Monthly Archives: January 2011

Marlboro Lights Class Action Lawsuit

We are used to seeing Americans sue tobacco companies over cigarette dangers and alleged health issues brought on by years of smoking. A lawsuit started in 2001 against Philip Morris received official class action status this year by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The 45-page ruling by a three-judge panel certifies this lawsuit as class action, which means it can represent thousands of individuals in the state of Minnesota. Other similar lawsuits are pending nationwide and await class action rulings. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs allege Philip Morris knowingly mislead the public with deceptive trade practices and false advertisement by marketing Marlboro Lights as a “light” cigarette. The class action lawsuit includes individuals who bought Marlboro Lights for their personal use from 1972 through November 2004. The plaintiffs seek refunds of money spent on the cigarettes. The judges ruled the public was mislead by false advertising to believe that Marlboro Lights…
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Houston College Student Loses Bid for Class Action Status

A Houston college student, Courtland Walker, sued Westwood College and filed for class action status. A judge Lee Yeakel shot down the bid for class action status, stating the court found the evidence presented strongly suggested Walker derived most of the claim’s knowledge from his attorneys. The court also found that the plaintiff did not demonstrate adequacy as a class action representative. Courtland Walker took an online graphic design course from Westwood College in 2008. The school charged tuition for online courses in Texas without obtaining proper authorization from the state, claimed Walker. He also claimed the school had no proper registration with the Texas Workforce Commission, which is required under state law. The Texas Workforce Commission ordered the career college to stop offering online courses to students who live in Texas. The school does have proper certificates to operate physical campuses, in Houston and two in Dallas. Walker alleged…
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Apple Privacy Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit filed against Apple alleges that the company violated privacy and federal computer fraud statues. Jonathan Lalo claims that personal information transmits to advertisers via iPhone and iPads, using the Unique Device Identifier. Makes of popular iPhone apps also face as codefendants of this class action lawsuit. Apple states it does not allow mobile apps to transmit data without user’s permission. However, the lawsuit alleges Apple knows its advertising networks receive data about which apps users download and for how long they are used. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges apps transmit data such as user’s location, age, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation and political views. It also claims 56 applications transmitted the phone’s Unique Device Identifier without the phone owner’s consent. Codefendants include makers of popular mobile apps such as Pandora Radio, Paper Toss, The Weather Channel and Dictionary.com. Some tech websites claim this lawsuit is bogus as…
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Sprint Nextel and Embarq Class Action Lawsuit

Retirees from phone companies Sprint Nextel and Embarq sued their former employers for cancelling health benefits and life insurance. The lawsuit representing 14,000 individuals received class action status by a federal judge in Kansas. The lawsuit represents some retirees seeking to have their health benefits restored and some retirees who allege age discrimination by the phone companies. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege both companies made promises orally and in writing that retiree benefits would be for life. These benefits included both health coverage and life insurance. Retirees received cancellation letters in the mail around July 2007, stating their coverage is no longer valid. These factors cost retirees thousand of dollars in benefits and other costs incurred because of no benefits. Promises made were valid for three decades before phone companies abruptly canceled coverage for all retirees. Receiving class action status allows this lawsuit to proceed nationwide in attempt to…
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