Category Archives: Settlements

Sketchy Ad by Shoe Company Leaves Consumers Seeking Kick Back

Shoe tangle

Sketchers USA Inc. just recently settled over a recent advertising campaign that came under harsh criticism. The shoe company was claiming that their new toning shoe helped build muscle and shed fat. The $40 million class-action lawsuit was centered around a flashy commercial featuring Brooke Burke and Kim Kardashian.  In the commercial Kardashian and Burke sport a variety of Sketchers brands, including Shape-Ups, Resistance Runners, Podded Sole Shoes, and Tone-Ups.  The class action lawsuit was settled out of federal court in Louisville, KY and combined the cases of about 70 people seeking damages. Part of that final agreement was that Sketchers was no longer allowed to run the advertisement.  The lawyers involved will split about $5 million while most consumers were entitled to a maximum repayment for their purchase.

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Blocked, Buster: Video Rental Company Settles Lawsuit

VHS collection

A settlement has been reached by top video rental company, Blockbuster, in a class-action lawsuit.  A Minnesota man, Baseem Missaghi, claimed that Blockbuster has been violating the Video Privacy Protection Act. The Privacy Protection Act was created specifically for rental companies like Blockbuster to prevent harvesting their end user’s information. The law states that video rental companies are not allowed to unveil information specific to each user’s account without their consent. Blockbuster had reportedly been holding onto the private data for millions of their consumers across the world. As part of the settlement, Blockbuster was required to pay lawyer fees totaling around $140,000.

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$3.3 Million Settlement Reached Over Lack of Tuna in Tuna Cans

Not enough tuna

What had started out in 2010 as an investigation to make sure “what is on the label is what’s actually in the can” finally ended on August 3 in a settlement for California residents.  An increase in consumer complaints regarding the lack of tuna provided by the three major tuna companies Bumble Bee Foods, Tri-Union Seafood, and Starkist Co. has resulted in a $3.3 million settlement.   The investigation was conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Their research shows that these companies have been skimping on the actual amount of tuna held within the cans.  All three companies have failed to meet the federal “standard of fill” or “standard of identity.”  Instead they disguised the packed cans with oil, water, vegetable broth, and sometimes tuna.

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Modern, Wealthy Family

Contract dispute

Several of the stars from ABC’s hit sitcom Modern Family have recently reached an agreement regarding their contracts at 20th Century Fox. As a result of violation of California labor laws the cast has filed suit claiming that their contracts could not last longer than seven years. It seems that the lawsuit served as a strategic ploy to have the actors’ contracts declared null and void in order to renegotiate new salaries.  The stars, who originally made around $65,000 per episode are expected to have their salaries increased to $175,000 per episode for the upcoming 4th season. With 22 episodes, that puts each star’s yearly earning at $3.85 million.

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NYC Cop On His Own For Pepper Spraying

Lone police officer

Anthony Bologna, a man infamous among Occupy Wall Street protesters, who even warranted the nickname, Tony Baloney, is being sued for pepper spraying a crowd of protesters on September 24, 2011. Three women involved in the protest are filing the lawsuit as well as two additional protesters.  They claim that Anthony Bologna, a Deputy officer, violated their free speech and civil rights.  His actions were described as having “no legal reason,” and therefore the city of New York will not financially back Mr. Bologna for his actions regarding the protesters.  Instead the Captains Endowment Association, an organization that represents NYPD officers in the rankings of Captain, Deputy and Surgeon, will be covering Mr. Bologna’s lawsuit costs.  The Deputy was only docked 10 vacation days and given a departmental discipline which was an outrage to some who saw the viral video of the pepper spraying on YouTube.

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