Articles by Jonathan Stempel

U.S. Can’t Seize Manhattan Building Over Iranian Terror Claims: Court

A federal appeals court said on Wednesday the U.S. government cannot seize a midtown Manhattan office tower originally built by the Shah of Iran, whose owners it claimed were fronts for the Iranian government. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of …

Wells Fargo Beats Appeal Over Voided Money Store Verdict

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a bid to revive a $54.8 million jury verdict against Wells Fargo & Co, saying the trial judge had authority to take the “drastic step” of decertifying the class action after the award …

Buffett Gives $2.8 Billion in Shares to Charities Including Gates Foundation

Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has donated another roughly $2.86 billion of his holdings in the company’s stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four family charities, as part of his plan to give …

Fox News’ Ailes Says Anchor’s Harassment Suit Against Him Belongs in Arbitration

Lawyers for Fox News chairman Roger Ailes on Friday asked a judge to halt anchor Gretchen Carlson’s “shameless publicity campaign” against her former boss, and send her sexual harassment lawsuit against him to arbitration in accordance with her employment contract. …

Applied Underwriters’ Workers’ Comp Business Faulted by California Regulator

California’s insurance commissioner said in late June a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. insurance business evaded a state law designed to protect small businesses from unexpected workers’ compensation costs. Commissioner Dave Jones faulted Berkshire’s Applied Underwriters Inc. and California Insurance Co. units …

Applied Underwriters’ Workers’ Comp Business Faulted by California Regulator

California’s insurance commissioner said a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. insurance business evaded a state law designed to protect small businesses from unexpected workers’ compensation costs. Commissioner Dave Jones faulted Berkshire’s Applied Underwriters Inc. and California Insurance Co. units over the sale …

Blue Moon ‘Craft Beer’ Suit in California against MillerCoors Tossed

MillerCoors LLC won the dismissal of a proposed class action lawsuit by a self-described beer aficionado who said the brewing giant tricked consumers into paying premium prices for Blue Moon by falsely portraying it as “craft beer.” U.S. District Judge …

Citigroup Sues AT&T, Says It Owns Trademark to ‘Thank You’

Citigroup Inc. sued AT&T Inc. on Friday, saying the phone company’s use of “thanks” and “AT&T thanks” in a new customer loyalty program infringed its trademark rights to the phrase “thankyou.” The lawsuit may threaten the business relationship between two …

Copyright Claim Targets Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ Vocal Riff

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and the co-writers of his 2015 smash hit “Sorry” are being sued for allegedly stealing a vocal riff from another artist who said she used it on her own song a year earlier. In a …

Appeals Court Throws Out $1.27B Fraud Penalty Against Bank of America Mortgage Unit

A U.S. appeals court on Monday threw out a jury’s finding that Bank of America Corp. was liable for mortgage fraud leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, voiding a $1.27 billion penalty and dealing the U.S. Department of Justice …