#1 Meta Must Face Lawsuit Alleging that it Discriminated Against US CitizensSan Francisco, CA - On February 11, the Northern District of California refused to dismiss a class-action lawsuit brought by three job applicants at Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). Rajaram v. Meta alleges that Meta intentionally favors H1-B visa holders over U.S. citizens for jobs in violation of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The California labor lawsuit will now move toward trial.
#2 Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Development and DelaySanta Clara, CA - With almost 10,000 pending hair relaxer lawsuits moved to multidistrict litigation (MDL), attorneys predict it may be one of the largest beauty products mass torts in history. Although MDL 3060 is in early stages, many more people, mostly Black women, are expected to file hair straightener lawsuits against major brands like L’Oreal and Revlon. Meanwhile, the FDA has stalled yet again on its formaldehyde ban.
#3 More Depo-Provera Brain Tumor LawsuitsSanta Clara, CA - Thanks to numerous studies, increased awareness of the link between Depo-Provera and brain tumor risk has triggered a wave of lawsuits nationwide against Pfizer. As of early February, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated over 70 Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits claiming that Pfizer failed to warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the birth control shot. The panel assigned the MDL to the Northern District of Florida under Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
#4 Pregnancy and Wildfire Smoke LawsuitLos Angeles, CA - Although the Palisades and Eaton fires are now wholly contained, attorney and Los Angeles resident Marley McClean says that pregnant women and young children are still at risk. "People are worried about breathing polluted air from the wildfires. Air pollution from wildfires is particularly a health risk for pregnant women and kids," says McClean. “Young children are especially at risk: they tend to be outside more, playing and running around. With more exertion comes faster breathing. Their respiratory rates are naturally higher, so they are more vulnerable to particulates in the air. Try telling a young kid to sit still in a playground.”
#5 $155 Million Overtime Settlement Approved for Prison SupervisorsSan Francisco, CA - A $155 million overtime settlement filed by current and retired California prison supervisors has been approved by a San Francisco Superior Court Judge. The original California labor lawsuit, dating back to 2008, alleged unpaid overtime wages for tasks performed before and after their shifts.
#6 Nova Southeastern University to Settle ERISA Lawsuit for $1.5 MillionFort Lauderdale, FL - On October 9, Nova Southeastern University agreed to settle a long-running lawsuit in which participants in the Nova University Defined Contribution Plan claimed that the school had mismanaged their retirement savings by paying excessive recordkeeping fees and retaining underperforming investment funds. The plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary approval was unopposed.
#7 Asthma Patient Dies, Optum Rx (owned UnitedHealth Group) Walgreens SuedMilwaukee, WI - When Cole Schmidtknecht was told at his local Optum Rx-Walgreens pharmacy that his Advair Diskus inhaler prescription, needed to stop his asthma attacks, had increased $500 to $539 because his insurance Optum Rx (owned by UnitedHealth Group) no longer covered his inhaler, the 22-year-old left without it. He had received no warning from Optum Rx or Walgreens of a 1,282 percent increase; Walgreens told Cole that there were no cheaper alternatives or generic medications available. Two weeks later Cole was dead.
#8 FDA Warns of Unapproved GLP-1 Weight-Loss DrugsSilver Spring, MD - On December 18, 2024, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of unapproved GLP-1 drugs which are often marketed as better/cheaper/stronger alternatives to Ozempic. Even branded Ozempic has been reliably linked to dangerous side effects, including pancreatitis, a form of blindness, gall bladder disease and kidney problems. Multi-district lawsuits are now pending in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
#9 Rothenberg Ventures Management Employees Sue for Back WagesSan Francisco, CA - In 2016, Katie Fanelli filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco alleging that her employer, Rothenberg Ventures Management Co., violated California state labor law by failing to pay workers overtime and stiffing them of their final paychecks when the company laid them off. As of November, the court seemed inclined to permit the lawsuit to proceed as a class action, covering all former employees between 2012 and 2016 who had claims of less than $75,000. It is, realistically, the only way that individuals with relatively small wage claims can seek relief under California employee labor law.
#10 Dempsey v. Verizon Communications: A Deep Dive into Pension Risk Transfer LawsuitsNew York, NY - On December 30, three former employees of Verizon Communications filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 56,000 Verizon Communications, Inc. retirees who formerly participated in either the Verizon Management Pension Plan or the Verizon Pension Plan for Associates. The breach of fiduciary duty ERISA lawsuit is the newest in a series of pension risk transfer litigation – a new twist on a familiar story because it involves old-fashioned defined benefit pension plans rather than 401k plans.
