Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Judge Clears Way for Shareholder Suit Against Tesla, Musk Over Going-Private Tweet

A federal judge said Tesla Inc. and Chief Executive Elon Musk must face a lawsuit claiming they misled shareholders when Musk tweeted that he had secured funding to take his electric car company private in a $72 billion transaction. U.S. …

Court Revives Privacy Violation Claims Against Facebook for Tracking Users

A federal appeals court last Thursday revived nationwide litigation accusing Facebook Inc. of violating users’ privacy rights by tracking their internet activity even after they logged out of the social media website. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in …

Courts Allows Shareholder Class Action Against Goldman Sachs Tied to 2008 Crisis

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. must face a shareholder class action accusing the bank of hiding conflicts of interest, including behind-the-scenes dealings with a prominent hedge fund manager, when creating risky subprime securities before the 2008 financial crisis. In a 2-1 …

GM Settles Faulty Ignition Switch Cases for $120 Million

General Motors Co. has reached a $120 million settlement with owners who claimed that their vehicles lost value because of defective ignition switches, which have been linked to 124 deaths. The preliminary settlement was filed on Friday night with the …

Buffett Warns of Corporate Directors Too Beholden to CEO

Warren Buffett on Saturday called on corporate America to make their boards of directors more accountable to shareholders and less beholden to chief executive officers, perhaps by reducing their pay and requiring that they buy more stock. In his annual …

Brooks Brothers and Brooks Running Shoes Clash Over Trademark

Brooks, the running shoe and apparel unit of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Brooks Brothers, pitting two companies whose roots date back more than a century against each other. In a complaint filed …

Burger King Says Vegans Should Ask to Have Impossible Whoppers Their Way

Burger King, saying it never billed its “Impossible Whoppers” as vegan or promised to cook them a particular way, said a proposed class action by a vegan customer over the plant-based patties being cooked on the same grills as meat …

Judge Cuts Johnson & Johnson Damages in Risperdal Case From $8 Billion to $6.8 Million

A Pennsylvania judge on Friday slashed to $6.8 million from $8 billion a punitive damages award against Johnson & Johnson to a man who said it failed to warn that boys using its antipsychotic drug Risperdal could grow breasts. Judge …

Ben & Jerry’s Says No Depositions Possible in Claims Against ‘Happy Cows’

Ben & Jerry’s said it does not deceive consumers by saying it used milk and cream from “happy cows” to make its ice cream, and that an environmental advocate’s lawsuit claiming otherwise should be dismissed. In a Monday filing seeking …

Appeals Court OKs Affordable Care Act’s Risk Payments to Insurers

A U.S. appeals court upheld the validity of a federal program governing the payment of billions of dollars to insurers under the Affordable Care Act, reversing a lower court ruling that had prompted the White House to temporarily suspend payments. …