Monthly Archives: March 2014

Not Just Another Hot Coffee Lawsuit

Not just hot coffee this time…

In the past, whenever McDonald’s is involved in a lawsuit, we usually expect it to be because of another victim of their hot coffee. Not this time, “McDonald’s workers in three states filed lawsuits against the fast-food chain this week, saying the company engages in a variety of practices to avoid paying them what they’re owed”. The states involved are California, Michigan, and New York; lawyers targeted McDonald’s because it is an industry leader. The suit mentions a variety of labor violations, which could potentially affect 30,000 employees. The lawsuit seeks back pay and other damages for the affected parties. Read More

A person is sitting at a table displaying a GoldieBlox kit, which includes a booklet and a construction set. A sign with illustrations of diverse girls is visible, promoting the engineering toy. The tablecloth is purple.

A Musical Nuisance

A toy with a price

Concluding an ongoing legal battle over a toy company’s potentially illegal use of a hit song created by the musical group Beastie Boys, the two parties have officially settled the lawsuit. According to a spokesperson for GoldieBlox, the settlement includes “the issuance of an apology posted to GoldieBlox’s website, [and] payment by GoldieBlox, based on a percentage of its revenues, to one or more charities selected by [the] Beastie Boys that support science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for girls (Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2014). The Beastie Boys song “Girls,” was first released in 1987 and included lyrics such as “Girls to do to this dishes…Girls to do the laundry” (Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2014).  GoldieBlox altered the catchy song’s original lyrics to help promote the company’s incentive of empowering young girls to become more involved in the sciences and engineering industries. GoldieBlox’s video for the Princess Machine was eventually removed from the internet but not before the video went viral and garnered over seven million views.

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Two race cars speed closely side by side on a track at Bristol Motor Speedway. A large crowd of spectators fills the stands in the background, and the track is marked with racing stripes and logos.

Trouble in Texas for Ricky Bobby Sports Saloon

Lawsuit on tap

Sony pictures is filing a trademark lawsuit against “Ricky Bobby Sports Saloon & Restaurant” in Fort Worth, Texas, where scantily clad waitresses are referred to as “Smokin Hotties”. The restaurant is said to be inspired by the 2006 Will Ferrell Film ‘Talladega Nights’ which causes concern for Sony Pictures. The studio has a number of complaints that include, misleading customers about the source of origin for the Ricky Bobby Saloon. According to the suit Sony was not asked permission and is now demanding that that the restaurant pay up.

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Age Discrimination Lawsuit

Still able to work?

In this day and age, it is out with the old and in with the new. Who doesn’t want the newest iPad or HD TV? But, should the same logic apply when companies attempt to get rid of an older employee? How about when that employee is fulfilling his/her job expectations? In what has been suggested as the largest award in Los Angeles legal history, Bobby Nickel, age 66, was awarded $26 million by a jury that found he was discriminated against and harassed based on his age by his supervising managers at Staples. Bobby Nickel was hired by Corporate Express in 2002 as a facilities manager. In 2008, Corporate Express was acquired by Staples Contract and Staples Inc and Bobby Nickel lost his job in 2011, age 64. Continue reading →

A wooden gavel with a golden band rests on its sound block against a plain white background.

Think Before You Post

Bringing down the gavel

In case you needed one, here’s another reason to be careful about what you post on Facebook. An age discrimination case that originates back to 2010 between Patrick Snay and the Miami-based Gulliver Preparatory School began when “Gulliver declined to renew Snay’s contract following years of employment” (Smiley, Miami Herald, 2014). The case took a surprising turn when Mr. Snay’s daughter, Dana Snay posted an antagonistic comment on Facebook. The comment, which was seen by Dana Snay’s approximately 1,200 Facebook friends, stated “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT” (Stucker, CNN, 2014). Unfortunately for the Snays, Dana’s comment was posted just days before the deal was set to be finalized.

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