Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Kmart Accused of Copyright Infringement Over Halloween Banana Costume

Kmart Corp. has been sued by a New Jersey company that accused the retailer of ripping off its full-body banana costume design for its “Totally Ghoul” banana men’s Halloween costumes. Rasta Imposta is seeking unspecified damages from Kmart and its …

Judge Allows Ex-AIG Leader Greenberg’s Defamation Claim Against Ex-AG Spitzer

Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, former chief executive of American International Group Inc., may pursue large parts of his defamation lawsuit against former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a New York state appeals court ruled. Wednesday’s decision by the Appellate Division …

Court Revives Whistleblower Claim Against Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Co. faces a new legal worry after a federal appeals court last Thursday revived a whistleblower lawsuit by two former employees who said they were fired for trying to report misconduct by lenders that the bank later …

Suit over Kona Beer Not Being Brewed in Hawaii Allowed to Proceed

Calling Hawaii “a state as well as a state of mind,” a federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the maker of Kona craft beer of misleading consumers into believing the beer was actually made in the 50th U.S. …

Judge Says Yahoo Must Face Data Breach Lawsuit

A U.S. judge said Yahoo must face nationwide litigation brought on behalf of well over 1 billion users who said their personal information was compromised in three massive data breaches. Wednesday night’s decision from U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in …

Rubik’s Cube Maker Puzzled by Toys ‘R’ Us Knockoff

The Rubik’s Cube has delighted and confounded millions of players since Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik created it in 1974. Now the company that makes the twisting puzzle wants to stop the maker of Duncan yo-yos from selling an alleged …

SCA Promotions Wins March Madness Prize Insurance Fight Against Yahoo

Yahoo Inc. owes a prize promoter $5.5 million for backing out of a contract to pay $1 billion for predicting every winner in the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and entering a similar contract with Quicken Loans Inc. and Warren …

Yahoo to Pay $5.5M After Breaking NCAA Tournament Bracket Deal

Yahoo Inc owes a prize promoter $5.5 million for backing out of a contract to pay $1 billion for predicting every winner in the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and entering a similar contract with Quicken Loans Inc and Warren …

Lawsuit Claims U.S. Delinquent in Enforcing Rear Passenger Seat Belt Law

A new lawsuit accuses the U.S. government of being too slow to implement rules requiring that rear seat vehicle passengers be warned when they fail to buckle their seat belts. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, two nonprofits said the …

Court Upholds Uber Forced Arbitration, Ban on Customer Lawsuits

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of Uber Technologies Inc. in a closely watched lawsuit over whether passengers gave up their right to sue the ride-sharing company when they registered for its service. The 2nd U.S. Circuit …