Articles by Jonathan Stempel

‘Bond King’ Gross Accuses PIMCO of Falsely Claiming He Abandoned Firm

Bond fund manager Bill Gross on Tuesday accused Pacific Investment Management Co. of falsely claiming he suddenly decided to abandon the firm he co-founded in an effort to win dismissal of his $200 million breach-of-contract lawsuit. In papers filed in …

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting to Air Live on Yahoo

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. plans to webcast its annual meeting for the first time, allowing the largest U.S. shareholder gathering to reach a global audience through Yahoo Inc.’s finance page. Viewers will be able to watch Buffett, Berkshire’s 85-year-old …

U.S. Court Says Foreign Wealth Funds Not Always Immune from U.S. Fraud Claims

Foreign sovereign wealth funds are not automatically immune from U.S. lawsuits claiming that they defrauded investors into buying securities in the United States by making misleading statements outside the country, the federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled. The 2nd U.S. …

Are Tattoos Copyrightable? NBA Video Game Maker Sued for Using LeBron, Kobe Body Art

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over its depiction of tattoos belonging to National Basketball Association stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in a popular video game. In a complaint filed on Monday in …

Wal-Mart Ordered to Pay New Hampshire Pharmacist $31M in Bias Case

Wal-Mart Stores Inc was ordered by a federal jury in New Hampshire to pay $31.22 million to a pharmacist who claimed she was fired because of her gender and in retaliation for complaining about safety conditions. The Concord, New Hampshire, …

First ‘Bellwether’ GM Ignition Switch Trial Set to Open Jan. 11

A U.S. judge last Wednesday rejected General Motors Co.’s bid to dismiss the first so-called “bellwether” case over defective ignition switches in its vehicles, clearing the way for a Jan. 11 trial. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan said …

Judge OKs 2 Shareholder Class Actions Against Facebook Over IPO

A federal judge has certified two shareholder class actions accusing Facebook Inc. of hiding concerns about its growth forecasts prior to the social media company’s May 2012 initial public offering. U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan said retail and …

GM Does Not Have to Turn Over Privileged Ignition Switch Documents: Judge

General Motors Co. and its law firm need not turn over privileged documents to drivers hoping to show that the automaker intended to commit a crime or fraud by concealing defective ignition switches in their vehicles, a Manhattan federal judge …

Illinois Supreme Court Voids $10.1B Philip Morris ‘Light’ Verdict

The Illinois Supreme Court on Nov. 4 threw out a $10.1 billion verdict against Philip Morris USA in a long-running lawsuit accusing the Altria Group Inc. unit of misleading smokers about the health risks of “light” cigarettes. By a 4-2 …

U.S. Charges 3 in ‘Securities Fraud on Cyber Steroids’ Scheme

U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled criminal charges against three men accused of running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme that included a huge attack against JPMorgan Chase & Co. and generated hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal profit. …