Tag Archives: california

Uber and Lyft are Driving People Crazy

Speeding to the courtroom

While many people love the convenience of having a car appear at your doorstep at the tap of a button, it appears that those days may be numbered. The popular transportation services Uber and Lyft are headed to the courtroom, thanks to unhappy drivers. The main issue seems to center around a debate on whether or not the drivers of these services are employees or simply independent contractors. We’ve talked in the past about Uber’s problems with the law, however this series of lawsuits may force the companies to alter their business model. The lawsuits were filed in the San Francisco Federal Court and are only relevant to California-based drivers, although the results of each class-action will be closely monitored by drivers across the United States. Read more

Battle Lines Drawn Over World War II Statue

Healing old wounds

Residents of Southern California have filed a lawsuit against the city of Glendale over a controversial World War II statue. The $30,000 “Comfort Women” memorial is in honor of those Chinese and Korean women who were allegedly forced into prostitution by Imperial Japan in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The plaintiffs claim that the city is violating the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which is also referred to as “the law of the land”. Supporters of the statue are active in spreading word about the comfort women issue, while the Japanese government has never officially apologized on the record. While no dollar amount has been mentioned, many believe the plaintiffs are strictly interested in removing the statue altogether. Read more

Paint Manufacturers in for a World of Pain

Lead paint

Property managers, owners, and landlords can breathe a collective sigh of relief. A Northern California Superior Court Judge ruled that the 1.1 billion dollar expenses associated with the removal of lead paint and any related building deficiencies of residences built prior to 1978 will lay in the laps of three major paint manufacturers.

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Sony Presses Reset Button, Avoids Lawsuit

Play on, player

A few years ago, Sony’s free-to-play online service, known as the Playstation Network, was compromised by a rogue group of hackers.  Personal and private data, including credit card information, was stolen from about 70 million PSN users.  A class action was filed immediately in San Diego, California as Sony scrambled to stop the bleeding.  Luckily for this entertainment giant, the hot-button lawsuit has been dismissed.   Unfortunately for the Playstation 3 faithful, a judge has decided to have the case thrown out, citing Sony’s Privacy Policy, which all PSN users agree to, being compliant with the consumer protection laws. Read more

Illegal Pesticide Use in America’s Healthiest Grocery Store

The healthy option?

The state of California is suing Whole Foods Market for selling products thatcontain pesticides that have not yet been registered with the state. The four products being reviewed are either pet products or insect repellants. Charlotte Fadipe, who is part of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation states, “to sell a pesticide product in stores, a company must register it with the state so that it can be tested and approved for safe use”. According to Charlotte, Whole Foods did not register the pesticides they are using in these four particular products, and people are bringing these products into their home without knowing if they are safe for use. Because these pesticides are unregistered, there is no way for the Department of Pesticide Regulation to know if they are safe, it must be first tested and approved. Read More