Articles by Jonathan Stempel

New Jersey Sues RealPage, Claiming Collusion With Landlords Drives Up Rents

New Jersey sued the property management software company RealPage, accusing it and 10 of the state’s largest landlords of conspiring to drive up residential rents, violating federal and state antitrust laws and New Jersey consumer fraud laws. The complaint filed …

Shopify Must Face Data Privacy Lawsuit in US

A U.S. appeals court on Monday revived a proposed data privacy class action against Shopify, a decision that could make it easier for American courts to assert jurisdiction over internet-based platforms. In a 10-1 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court …

Tesla Settles Employee’s California Suit Alleging Pervasive Harassment

Tesla settled a racial discrimination lawsuit by a Black female employee who claimed a manager at its Fremont, California, plant sometimes greeted workers by saying “welcome to the plantation” or “welcome to the slave house.” Raina Pierce, who installed latches …

Judge Orders Bank of America to Pay $540 Million in FDIC Lawsuit

A federal judge ordered Bank of America to pay $540.3 million in a long-running Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation lawsuit accusing the second-largest U.S. bank of underpaying what it owed for deposit insurance. In a decision made public on Monday, U.S. …

Sarah Palin, New York Times to Face Off in Defamation Retrial

Sarah Palin and the New York Times are headed back to a courtroom where the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate will try convincing a second jury the newspaper defamed her in an editorial about gun control. A …

Appeals Court Blocks Trump From Removing Democrats From Labor Boards

A federal appeals court blocked U.S. President Donald Trump from removing Democratic members from two federal labor boards on Monday, setting aside its earlier ruling. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit further …

Several Companies Must Face Lawsuit Over Tainted Baby Food, Judge Rules

A U.S. judge said several companies including Walmart, Beech-Nut and Gerber must face a nationwide lawsuit claiming that toxic heavy metals contaminated their baby food, causing brain and neurodevelopmental damage to children who ate it. In a decision on Wednesday, …

Google to Pay $28M to Settle Claims it Favored White and Asian Employees

Google agreed to pay $28 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming that it favored white and Asian employees by paying them more and putting them on higher career tracks than other workers. The accord with Google, a unit …

Baltimore Loses Its Bid to Block CFPB Defunding But Another Challenge Is Pending

A federal judge in Baltimore on Friday rejected the city’s effort to temporarily block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from emptying its reserves and returning the money to the U.S. Federal Reserve or Department of the Treasury. U.S. District Judge …

Girl Scouts Sued Over Alleged Metals, Pesticides in Thin Mints, Other Cookies

The Girl Scouts have been sued by consumers over the alleged presence of “heavy metals” and pesticides in its popular Thin Mints and other cookies. A proposed class action was filed on Monday night in the Brooklyn, New York federal …