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Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Rating Agencies Win Dismissal of Ohio Funds Lawsuit

The three major credit-rating agencies won the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that five Ohio pension funds lost hundreds of millions of dollars on risky mortgage debt because they relied on flawed ratings that made the debt appear safe. U.S. …

Judge Narrows $1B Madoff Case vs. N.Y. Mets Owners

A federal judge narrowed a $1 billion lawsuit against owners of the New York Mets baseball team by the trustee seeking money for Bernard Madoff’s victims, and cast skepticism on how much might ultimately be recovered. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. …

California Homeowners’ Suit Against Builders Revived

A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit by homeowners who accused eight major homebuilders of causing them to overpay for their homes by marketing nearby houses to high-risk borrowers who later went into foreclosure. Against what it called “the backdrop …

Google Urges Judge Reject Oracle’s $2.2B Patent Damages Claim

Google Inc. urged a federal judge to reject an Oracle Corp expert’s recommendation that it pay more than $2.2 billion for infringing on patents for Java technology used in the Android operating system. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San …

Consumers Not Required to Arbitrate Warranty Claims with Car Dealers: Court

A federal appeals court handed car owners a victory by striking down a requirement that they arbitrate warranty disputes with dealers. Reversing a lower court ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a Porsche 911 Turbo owner …

Mortgage Lawsuits Target Individuals as Well as Banks

By suing 131 individuals in its effort to recover losses on $200 billion of mortgage debt that went sour, the federal agency overseeing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is doing one thing that the U.S. government has largely …

DuPont Wins $919M in Kevlar Trade Secrets Claim

A U.S. federal jury awarded DuPont $919.9 million in damages Wednesday, ruling that a South Korean company stole trade secrets for a fiber used to make Kevlar bulletproof vests. DuPont said the Richmond, Virginia, jury ordered Kolon Industries Inc. to …

Federal Judge Rejects Health Insurance Mandate in Latest Case

A federal judge in Pennsylvania said the insurance-buying mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional, the latest ruling over an issue likely to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner in …

Mortgage Lawsuits Target Individuals As Well As Banks

By suing 131 individuals in its effort to recover losses on $200 billion of mortgage debt that went sour, the federal agency overseeing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is doing one thing that the U.S. government has largely …

Marsh Executive Sues Spitzer

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been hit with a $60 million libel lawsuit by a former Marsh & McLennan Cos. executive over a column posted on Slate.com concerning an insurance bid-rigging scandal. William Gilman, a former Marsh marketing …