#1 Massachusetts AG’s Office Sued for Age Discrimination in EmploymentSpringfield, MA - On June 6, Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D. Josephson held that most of Bart Hollander’s claims of age discrimination in employment could proceed to trial. Hollander’s lawsuit has attracted attention because the defendant is the Springfield Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
#2 Oracle Settles Commission Lawsuit for $15.5 MillionSan Mateo, CA - On April 9, Oracle America, Inc. agreed to settle a long running California labor lawsuit for $15.5 million. The plaintiffs alleged that, from 2015 to 2018, the technology giant violated the California Labor Code with respect to the company’s sales compensation plans and sales commission practices. The plaintiffs in Abrishamcar v. Oracle America, Inc. sought penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) on behalf of a class of 5,000 current and former employees. Oracle has denied all claims.
#3 Wildfire Homeowners File Lawsuits Alleging Insurance FraudLos Angeles, CA – Like adding fuel to the fire, three large home insurers have been sued by policyholders who didn’t have enough coverage to rebuild their homes after the January wildfires. The wildfire lawsuits allege that three major home insurers systematically underestimated the replacement costs of homes. The insurance industry seemingly stokes profit margins by allegations of bad practices such as fraud, negligence, breach of contract and more.
#4 Jersey Man Sues Novo Nordisk Over OzempicFreehold, NJ - In a phrase (likely erroneously) attributed to Josef Stalin, "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." But let’s update that and apply it to the situation of many people who, like Edward Fanelli, lost his sight after taking Ozempic. The next chewy thought may have been captured by Dylan Thomas in A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London. He stubbornly refuses to normalize the tragedy in the last line of his poem:
#5 Lawsuits Allege Insurers Colluded to Limit Coverage in Wildfire AreasSacramento, CA - Over 200 insurers are facing antitrust and unfair competition lawsuits filed by homeowners in wildfire areas, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena. California homeowners claim that the insurers colluded over the past few years to limit coverage in these high-risk areas and the insurers formed a “group boycott” to terminate policies in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena and other fire-prone neighborhoods in early 2023 and then refused to write new policies. Homeowners were left with no choice: they were forced onto the FAIR plan, California’s more costly last-resort insurance plan. According to court documents, many homeowners suffered massive uncovered losses from January's wildfire disaster.
#6 Glass House Slapped with California Labor LawsuitLos Angeles, CA - Glass House Brands Inc. was slapped with a proposed class action lawsuit last month, alleging California labor law violations. A former worker accuses the major California marijuana producer of engaging in a systematic pattern of wage violations, including unpaid overtime and unrealistic workloads.
#7 Hair Relaxer Litigation Heating UpSanta Clara, CA - New chemical hair straightener claims are joining more than 12,000 hair relaxer cancer lawsuits that have been filed over the past three years and new claims are being filed alleging hair straighteners resulted in the development of uterine cancer, endometrial cancer or ovarian cancer. Hair relaxers are also linked to breast cancer. Some women who used hair relaxers in their teens and diagnosed with cancer decades later are also filing claims as hair relaxers can take a long time to develop.
#8 California Appeals Court Upheld $400,000 Cannabis Driver SettlementLos Angeles, CA - A dispatcher with The Highest Craft LLC disputed a $400,000 settlement with the cannabis company and a delivery driver, arguing the deal was unfair or insufficiently investigated. But a ruling on June 24th by a California Appeals Court rejected the dispatcher’s challenge, whose wage-and-hour claims were included in the settlement.
#10 California Plant Nursery Pays $2.5 million in back wagesLos Angeles, CA - Altman Specialty Plants LLC has agreed to pay its workers $2.5 million in back wages and about $1 million in civil money penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined that the largest horticultural grower in the U.S coerced workers to quit so it could dodge the H-2A temporary agricultural program’s wage and hour requirements.
