Articles by Joel Rosenblatt

Judge: Facebook ‘Could Not Be More Wrong’ in Cambridge Analytica Defense

Facebook Inc. users suing over the social network’s worst-ever privacy scandal gained leverage to pry into its internal records to back up their claims that it failed to safeguard their personal data, exposing the company to potentially billions of dollars …

Bayer Proposes to Settle U.S. Roundup Lawsuits for $8 Billion: Bloomberg

Bayer AG is proposing to pay as much as $8 billion to settle more than 18,000 U.S. lawsuits alleging its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, according to people familiar with the negotiations. An agreement, which could take months to work out, …

Women Employees at Oracle Seek Class-Action Status in Gender Pay Lawsuit

Call it the class ceiling. Women suing major technology companies for gender discrimination would have much stronger leverage against their employers if they could press their claims on behalf of a large group of female colleagues. But last year, the …

Uber May Rethink Litigation Avoidance Plan as 60,000 Drivers File Arbitration Demands

For Uber Technologies Inc., using legal arbitration to deal with driver compensation complaints — over anything from pay to overtime to mileage reimbursement — seemed like the smart play: it would preclude costly class-action litigation, it was private, and few …

As It Prepares IPO, Uber Settles Driver Classification Disputes for $20 Million

Uber Technologies Inc. will pay $20 million to settle California lawsuits challenging the company’s classification of drivers as independent contractors, and not employees owed the benefits of traditional employment. Resolution of the long-standing fight over benefits and pay comes as …

Roundup Weed Killer, Not Hepatitis, Caused Plaintiff’s Cancer, Argues Lawyer

A lawyer representing a man who claims Bayer AG’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer urged jurors to imagine the scales of justice ever so slightly tilted in his favor, as if weighted by a feather, and said that would …

Judge Says PG&E Has ‘Clear-Cut’ Pattern of Starting Wildfires

A federal judge who has emerged as a vocal critic of PG&E Corp.’s safety record, said the California utility giant has a “clear-cut pattern” of starting wildfires and needs “strong medicine” put in place before this year’s season begins. U.S. …

PG&E: Judge’s Aggressive Fire Prevention Plan Would Cost $150B

PG&E Corp. estimates it would cost as much as $150 billion this year alone to comply with a federal judge’s proposal to prevent wildfires. California’s largest investor-owned utility said U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s plan for it to trim branches …

PG&E Says It Won’t Commit to Paying Settlements With 2015 California Fire Victims

PG&E Corp. is so cash-starved that it won’t commit to paying settlements reached with people who lost their homes in a 2015 wildfire caused by a tree falling on a power line. The disclosure by a lawyer for the utility …

Alphabet Directors Sued Over Exit Pay, Coverups Tied to Harassment Allegations

Alphabet Inc.’s directors were sued by shareholders for approving a $90 million exit payment to Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android mobile software, while helping cover up his alleged misconduct and similar misbehavior by other executives. The investors claimed …