Tag Archives: lawsuit

Vibram to Foot the Bill on Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit

Just say no to barefoot running

Approximately 70 million Americans purchased a pair of those “weird looking barefoot running shoes”, which retail for around $100 per pair. Vibram, the company behind FiveFingers shoes, just settled a $3.75 million class action lawsuit over false health claims made. The Huffington Post states, “The thin-soled, flexible shoes are said to mimic the experience of running in bare feet, and thus “improve foot health” — an unsupported claim the company falsely advertised”. Vibram claimed several health benefits of the barefoot running experience such as stronger foot and leg muscles, improved range of motion, improved posture, and several others. Experts have now said that barefoot running can actually negatively impact foot health. Read More

Amazon Workers Subjected to Short Lunch Breaks

Amazonians Unite!

A lawsuit was filed in federal court last week against the popular online retailer, Amazon. The details of the suit claim, “company’s workplace policies don’t leave them with reasonable time to eat their lunches”. South Carolina employees state they were required to continue working, even when their scheduled 30 minutes break began. Once they got through the mandatory security screen and sat down with their lunch, they were left with all of 18 minutes or less to enjoy their lunch breaks. The complaint states that workers are unable to have a comfortable mealtime. Read More

Domesticated Duck Attacks Unsuspecting Civilian

Duck for cover

In May of 2012 a woman was visiting her mother in Oregon when she was ambushed by a neighbor’s pet duck. The Huffington Post states, “Cynthia Ruddell, 62, of Washougal, Washington, was on her mother’s property in Estacada, Oregon, about 25 miles southeast of Portland, when a neighbor’s duck attacked her without provocation, according to the suit filed in Oregon state court last Friday”. When attempting to run away from the agitated animal, Ruddell fell, breaking her wrist and spraining her elbow and shoulder. The retired nurse is seeking up to $275,000 in damages. Roughly $25,000 is for medical expenses, while the remainder is for pain and suffering that she has endured because of the incident. Read More

Slip Up: Banana Lady’s Lawsuits Bear No Fruit

Crazy? More like going bananas.

Catherine Conrad makes a living as an inspirational speaker, personal motivator, and also delivers singing telegrams dressed in a banana suit. After several incidents with clients which ended up in Ms. Conrad filing multiple lawsuits, it seems the U.S. District Courts have had enough. A recent ruling against the Wisconsin-native claims that although those who receive the banana-grams take pictures and videos, Catherine has no copyright claim over the over-sized, yellow costume. Previously, she had filed infringement lawsuits of anywhere between $40,000 and $80,000. A jurist recently declared that her accusations and demands were “without merit” and an “abuse of the legal process”. Read more

An “All-Natural” Lawsuit

Spaces Available

When consumers peruse the aisles of their favorite grocery stores, they will see a variety of labels plastered onto food products – anything from 100% Organic to Non-GMO to Non-RBST. Despite the somewhat ambiguous meaning behind these labels, this wording can assist consumers with understanding the quality of their potential purchases. However, these labels also affect consumer buying patterns, and this is an influence known by food companies and advertisers alike. The latest of lawsuits regarding food labels and misleading advertisements comes from Debbie Banafsheha, a California woman who is claiming that Heinz “All-Natural” Distilled White Vinegar “can’t be considered natural at all, because it’s made with GMO corn” (Renter, Natural Society, 2014).