#1 Eaton Wildfire LawsuitsLos Angeles, CA - As experts and attorneys are beginning to investigate the cause, or causes, of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, they are focusing on a Southern California Edison electrical transmission tower as a possible cause of the Eaton fire. SoCal Edison has already been hit with wildfire lawsuits and attorney Wayne McClean has handled numerous fire cases. “Word is out that the wildfires were caused by Edison’s faulty wires, and we want to make sure that Southern California Edison [SCE] does the right thing, that it takes responsibility,” says McClean, who practices personal injury law and also represents people with cases against utility companies.
#2 Suboxone + Kratom = Adding Insult to InjurySan Francisco, CA - Kratom is a dangerous drug, whose ingredients may be highly addictive at larger doses. Kratom products may not be marketed in the U.S. as prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Instead, they exist in the murky, unregulated world of herbal supplements. According to a kratom researcher at the University of Florida, “It’s totally a wild, wild west market. Buyer beware. You never know what you’re going to get in this business.” Treating the resulting addiction with Suboxone sublingual film can make a bad situation worse.
#3 Woman Awarded $1.5 Million in Amusement Park LawsuitConey Island, NY - A woman has been awarded $1.5 million in her amusement park lawsuit, in which she alleged she was not warned about the risks of riding a roller coaster with a neck injury. The plaintiff, Paula Noone, allegedly suffered her theme park injury while on a Coney Island roller coaster in 2008.
#4 Exactech Files BankruptcySanta Clara, CA - Exactech has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The medical device manufacturer will sell its assets to investors due to "unsustainable liabilities associated with knee and hip litigation related to the packaging recalls we voluntarily initiated between 2021 and 2022.” However, lawyers advise plaintiffs who have filed defective Exactech knee and hip implants not to panic because insurance and assets are available to victims in bankruptcy.
#5 Apple Proposes $95 million to Settle Siri SnoopingOakland, CA - Apple has filed in federal court a proposed $95 million payout to settle claims that Siri—Apple’s digital assistant— recorded owners' conversations without consent (after they activated Siri unintentionally) and allowed third-party contractors—such as advertisers—to listen in. The settlement could include anyone who owned a Siri-equipped device, such as the iPhone and Apple watch. Reuters reported that the class period began when Siri incorporated the "Hey, Siri" feature that allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.
#6 Canada and U.S. Hairstylist file Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuits, and EPA Formaldehyde WarningSanta Clara, CA - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in early January issued a warning: formaldehyde, a chemical in hair relaxers and hair straighteners, “presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health”. Perhaps the FDA will now ban formaldehyde, which it was supposed to do last April, 2024. Meanwhile, a proposed hair relaxer class action is filed in Canada and a hairstylist files a lawsuit in the U.S.
#7 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.
#8 Class action lawsuit Alleges Army Improperly Classified Burn-Pit IllnessesWashington, DC - Two army veterans filed a class action lawsuit late last year alleging that the U.S. army improperly classified their burn pit-related illnesses as combat-related, which affects the tax status of their medical retirement pay. They argue that veterans with burn pit-related illnesses – which should be considered combat-related – should be entitled to tax-free retirement benefits as befits the conditions of military service.
#9 Mastercard Proposes $26M to Resolve Discrimination LawsuitNew York City, NY - Mastercard has agreed to pay $26 million to resolve a proposed discrimination class action lawsuit. If approved by a federal judge, the settlement will affect about 7,500 Black, Hispanic and female workers nationwide, starting in 2016, who claimed they were systematically underpaid by the card network.
#10 Ozempic Linked to Muscle and Bone LossWashington, DC - “'You've got the shrinks!' cried Mr Twit.” Roald Dahl’s "The Twits" tells the story of a deliciously dreadful old couple who torment each other (and their pet monkeys) with malicious pranks, including one where Mr. Twit gaslights his wife into believing that she’s shrinking.
