Mealey's Class Actions : Mealey's : Legal News & Analysis

Mealey's Class Actions

June 18, 2025
Former Limestone University Employee Says Terminations Violate Federal Law

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A former employee of a South Carolina university filed a class action complaint in South Carolina federal court, alleging that the university violated the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act by failing to provide 60 days’ advance notice of the university’s intent to terminate the employment of more than 475 employees.
June 17, 2025
$5.25 Million Settlement Approved In Recruiter Misclassification Class Case

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in California granted final approval of a $5.25 million nonreversionary class settlement in a lawsuit alleging systemic misclassification of recruiters as exempt employees and granted in part a motion for attorney fees, costs and a service award.
June 17, 2025
Administrative Stay Granted By D.C. Circuit In Immigrant Removal Class Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals administratively stayed a June 4 order by a trial court that partially granted preliminary injunction and class certification to immigrants challenging their removal from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) and transfer to a prison in El Salvador.
June 16, 2025
Government Appeals April Preliminary Injunction In Passport Gender Policy Case

BOSTON — The federal government on June 13 appealed to the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals an April memorandum by a federal judge in Massachusetts partially granting a motion to stay agency action and for preliminary injunction in a putative class case challenging a January executive order (EO) and its implementation that removed the option to designate “X” on passports for those individuals who do not identify as female or male or who wish to keep a specified gender off their passport.
June 16, 2025
Supreme Court Denies Auto Insurers’ Petition To Review Class Decertification Dispute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on June 16 denied automobile insurers’ petition for writ of certiorari seeking review of a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals majority’s conclusion that a lower court abused its discretion when it decertified a negotiation class because the insureds established that “injury could be calculated on a class-wide basis.”
June 16, 2025
Judge Remands Suit Over Styrofoam Company’s Deceptive Recycling Claims

SAN DIEGO — A California federal judge on June 13 sua sponte remanded a putative class action suit against a cup maker for violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by misrepresenting its products as recyclable, finding that the suit was improperly removed and the defendant did not prove the amount in controversy satisfied the requirements for federal jurisdiction.
June 16, 2025
Defective Vision Vitamins Suit Dismissed Due To Improper Claim-Splitting

SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge dismissed with prejudice a woman’s putative class action accusing a supplement maker of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) by failing to warn her that its supplement to benefit her vision contained excessive zinc, finding that because the plaintiff previously filed an individual personal injury suit over the same injury, her putative class suit represented improper claim-splitting.
June 16, 2025
Putative Class Lawsuit Challenges Revision To American Airlines LTD Plan

FORT WORTH, Texas — In a putative class complaint filed in Texas federal court, a disabled pilot sued American Airlines Inc. (AA) and related defendants under the theory that a May 2024 revision of its long-term disability (LTD) plan improperly excluded “vacation, ratification bonuses, profit sharing, one-time supplemental payment, bereavement, grievance payouts, extended sick bank, and Special Assignment” from average monthly compensation, resulting in underpayment of LTD benefits.
June 16, 2025
Dismissal Partially Granted In Class Row With Software Company Over Cloud Outage

BOSTON — A Massachusetts federal judge partially granted dismissal to a company that offers the Kronos Private Cloud in a putative class suit filed by health care employees who said they were not paid wages owed during a cloud outage related to a data breach, finding that their negligence claim is barred under the economic loss doctrine and that their unjust enrichment claim is dismissed because of the lack of allegations showing that the employees’ wages could be a benefit “conferred” on the company.
June 13, 2025
ERISA Suit Over Allegedly Underperforming Target Date Funds Settles For $69M

MINNEAPOLIS — A $69 million deal that the class representative called “the largest-ever ERISA settlement alleging breach of fiduciary duty for failure to remove underperforming investment options” has been granted final approval, a text-only June 13 docket entry in Minnesota federal court shows.
June 13, 2025
Judge Orders Electronics Company To Pay $33M For Faking Online Reviews

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California federal judge on June 12 granted a motion for default judgment filed by a plaintiff representing a certified class of consumers who claim that they were deceived by a Chinese manufacturer-owned company’s practice of faking reviews on Amazon.com to sell shoddy electronics in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and ordered it to pay nearly $33 million in disgorgement.
June 13, 2025
Video Game Fans Dismiss Suit Challenging Termination Of Online Racing Game

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three plaintiffs on June 12 filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in California federal court of their putative class action claims against a video game developer for violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by shutting down an online racing game, which they said was deceptive and unfairly deprived them of access to the game.
June 13, 2025
Judge: Federal Government Is Failing To Provide Legal Services To Immigrant Class

