#1 Meat Processors Pay $127.2 Million to Settle Wage-Fixing CaseLincoln, NE - Plaintiffs in a wage-fixing class-action lawsuit asked a judge in Colorado federal court to preliminarily approve deals with two meat processors. In early March, Brazil’s JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, agreed to pay $55 million and Arkansas-based Tyson will pay $72.25 million to settle a complaint involving several companies that allegedly participated in a nationwide scheme to fix and depress wages for meat plant workers.
#2 DOL Charges TPA Embezzled ERISA Plan AssetsPittsburgh, PA - On February 5, the Western District of Pennsylvania issued a Temporary Restraining Order barring RiversEdge Advanced Retirement Systems, LLC and Paul Palguta, the company’s sole owner and president, from accessing the assets of various ERISA retirement plans. The Department of Labor has accused the third-party administrator of misappropriating and misallocating retirement plan assets from seventeen retirement plans, fourteen of which were covered by ERISA. The defendants also are alleged to have transferred assets among the trust accounts for these plans and generated false records to conceal these transfers. The fraudulent information provided to the plans duped them into filing false reports with the DOL, which further frustrated discovery of the embezzlement.
#4 Ozempic MDL and Semaglutide UpdatePhiladelphia, PA - Fifty-five Ozempic and similar weight loss drug lawsuits have been centralized in Eastern Pennsylvania, with U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter at the helm of the MDL and scheduled to commence March 14 at the first status conference. The litigation claims that Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Trulicity cause gastroparesis and other serious gastrointestinal injuries, and the companies failed to warn patients about the risks associated with GLP-1 receptor agonist medications.
#5 Bayer in the Weeds over Monsanto’s RoundupPhiladelphia, PA - Philadelphia Judge James Crumlish III dug Bayer’s Monsanto into the weeds last month. Along with rejecting Monsanto’s challenge to a $175 million Roundup verdict, he had harsh words regarding the company’s trial tactics, calling its performance indignant and self-promotional. And he dished out more punishment by awarding $2.3 million in delay damages to plaintiff Ernest Caranci.
#6 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.
#7 $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.
#8 Plaintiffs Seeking $22 Million in Home Warranty Insurance LawsuitSan Diego, CA - The thrust and intent behind home warranty insurance is to protect the parties involved from defects in workmanship and materials. New construction is usually accompanied by coverage warranting against defects from initial occupation until an agreed period of termination, at which time many homeowners will seek out home warranty companies vending extended warranty coverage, should hidden defects come to the fore later in a structure’s initial life cycle.
#9 44 Million Americans Drink PFAS-Contaminated Water, Says New StudyWashington, DC - Data released by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that 44 million people in the U.S. have toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in their drinking water, but that could be just the tip of the iceberg as the full scale of PFAS contamination is likely much more widespread. However, scientists at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) estimated in 2020 that more than 200 million Americans are exposed to forever chemicals in their drinking water.
#10 Home Depot Wages SettlementSan Francisco, CA - A Home Depot wage & hour class action lawsuit is seeking preliminary approval of a $72.5 million settlement, which will resolve allegations of unpaid off-the-clock work. The complaint was brought under California's Private Attorneys General by the home improvement company’s workers going back to early 2016 and a trial was slated for this year. The preliminary California labor settlement was filed last month in a San Francisco federal court and covers more than 272,000 people employed by Home Depot in the state since March 8, 2012.
