Category Archives: Settlements

From Pirate to Plaintiff

Johnny can’t depend on anyone

Johnny Depp has agreed to settle a lawsuit, in which he accused his former business managers of negligence and dabbling in fraudulent activities with his money.  The amount of money Depp was looking to recover was $25 million.  Depp played the role of victim, claiming the firm did not uphold their fiduciary duties to him.  He blamed Joel and Robert Mandel of the Management Company, who managed Depp’s affairs for 17 years, for issuing loans to outside entities without Depp’s knowledge, and investing the actor’s money in opportunities for which the managers could also claim stake.  Depp also accused the Management Group of failing to file his taxes in a timely manner.  Despite these accusations, Joel and Robert Mandel filed counterclaims in the lawsuit. Continue reading →

General Motors Switching to a Safer Future

The long road to a settlement

The General Motors defect lawsuit, which was initiated four years ago, is reaching an inevitable settlement with the assistance of the General Unsecured Creditors Trust. The independent trust is handling the company’s bankruptcy, filed in 2009, and is now facilitating the settlement with GM customers. The automotive company exhibited deceptive tactics to hide flaws in the ignition switch and side airbags. There was a direct correlation between the defects and the many claims of car crashes and deaths. Currently, the parties involved in the lawsuit are calculating a resolution. Continue reading →

Family Forced to Say “Chow” to Their Beloved Pet After United Airlines Flight

Poor puppy dies on flight

With another act of negligence under its wings, United Airlines maintains its notorious reign as the most talked about airline. Previous incidents of forcefully removing passengers from seats and leaving a sexual assault victim in harm’s way are just a couple of reasons why this Airline has been generally disliked in the media. The airline’s most recent misfortune concerns that of an innocent animal. A 10-month-old French bulldog, named Kokito, boarded a flight in his doggy carrier, going from Houston to New York. The owner of the dog, who was accompanied by her young teenage daughter, and toddler, stored the TSA-approved pet carrier under the seat in front of her. A flight attendant argued with the passenger, insisting that the carrier was somewhat blocking the aisle. Trusting that the flight attendant would not willingly put the dog in a dangerous environment, the passenger agreed to store the dog and carrier in the overhead bin. Continue reading →

BlackBerry Sends Facebook a Lawsuit Request

‘member these?

In the ever-changing world of technology and information, it is sometimes easy to forget the trailblazers. BlackBerry, one of the first companies to consistently release top of the line smartphones, is now going to mat against the social media juggernaut Facebook. Claiming patent infringement related to messaging platforms and mobile apps, BlackBerry is seeking monetary damages of an undisclosed amount. Interestingly enough, BlackBerry recently went after Nokia for similar issues. Instagram and WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) were also named in the lawsuit. This could be seen as Blackberry trying to remind the public and their competitors who the “old guard” in mobile technology & messaging really is. Read More

Agricultural States are Cracking Away the California Egg Law

Farmers refuse to walk on egg shells

Due to the chain of events stemming from a California vote in 2008, a challenge was made to the US Supreme Court recently on behalf of thirteen states. Voters in California were in favor of fighting for the living conditions of hens that are bred to lay eggs for farmers. A law was passed in compliance to the vote to require all hens at least 116 square inches of room to stretch their limbs and lay down throughout the day. Continue reading →