Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Judge Dismisses Whole Foods Workers’ Lawsuit Over ‘Black Lives Matter’ Masks

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by three former Whole Foods employees who said they were illegally fired for opposing the upscale grocery chain’s alleged discriminatory discipline of workers who wore “Black Lives Matter” masks. U.S. District Judge …

Consumer Reports Urges Dark Chocolate Makers to Reduce Lead, Cadmium Levels

Consumer Reports on Monday urged four chocolate producers to commit by Valentine’s Day to reduce the amounts of lead and cadmium in their dark chocolate products, after testing revealed harmful levels of the heavy metals. In letters to Hershey Co., …

Bayer Sued for Barring Non-U.S. Citizen from Roundup Settlement

A new U.S. lawsuit on Thursday accused Germany’s Bayer AG of illegally excluding a Virginia farmworker from a settlement over claims its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, because she is not a U.S. citizen. The complaint said Elvira Reyes-Hernandez, who used …

OSHA Says Amazon.com Exposed Workers to Safety Hazards

A U.S. government agency on Wednesday issued citations against Amazon.com Inc. for failing to keep warehouse workers safe, by exposing them to ergonomic hazards that resulted in serious injuries. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said …

Costco Must Face Lawsuit Over ‘Dolphin Safe’ Tuna Claim

A U.S. judge on Tuesday said Costco Wholesale Corp. must face a lawsuit claiming it falsely advertises and labels its canned tuna as “dolphin safe” despite using fishing methods that harm and kill dolphins. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in …

Donald Trump’s Company Sentenced to Pay $1.61M Penalty for Tax Fraud

A New York judge on Friday sentenced Donald Trump’s namesake real estate company to pay a $1.61 million criminal penalty after it was convicted of scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years. Justice Juan Merchan of the Manhattan criminal …

Shareholders Sue Southwest Airlines Over Flight Meltdown

Shareholders filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines Co. on Thursday, accusing the carrier of fraudulently concealing problems that led last month to an operational meltdown and more than 15,000 flight cancellations. According to the proposed class action filed in federal …

CIBC Ordered to Pay $848M in Damages to Cerberus; Plans Appeal

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CM.TO plans to appeal a New York judge’s order that it pay about $848 million in damages to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, in a contract dispute tied to the 2008 global financial crisis. …

Trader Joe’s Sued Over Lead, Cadmium Levels in Dark Chocolate

Trader Joe’s was sued on Wednesday by a consumer who accused the grocery chain of misleading and endangering shoppers by selling dark chocolate that contains harmful levels of lead and cadmium. The proposed class action was filed in the federal …

Southwest Airlines Is Sued for Not Providing Refunds After Meltdown

Southwest Airlines has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to provide refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel more than 15,000 flights late last month. In a proposed class action …