#3 Equinox Employees Go Ahead with Three Class ActionsLos Angeles, CA Over 9,000 Equinox employees, including personal trainers and group fitness instructors, have been given the green light by a California federal judge to have their wage claims and other California labor laws resolved by three class actions rather than individually.
#4 Aftermath of a Horrific Amusement Park AccidentLouisville, KY It is not only a parent's worst nightmare but anyone's worst nightmare??"in this case an Amusement Park Accident at a popular theme park that resulted in a 13-year-old girl having both of her feet severed above the ankle. Kaitlyn Lasitter survived, and doctors were able to re-attach her right foot. But they could not save her left, and Kaitlyn now walks with a prosthesis.
#5 Seroquel Side Effects for the ElderlyPearblossom, CA Seroquel is a neuroleptic indicated for the treatment of bipolar disorder—and like most drugs carries a host of Seroquel side effects, including diabetes, tardive dyskinesia and even birth defects. However, there is a little-known use for Seroquel off-label that concerned the daughter of one Alzheimer's patient for whom she was caring.
#6 Whistleblower Outed Abbott Labs Two Years Before FDA Closed Sturgis PlantSturgis, MI Evidence of contaminated baby formula sounds like it should have been an “all-hands-on-deck” emergency for Abbott Laboratories and the Food and Drug Administration. Instead, it took the FDA nearly two years to send inspectors to the Sturgis, Michigan plant, where they found “shocking” conditions. By then two babies had died and several more had become ill. Had it not been for the dogged persistence of a whistleblower who filed federal and state OSHA complaints as well as an FDA complaint, the tainted formula could have hurt many more.
#7 Two men retaliated against for reporting sexual and racial harassment awarded $460 millionLos Angeles, CA Two former SoCal Edison employees who said they suffered retaliation at the Southern California utility after reporting sexual and racial harassment have been awarded more than $460 million by a Los Angeles County jury. Both punitive and compensatory awards have made history – the former is more than double of any previous employment verdict in U.S. history and the latter $22.37 million in compensatory damages for Martinez is believed to be one of the largest Fair Employment and Housing Act case in California labor law history.
#8 Woman Says Prescription Drug Caused Brain InjuryCrystal Falls, MI Amy spent 10 days in a psychiatric ward after she was given two shots of Lupron Depot. "I would never have known that this drug caused my brain injury, had I not read my discharge report," she says. Amy has been diagnosed with dementia—she is only 41 years old.
#9 Matco Tools Settles California Misclassification Lawsuit for $15.8 MillionSan Francisco, CA On April 29, the Northern District of California granted final approval to a $15.8 million settlement in a class action California labor lawsuit brought by 273 franchisees who claimed that Matco Tools classified them as independent contractors to avoid paying overtime, reimbursing expenses and providing accurate wage statements. The deal includes a $13.5 million cash payment. Distributors who terminated their distributorships on or before September 8, 2021, may also share in a fund that provides $2.3 million in debt relief.
