Author Archives: Kevin Maher

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Closing the Book on the Facebook Lawsuit

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De-friended!

There’s a pretty good chance that Mark Zuckerberg had already de-friended Paul Ceglia.  In a recent decision, Ceglia has officially been indicted after faking evidence against Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.  The original lawsuit, which came about in 2010, stems from the fact that in 2003, Ceglia altered contracts co-signed by Zuckerberg in an attempt to give himself 50% share of the company.  Authorities had arrested the internet entrepreneur in October on charges centered around issues relating to the lawsuit.  Ceglia was guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud, and also attempts at tampering with and destroying evidence.  He currently faces up to 20 years in jail per criminal charge. Read more

Papa John’s Ordered to Give Up the Dough

Papa John’s: It’s probably not better pizza.

Whoever thought text messages offering special deals on pizza would be a bad thing?  A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Papa John’s for sending illegal messages to their potential clients.  Plaintiffs are claiming that while they originally provided their cell phone numbers to the take-out pizza chain, they did not consent to receive advertisements via text message.  Some members of the class-action suit have reported to receive multiple texts back-to-back, and also at odd hours of the night.  The third party mobile marketing agency, OnTime4U, is also a defendant in the suit.  Plaintiffs are seeking compensation at the rate of $500-$1500 per text message.

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National Guard and Defense Contractor Have Bad Chemistry

Wait, Water Plants Could Be Unsafe?

Cancel your vacation plans to any water plants in the Middle East.  American defense contractor KBR was recently ordered to settle with the United States National Guard in response to a toxic chemical issue.  About a dozen soldiers took up the lawsuit, claiming KBR knew all along that they were being exposed to a drug called “carcinogen hexavalent chromium” at an Iraqi water facility.  A judge in Portland, Oregon ordered the settlement of $85 million with each individual member of the National Guard receiving around $7 million.  The soldiers are currently suffering from respiratory issues, trouble breathing, and skin conditions that will require extensive health care for the immediate future.

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Apple Unveils iPad Mini

Newest products

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; but you can always make it smaller.  Apple has officially unveiled the iPad Mini, the latest version of their revolutionary tablet.  Prices are starting with a $329 (the 64 GB will retail for $659).  The iPad Mini’s 7.9 inch display gives it a leg up over its competition such as the Google Nexus and Amazon’s Kindle.  The screen size puts it right between the iPad and the iPhone, catering quite nicely to loyal Apple owners who were looking for the middle ground.  iPad Mini pre-orders are already being taken through major outlets and the device will be officially released in the United States on November 2.  How excellent, just in time for the holiday shopping season.  Although, Apple shares took a 2% hit immediately following the announcement due to investor letdown. Read more

Credit Will Do “Fine”

Credit Problems Stacking Up?

The likes of Target and Starbucks are about to enter round 2 of the heavyweight fight against Visa and Mastercard.  The settlement, which is roughly $7.2 billion, will bring an end to 7 years of litigation concerning the credit card companies themselves and big merchants, such as Target, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.  The large merchants are protesting the proposed answer over “swipe fees” that they are ordered to pay in return for granting their customers quick service to their credit cards.  The underlying issue is that the nearly 8 million merchants are saying the deal is unfair for them, claiming the credit card companies are in bed with the banks and are focused on monetizing with no regard for business.  The economics of the settlement are also in question, as well as the $550 million tied up in a preliminary deal between the two parties poised to stop the bleeding.

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