SAN DIEGO — A federal judge in California granted an immigrant separation class’ renewed motion to enforce a 2023 settlement agreement, ruling that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other defendants failed to show that after the expiration of a contract with a third party providing legal services they were actually still providing those services required under the agreement.
June 13, 2025
Initial OK Given To $6.3M Settlement Of Apnea Supply Firm Data Breach Suit

INDIANAPOLIS — Preliminarily approving an agreement providing more than $6.3 million to settle a class action over data breaches experienced by a sleep apnea supply firm, an Indiana federal judge held that the parties “will likely be able to certify and approve a settlement class under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.”
June 12, 2025
Georgia Federal Judge Approves More Settlements In Drinking Water PFAS Case

ROME, Ga. — A large textile mill operator, the town where it operates and one of its product manufacturers will pay more than $1.25 million to a group of water subscribers and ratepayers for their admitted involvement in contaminating groundwater in a northwest region of Georgia with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through partial class action settlements granted final approval on June 11 by a federal judge.
June 12, 2025
GM’s $150M Defective Engine Class Settlement Preliminarily Approved

SAN FRANCISCO — A $150 million settlement between General Motors LLC and consumers who sued over allegedly defective engines was granted preliminary approval by a federal judge in California who certified three classes of consumers in California, Idaho and North Carolina for settlement purposes.
June 12, 2025
Data Breach Class Action Against Biotech Firm Settles For $7.5 Million

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Four months after preliminarily approving a $7.5 million settlement of a consolidated class action over a 2023 data breach experienced by a biotech firm, a New York federal magistrate judge granted final approval to the settlement, which provides for up to $10,000 in out-of-pocket reimbursements for class members.
June 12, 2025
U.S. High Court Delivers Unanimous Opinion For Veterans In Pay Class Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The settlements of combat-related special compensation (CRSC) requests are controlled by the statute that directs secretaries of the various military branches to pay CRSC to eligible veterans and not the Barring Act, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 12, reversing an opinion by the Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
June 12, 2025
Class Action Alleges Insurer Intentionally Disclosed Driver’s License Numbers

NEW YORK — A class action complaint for violation of the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) was brought against Lemonade Inc. in a New York federal court on June 9, alleging that the insurer knowingly and intentionally obtained, used and disclosed class members’ driver’s license numbers and other personal information on its online quoting platform that was ultimately accessed by cybercriminals.
June 11, 2025
Revised, Reduced Attorney Fees Award In CPK Data Breach Suit Approved

SANTA ANA, Calif. — After an initial attorney fees award of $800,000 was rejected and remanded by the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a consolidated class action over a data breach experienced by California Pizza Kitchen Inc. (CPK), a California federal judge on June 10 approved a revised fees and costs request, which reduces the original award by more than $500,000.
June 11, 2025
9th Circuit Won’t Rehear Pension Fund’s Securities Case Against Gaming Company

PASADENA, Calif. — A panel of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied a pension fund’s petition for rehearing en banc of the panel’s affirmation of dismissal of the fund’s class action alleging that a gaming company it invested in falsely inflated its share prices after finding that the fund needed to plead loss causation as part of its stock scheme claims.
June 11, 2025
Some Privacy Claims Over Google’s Collection Of Health Data May Proceed

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of anonymous plaintiffs suing Google LLC over the alleged collection and sharing of users’ health-related data saw most of their privacy and related claims survive the tech company’s second dismissal motion, with a California federal judge finding that in the second amended consolidated complaint (SAC) the plaintiffs corrected defects that led to their previous complaint being completely dismissed.
June 10, 2025
Magistrate Approves $7.25M Settlement Of Patreon Privacy Violation Claims

SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal magistrate judge granted a motion for final approval of a $7.25 million settlement to resolve claims that Patreon Inc. illegally shared its users’ video-viewing data with social media company Meta Platforms Inc., including more than $2.1 million in attorney fees, and rejected as invalid more than 900 opt-outs filed on behalf of class members by a third-party “recovery company.”
June 10, 2025
1 Plaintiff, 1 Claim Remain In Marsh & McLennan Data Breach Class Action

NEW YORK — After two dismissal rulings, discovery, an appeal, a class representative substitution and choice-of-law disputes, a 4-year-old putative class action over a 2021 data breach experienced by Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. has just a single remaining claim for breach of implied contract in a second amended complaint (SAC) that was filed at the direction of a New York federal judge after the most recent ruling.
June 10, 2025
Class Definitions Are Focus Of Reconsideration Bid After Judgment In Benefits Row

PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania federal judge who after a bench trial entered final judgment in favor of plaintiffs and awarded class counsel $9,149,204.25 in attorney fees has been asked to reconsider what the defendants argue was improper expansion of class definitions; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act dispute centers on corporate restructuring that affected retirement benefits.