Posted inLawsuits

Competing Agencies

A person holding a pen is signing a document on a wooden desk. The image focuses on the hand and the pen, with the rest of the document slightly out of focus. The setting appears to be an office or a formal environment.
Contracts in jeopardy

In response to a ruling that would eliminate all current and future noncompete agreements, two powerhouse associations have taken joint legal action against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The Business Roundtable and the US Chamber of Commerce filed the lawsuit within a day of the announcement that within the United States, there would be a ban against employers holding current and former employees to these contracts.  The accusations presented in the filing focus on the level of authority maintained by the FTC to implement such a ban and whether the government agency overstepped its role.    

2 minutes
Posted inSettlements

Change Their Tune

A person lounges on the ground with legs stretched, wearing sneakers, and a relaxed pose. In the foreground, a vintage portable radio with an antenna is prominently displayed, slightly out of focus from the person.
Singer’s settlement

Among her various roles as a singer, songwriter, and television personality, Kelly Clarkson has also recently emerged in the headlines due to her rapid weight loss transformation.  With a healthier approach to life, Clarkson has worked toward trimming additional layers of concern, such as an ongoing lawsuit with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.  The two parties were scheduled to attend a bench trial on August 27, however, following their settlement, they have asked the court to dismiss all pending cases.  The dispute between the former couple originated with Blackstock’s claim that he was owed unpaid commission as Clarkson’s manager.

2 minutes
Posted inSettlements

Time to Heal

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United community

Two years after an active shooter slayed 21 individuals at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, the families of the deceased students and the city reached a legal settlement.  The $2 million amount was calculated based on insurance coverage for the city, as the families did not wish to completely deplete the city’s assets.  Pursuing further compensation from Uvalde would subsequently drive the city to bankruptcy.  The agreed upon compensation, however, seemed relatively fair to the majority and would also allow the community to heal without financial ruin.

2 minutes
Posted inLawsuits Settlements

Calling all Customers!

Close-up of a person typing on a smartphone with both hands, displaying a virtual keyboard and a messaging app interface. The focus is on the phone screen, held outdoors, with the person wearing a dark jacket.
Phone service hacks

AT&T announced in March that a collection of personal, private information about 73 million of the company’s former and current customers was breached.  Although the data was posted on the internet this year by the hacker enterprise known as MajorNelson, AT&T confirmed that the compilation of information stemmed from five years ago or even earlier.  Following the alleged flagrant and negligent disregard for maintaining appropriate security of its customer’s private records, AT&T has been named in a proposed class action lawsuit.  The breakdown of those impacted includes 7.6 million current customers and 65.4 million former customers. 

2 minutes
Posted inSettlements

Nursing a Community

A row of colorful, modern townhouses with gabled roofs. Each house is painted differently in shades of green, grey, peach, and blue. The buildings have small bushes and shrubs lining the entrance. The street is empty and overcast skies loom above.
Delivering housing options

This summer, a settlement is set to receive final approval, which would benefit thousands of Medicaid recipients living in nursing homes across the state of Massachusetts.  The original lawsuit was filed in October 2022 on behalf of seven nursing home residents that argued the state was within violation of a 1999 US Supreme Court ruling, which characterizes the failure to provide a means for services to those who wish to live outside of care facilities as discriminatory.  In the settlement, the state of Massachusetts would agree to pay $1 billion over the next eight years toward community support options.

2 minutes