#2 Delta Airlines Settles with Flight Attendants for $16MLos Angeles, CA - After almost a decade, Delta Airlines has reached an agreement with its flight attendants. The workers told a California federal judge that a nearly $16 million settlement, which will end their California Labor Code and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims, should be approved because that amount will give California-based Delta flight attendants almost full reimbursement.
#3 VA Hospital Settles Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for $880,000Columbia, SC - William Whittaker, an Army veteran, died on March 27, 2022 of lung cancer. He was 64. His widow filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in South Carolina’s federal district court. The lawsuit alleged that his death could have been prevented with timely diagnosis and treatment of a condition known to his doctor since 2020. The claim, essentially, is that he died of medical neglect. On April 5, the hospital agreed to settle the lawsuit for $880,000. These are the bare bones of a terrible family story.
#5 Bayer’s Monsanto Roundup UpdatePhiladelphia, PA - The last few months have been busy for both Bayer and plaintiffs alleging Monsanto’s Roundup causes cancer. The Philadelphia court slashed a Pennsylvania man’s verdict from $2.25 billion to $400 million and Roundup cases continue to be filed in the multi-district litigation. As for Bayer, it is looking to lawmakers for support. Legal experts are doubtful that protective legislation will affect existing lawsuits but on the other hand it could limit future claims.
#6 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.
#7 Lawyers Predict Unprecedented Amount of PFAS LawsuitsSanta Clara, CA - Chemical companies making PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals” are advised to “do what you can, while you can, before you get sued”, but the battle has already begun for some manufacturers. For instance, 3M agreed to pay water utilities nationwide at least $10 billion for cleanup costs and at least thirty state attorneys general have also sued PFAS makers for widespread contamination. If you aren’t familiar with the extent of PFAS damages, a recent The New York Times article is an eye-opener, to say the least, and the fallout will likely feed into PFAS litigation.
#8 Equinox $36 million settlement for California Wage and Hour LawsuitsAlameda, CA - Equinox has agreed to pay $36 million to resolve two California labor lawsuits alleging the fitness company required more than 15,000 employees to perform pre-shift work without pay and to skip meal breaks. The settlement, which resolves California state and federal actions, covers those who worked for Equinox in California between April 3, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2022.
#9 VA Settles Veteran PTSD Suicide Lawsuit for $1.7 MillionSouth Bend, IN - In May, the Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit brought by the family of Jason Moon for $1.7 million. Moon had served two tours as a medical evacuation crew member during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He shot himself to death in 2022 while at home with his wife and children. The medical malpractice lawsuit filed by his widow alleges that Moon had never been properly diagnosed or treated for severe post-traumatic stress syndrome at the South Bend Vet Center.
