Tag Archives: million

Papa John’s Ordered to Give Up the Dough

Papa John’s: It’s probably not better pizza.

Whoever thought text messages offering special deals on pizza would be a bad thing?  A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Papa John’s for sending illegal messages to their potential clients.  Plaintiffs are claiming that while they originally provided their cell phone numbers to the take-out pizza chain, they did not consent to receive advertisements via text message.  Some members of the class-action suit have reported to receive multiple texts back-to-back, and also at odd hours of the night.  The third party mobile marketing agency, OnTime4U, is also a defendant in the suit.  Plaintiffs are seeking compensation at the rate of $500-$1500 per text message.

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National Guard and Defense Contractor Have Bad Chemistry

Wait, Water Plants Could Be Unsafe?

Cancel your vacation plans to any water plants in the Middle East.  American defense contractor KBR was recently ordered to settle with the United States National Guard in response to a toxic chemical issue.  About a dozen soldiers took up the lawsuit, claiming KBR knew all along that they were being exposed to a drug called “carcinogen hexavalent chromium” at an Iraqi water facility.  A judge in Portland, Oregon ordered the settlement of $85 million with each individual member of the National Guard receiving around $7 million.  The soldiers are currently suffering from respiratory issues, trouble breathing, and skin conditions that will require extensive health care for the immediate future.

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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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UGI, You Ain’t Got No Alibi

Black background for a cool effect

Pennsylvania-based utilities company, UGI, and the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement have submitted a joint settlement regarding a deadly 2011 Allentown natural gas explosion.  UGI has agreed to pay $386,000, the maximum fine possible.  They also need to increase their efforts to replace cast-iron pipeline that played a role in the tragic incident.  The natural gas explosion killed five people, injured dozens, and destroyed numerous homes.  The investigation following the event alleged that UGI had ignored warning signs for the explosion.  Had they been addressed the catastrophe could have been prevented.

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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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