SEATTLE — A Washington jury returned a more than $98 million damages verdict for health care workers in a wage and hour class suit in which they alleged unlawful rounding practices and meal break denials.
May 02, 2024
9th Circuit Affirms Class Certification In Marketing Of Pet Health Product Suit

PASADENA, Calif. — A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel upheld certification of a class of dog supplement purchasers who allege the products they bought were falsely marketed as improving joint health, finding that reliance on an unexecuted damages model to certify a class is permissible and that sufficient data was provided to support the certification ruling.
May 02, 2024
Texas Ranch Owner’s Class Suit Blames Utility Companies For Smokehouse Creek Fire

AMARILLO, Texas — A February 2024 fire in the Texas panhandle that burned more than 1 million acres was caused by an electrical line pole that snapped due to high winds, a Texas ranch owner alleges in his class complaint filed in a federal court in Texas against three utility companies that he alleges controlled or maintained the pole.
May 01, 2024
New York City’s $17.5M Head Covering Removal Settlement Given Preliminary OK

NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York granted preliminary approval of a $17.5 million settlement to be paid by New York City to end a class complaint by individuals who were forced to remove religious head coverings for post-arrest photos.
May 01, 2024
Individual Settlement Reached In Papa John’s Website Data Collection Class Suit

SAN DIEGO — A consumer who filed a putative class complaint accusing Papa John’s International Inc. of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) through the interception and collection of users’ data on a pizza-ordering webpage filed a notice in a federal court in California stating that he reached an individual settlement.
May 01, 2024
Jewish Student’s Class Suit Alleges Protests Cause Unsafe Environment At Columbia

NEW YORK — Columbia University trustees have failed to ensure that students are safe and that their education has not been disrupted following the April 18 creation of a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on campus by protestors, a Jewish student referred to only by her initials alleges in a class complaint and motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed in a federal court in New York.
May 01, 2024
Judge Awards $300,000 In Attorney Fees 3 Years After Retail Voucher Settlement

SAN DIEGO — A California federal judge on April 30 granted in part plaintiffs’ motion for attorney fees arising from a 2021 voucher class settlement agreed to by a children’s clothing retailer that was accused of advertising false “original” prices when discounting its merchandise in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other state laws.