Category: Class Action

Tinder Age Discrimination Suit

Tinder will provide an estimated $17.3 million in subscription features and cash to settle an age discrimination suit which claims the company overcharged its older generation of dating app users. Tinder’s policy of charging an extra $10 per month to its Tinder Plus users over the age of 30 has been called a  violation of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/tinder-age-discrimination-suit/

When Litigation Proceeds Are Taxable

Economic damages should return a plaintiff to the position they would have been in “but for” the underlying improper act[s] by the defendant.  They should not provide a windfall to plaintiff.  In a similar vein, whether such damages are taxable is generally related to how the proceeds would have been treated if obtained in the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2019/01/when-litigation-proceeds-are-taxable/

Check Amounts Can Differ Substantially from Class Action Settlements Per Claim

The reported value per claim in a class action settlement can differ significantly from the actual check a class member receives.  Both StarKist and Trader Joe’s have faced class action lawsuits involving damages for allegedly under-filled cans of tuna.  Both defendants settled for cash amounts in the range of $25-29 per claim (although StarKist also …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2018/09/check-amounts-can-differ-substantially-from-class-action-settlements-per-claim/

Supreme Court To Address Use of Statistics For Class Action Certification

The April 2013 Supreme Court decision in Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, No. 11-864, was a profound change benefitting companies facing class action lawsuits.  The Court held that a plaintiff seeking certification must establish through “evidentiary proof” that damages can be measured on a class-wide basis.  Individual damage issues can defeat class certification where those issues …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2015/06/supreme-court-to-address-use-of-statistics-for-class-action-certification/

Anti-poaching settlement approved at $425 million

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh has blessed a $415 million settlement in the antitrust class action suit against Apple Inc., Google Inc. and others.  The defendants were accused of illegally agreeing not to poach each other’s software engineers.  A prior settlement deal at $325 million was rejected by the Court as insufficient.

Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2015/03/anti-poaching-settlement-approved-at-425-million/

Three Strikes, Damages Out in Recent CA Class Certification

Jones v. ConAgra Foods, Inc. is a recent case that demonstrates the damages-based hurdles to obtaining class certification.  Despite Plaintiff’s presentation of three different damages models (“full refund,” “price premium,” and “regression”), Judge Charles R. Breyer concluded each failed to demonstrate class-wide damages. Because of this failure, Judge Breyer denied class certification. The case involved …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/08/three-strikes-damages-out-in-recent-ca-class-certification/

Lack of Receipts Sinks Class Action Certification

The Northern District of California recently denied class certification related to claims of improper marketing and advertising of Fresh Step cat litter (In Re Clorox Consumer Litigation, Case No. 12-00280-SC (N.D. Cal. July 28, 2014) (ECF No. 129)). One of the reasons was a failure to establish a class that was sufficiently ascertainable, as plaintiffs …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/08/lack-of-receipts-sinks-class-action-certification/

Cautionary Language is Key in Securities Litigation Dismissal

Investor claims were recently dismissed by a California district court against Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (“Mellanox”) for allegedly providing false or misleading statements related to the company’s prominence in the interconnect market and its prospects for future growth and revenue generation.  The Court found that Mellanox had adequately cautioned investors regarding the risks associated with the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/04/cautionary-language-is-key-in-securities-litigation-dismissal/

$765 Million Settlement Not Enough!

A recent article by Case Funding Inc., indicated that Judge Anita Body had questions about the adequacy of the $765 million settlement between the NFL and NFL players.  The settlement relates to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) that NFL players have suffered or may suffer in the future as a result of their NFL careers. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/01/765-million-settlement-not-enough/

Ernst & Young gets settlement deal of the decade

E&Y just settled the Lehman Brothers class action against them for $99 million. It made little news. The 2008 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy was at least partially caused by accounting malfeasance. This article describes the bankruptcy examiner’s report on this wrongdoing. Arthur Andersen was entirely destroyed for a bad audit of Enron that was no worse …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/12/ernst-young-gets-settlement-deal-of-the-decade/