Frustration Over Terms Of Class Action Settlements And Defense Practice Of Refusing To Admit Wrongdoing

Reporter Shines Light on Concerns Arising from Standard Defense Provision in Class Action Settlement Agreements that Defendant is not Admitting Liability David Lazarus of the San Francisco Chronicle questions the standard defense provision in class action settlement agreements that the settlement does not constitute an admission of liability. He focuses on the recent settlement by Wells Fargo Bank in which he reports “it agreed to pay $12.8 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the bank unlawfully exempted as many as 4,500 workers from overtime pay by classifying them as analysts or consultants” but denied any wrongdoing.

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California Defense Attorneys Find That Public Accommodation/ADA Cases Bounce Back Above Employment Law Class Action Cases In Weekly Filings

To aid California class action defense attorneys in anticipating claims against which they may have to defend, we provide weekly an unofficial summary of legal categories for class actions filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. This report covers the time period of from October 6 – October 12, 2006. We include only those categories that contain 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant timeframe.

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Public Accommodation/ADA Class Action Lawsuits Again Seize Top Spot Of Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

The evidence suggests that the recent wave of public accommodation/ADA class action lawsuits will continue for the foreseeable future. In order to assist class action defense attorneys in California to anticipate the claims against which they may have to defend, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class actions filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas.

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Weekly California State And Federal Class Action Filings Predominantly Labor Law Cases

As a service to California class action defense attorneys, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class actions filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant timeframe. This report covers the time period from September 22 – September 26, 2006.

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Certification Of Class Action Against Tobacco Companies Hits Newspapers

New York Federal Court Order Certifying Class Action Against Tobacco Companies for Misleading Smokers into Believing that “Light” Cigarettes were Less Harmful Becomes Hot Topic of Discussion We reported yesterday on the order by United States District Court Judge Jack Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York that certified a massive class action against numerous tobacco companies based on the allegation that the companies intentionally mislead smokers into believing that “light” cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes.

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Schwab v. Phillip Morris-Class Action Defense Cases: New York Federal Court Certifies Class Action Against Tobacco Companies For Selling “Light” Cigarettes

Smokers Duped Into Believing that “Light” Cigarettes were Less Harmful New York Court Holds

As anticipated, Judge Jack Weinstein of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued his ruling this morning on the plaintiffs’ motion to certify a class action against Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Lorillard Tobacco Co., Ligget Group, American Tobacco Co., Altria Group, and British American Tobacco, in a case that alleged the tobacco companies duped smokers into believing that “light” cigarettes were less harmful to them. Schwab v. Phillip Morris USA, Inc., 449 F.Supp.2d 992 (E.D.N.Y. 2006). The court summarized the theory of the case at page 1018 as follows:

Certification of Class Actions Class Action Court Decisions Class Actions In The News Uncategorized

Trial On Federal Charges Against Class Action Law Firm Milberg Weiss Delayed As Prosecutors Consider Additional Indictments

Speculation Mounts as to Whether Class Action Plaintiff Lawyer William Lerach Also will be Indicted As the class action plaintiff firm Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman and two of its partners, David Bershad and Steven Schulman, moves forward, Molly Selvin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the setting of a trial date has been postponed because of the prospect of additional indictments. The federal court reportedly expressed frustration that the government’s 7-year investigation remains ongoing.

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Public Accommodation/ADA Class Action Lawsuits Surge To Top Of Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Class action defense attorneys in California will be confronting a new wave of public accommodation/ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) cases, supplanting new labor law class actions by a substantial margin. In an effort to assist class action defense attorneys in anticipating the claims against which they may have to defend, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class actions filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas.

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Public Accommodation/ADA Claims Regain First Place In California Class Action Filings

California class action defense attorneys once again confront more public accommodation lawsuits than employment law claims. In an effort to assist class action defense attorneys to anticipate claims against which they may have to defend, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for class actions filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas.

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New York Federal Court Considers Defense Arguments Against Certification Of Class Action Against Tobacco Companies

Melanie Warner and Colin Moynihan report a New York federal court is considering whether to certify as a class action a federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act) lawsuit that alleges tobacco companies “deceived smokers for years about the safety of light cigarettes” by making smokers think that they were “safer or less addicting.” Defense attorneys strenuously opposed the motion, reportedly arguing differences in the reasons people smoke – such as “that many people smoked light cigarettes because they liked the taste, not for health reasons or as part of an attempt to quit smoking” – and differences in the ways people smoked rendered the case unsuitable for treatment as a class action.

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