NYC Pays $75M to Settle NYPD Summons Class Action
New York City, on behalf of its police department, will pay $75 million to settle a class-action lawsuit involving nearly 1 million NYPD summonses that were issued between 2007 and 2015. Police issued the so-called "quality of life" summonses in order to meet quotas regardless of whether any crime or violation occurred that were dismissed for lack of probable cause. The people who were ticketed may now be eligible for compensation to the tune of $150 per summons. Another judg
SEC Goes After BlackRock for Undermining Its Whistleblower Program
BlackRock Inc. agreed to pay a $340,000 penalty, remove revise its separation agreements and train its employees on the SEC whistleblower program in order to settle SEC charges. The SEC alleged that BlackRock caused its employees to sign agreements that stated they “waive any right to recovery of incentives for reporting of misconduct” in order to receive their monetary separation payments from the firm. The provision was added to the separation agreements after the enactment
Breathalyzer App Barred from Making False Accuracy Claims
Breathometer, Inc. and its founder that sold app-supported devices that claimed to accurately measure consumers’ blood alcohol content (BAC) through government-lab testing agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they lacked scientific evidence to back up their advertising claims. They are barred from making future accuracy claims for a consumer breathalyzer product unless such claims are supported by rigorous testing and must provide consumers with refunds. The
CFPB Orders TransUnion and Equifax to pay $23.3M for Misleading Consumers
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered credit reporting agencies, TransUnion and Equifax, to pay more than $23.2 million in fines and restitution to consumers for deceiving them into enrolling in credit services advertised as free or costing only $1, but which could cost more than $200 a year after the expiration of the free trials. The CFPB alleged that the agencies falsely represented that the credit scores they sold to consumers were the same scores that len
Ninth Circuit Upholds Class Certification Standard
In a class action alleging that ConAgra's Wesson Oil is not natural as labeled because it is made up of genetically modified corn, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the District Court's certification of eleven state classes. The Court of Appeals rejected ConAgra's argument that was based on a Third Circuit decision that plaintiffs are required to meet "administrative feasiblity" under the ascertainability prong for class certification. The Court found that Con
Firm Annouces Expansion with New Partner - Ralph Sianni
Andersen Sleater Sianni LLC is excited to announce its expansion in welcoming a new partner, Ralph Sianni, in its Wilmington, Delaware office. Mr. Sianni has extensive experience in national complex commercial litigation, which will further bolster the firm's ability to take on cases in Delaware, New York and across the country. For more information on Mr. Sianni, please click here.
