Maynard, Cooper & Gale

1. Regions Financial Can't Shake ERISA 401(k) Suit

Thursday, Mar 11, 2010

Regions Financial Corp. has lost its bid to dismiss a putative class action accusing it and related fiduciaries of investing their employees' 401(k) retirement plan in the bank's funds and stock despite knowledge of the bank's poor financial health.

2. BofA, Merrill Want Claims Tossed In Sex Bias Suit

Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010

Defendants Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc and Bank of America Corp. are seeking to trim claims in a putative class action brought by a Merrill Lynch financial adviser who accuses the banks of issuing smaller bonuses to female employees than to their male counterparts when the companies merged.

3. McWane Off Hook In 5th Circ. Donning, Doffing Appeal

Monday, Jan 11, 2010

A circuit panel has upheld a win for McWane Inc. in a donning and doffing collective action in which thousands of its hourly workers alleged the manufacturer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay them for the time it takes to put on special personal protective equipment.

4. Colonial Bancorp Judge Won't Extend Automatic Stay

Thursday, Jan 07, 2010

A federal judge has refused to extend an automatic stay to all defendants in a consolidated securities lawsuit alleging bankrupt Colonial BancGroup Inc. misled investors about its subprime lending practices.

5. AIG Affiliate, Agency Let Out Of KLLM Antitrust Suit

Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010

A federal judge has agreed to dismiss an American International Group Inc. affiliate and insurance agency C.V. Starr & Co. Inc. from an antitrust suit brought by trucking company KLLM Inc. over alleged insurance bid-rigging, finding that there are no grounds for claims against these companies.

6. Iron Co. To Pay $4M Over Dumping Dirty Wastewater

Monday, Dec 21, 2009

Cast iron manufacturer McWane Inc. has resolved a long-running case with federal prosecutors over a slew of alleged environmental law violations by paying a $4 million criminal fine and completing a community service project designed to improve water quality near its Birmingham, Ala., foundry.

7. Insurance Refund Action Returns To State Court

Monday, Dec 14, 2009

Plaintiffs in a putative class action alleging Southern Pioneer Life Insurance Co. failed to refund portions of their premiums have won over a federal judge in their quest to return the case in state court.

8. Law360 Ranks Largest Insurance Practices

Friday, Dec 04, 2009

Marshall Dennehey, Clausen Miller PC and Cozen O'Connor topped the Law360 Insurance 100 this year, boasting the largest insurance practices in the United States, measured by the number of practicing lawyers.

9. Law360 Ranks Largest Securities Practices

Friday, Dec 04, 2009

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, Wilson Sonsini PC and Bingham McCutchen LLP topped the Law360 Securities 100 this year, boasting the largest securities practices in the United States, measured by the number of practicing lawyers.

10. Law360 Ranks Largest Product Liability Practices

Friday, Dec 04, 2009

Shook Hardy LLP, Nelson Mullins LLP and Dinsmore Shohl LLP topped the Law360 Product Liability 100 this year, boasting the largest product liability practices in the United States, measured by the number of practicing lawyers.

11. Merrill Moves To Dismiss ARS Complaint From MDL

Thursday, Nov 19, 2009

Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. has asked a judge to dismiss a complaint in the multidistrict litigation over auction rate securities, arguing that Community Trust Bank Inc.'s allegation that Merrill Lynch surreptitiously manipulated the ARS market doesn't hold water.

12. Morgan Keegan Securities Suit Sent To State Court

Friday, Nov 13, 2009

A suit launched by 26 Alabama residents who claim Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc. misled them into believing funds invested in mortgage-backed securities and shaky financial institutions were safe investments is headed back to state court, a federal judge has ruled.

13. Corrected: Jury Finds For Tyson Workers In FLSA Suit

Thursday, Nov 05, 2009

In a suit brought by the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal jury has found that Tyson Foods Inc. violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay production line workers for time spent donning and doffing compulsory safety gear.

14. Underwriters Seek Dismissal Of Colonial Case

Monday, Sep 28, 2009

A group of defendants, including Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., Credit Suisse Securities LLC and H&R Block Financial Advisors, has asked a judge to dismiss it from a consolidated proposed securities class action alleging bankrupt Colonial BancGroup Inc. misled investors about its subprime lending practices.

15. Stranger-Owned Insurance Scheme Cases Sent To Fla.

Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009

A federal judge in Texas has cited the “first-to-file” rule in transferring eight consolidated cases to Florida, where West Coast Life Insurance Co. will duke it out with Wells Fargo & Co. over an alleged stranger-owned life insurance scheme.

16. Wal-Mart Workers Lose Class Bid In Overtime Suit

Monday, Jun 22, 2009

A group of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers has lost its bid to rally a potential nationwide class of employees in a case accusing the retail giant of breaching the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay overtime wages to asset protection coordinators.

17. Investment Co. Returns Fire In SOLI Fraud Case

Wednesday, Apr 15, 2009

An investment company targeted by West Coast Life Insurance Co. in a lawsuit over an alleged illegal stranger-owned life insurance scheme fired back, saying the claims against it should be dismissed because West Coast Life filed a “shotgun complaint” and failed to make specific allegations against individual defendants.

18. AXA Suit Over Insurance Scam Survives Bid To Toss

Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. will be able to pursue allegations that trustees for a group of life insurance policies were involved in an illegal scam to persuade elderly people in Florida to sign up for policies with large face values for the benefit of outside investors.

19. Retirement Plan Suit V. Life Insurers Survives Cuts

Friday, Mar 27, 2009

A federal judge has granted partial summary judgment to two of the life insurance companies embroiled in a nationwide putative class action, ruling that California plaintiffs, unlike plan sponsors from other states, can’t blame the insurers for selling retirement benefit plans that allegedly created illegal tax shelters.

20. West Coast Life Adds Conspiracy Claims To Fraud Suit

Friday, Mar 13, 2009

West Coast Life Insurance Co. on Thursday added civil conspiracy and several violations of Florida law to a complaint alleging that an investment company, several insurance brokers and individual policyholders engaged in an illegal stranger-owned life insurance scheme.