Tag Archives: law

Yelp Lawsuit Raises Freedom of Speech Issue

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A rock-solid lawsuit?

The founding fathers could never have imagined what path freedom of speech has taken since our country’s inception.  Case in point, a character defamation lawsuit has been filed against a Yelp user who gave a negative review to a local contractor.  The defendant, Dietz Development, claims that online feedback is one of the most important ways a potential buyer or client uses when they make a decision on whether or not to use a service and is seeking $750,000 in damages.  The Yelp user, Jane Perez, has been defending her claims in court since late November, stating that she was simply exercising her freedom of speech after what she felt was an unsatisfying service.  A Judge in Southern California has ordered her to edit her comments via a preliminary injunction. Read more

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

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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Trader Joe Meets A Man Named Sal… Monella?

Note: Peanuts might contain Salmonella

A family in Boston is pursuing legal action against one of the largest grocery chains in America. Trader Joe’s is being sued by the Henson family in South Grafton, Massachusetts after their son contract salmonella from peanut butter purchased at the store. The boy developed a fever exceeding 100 degrees and had to be taken to a local doctor multiple times before the cause of the sickness was discovered. The Henson family is seeking financial reimbursement to help pay their medical bills, as well as attempting to raise awareness for manufacturing and packaging companies. Trader Joe’s themselves and Sunland, Inc are the companies named in the lawsuit.
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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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