Class Actions Spike This Year Around Collecting, Using Biometrics
A new report indicates that biometric data class actions have surged recently, with more than 110 such cases filed as of March 2022. This comes in the wake of a landmark $650 million biometric data class action settlement involving users of Facebook, who allege that their biometric data, biological measurements or physical characteristics that can be used to identify individuals, were collected and used without their consent.
Defense Class Action Spending Breaks Record, Survey Says
A new survey released recently reveals that defense spending on class actions in the United States has increased for the seventh straight year and has reached a record-breaking all-time high of over $3 billion in 2021. According to the Carlton Fields’ annual 2022 Class Action Survey, labor and employment claims related to Covid-19 have skyrocketed, especially wage and hour, discrimination, and workplace safety claims.
ERISA Suits and Settlements Steadily Rise in 2022
Class action attorneys have seen a boom in alleged ERISA violations, with dozens of lawsuits targeting institutional 401(k) and other retirement plans.
Litigation over retirement fees and investment plans has been steadily growing, and 2022 has already seen a flood of new cases.
Food Labeling Class Actions on Rise in 2021, With Varying Results
Food labeling class actions have seen a steady rise in 2021, with courts certifying classes, others settling, and many dismissed outright. In January of this year, Subway customers sued the sandwich giant alleging that its “tuna” actually contains no tuna, generating major headlines and strong denials from the defendant. Now in its third iteration, the plaintiffs’ amended complaint asserts that the “tuna” actually contains proteins from other animals, such as pork, chicken, and meat. Subway has strongly denied these claims, and the litigation is currently pending in the Northern District of California.
Crypto Class Actions on Rise Amid Increased Investor, Regulatory Scrutiny
Amid surging popularity and increased regulatory interest, virtual or cryptocurrency is facing a new legal challenge – class action lawsuits – as investors and their lawyers target this emerging asset class.
In April 2020, lawyers representing investors filed nearly a dozen class-action lawsuits against major cryptocurrency companies in the Southern District of New York, alleging that these companies defrauded investors by selling unlawful securities via digital tokens. Defendants include big names in the crypto space such as Binance, Block.one, Bitmex, Tron, and others.
Class-Action Objectors Under Renewed Scrutiny from Bench and Bar
Recent rule changes and more aggressive scrutiny by courts and class action practitioners have put objectors to class action settlements under a renewed spotlight. Just last week, Southern District of Florida Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ordered well-known attorney and objector Ted Frank to provide a list of cases in the last ten years in which his and his organization’s objections to class action settlements have been struck, and instances in which he has been sanctioned, determined to lack standing, or denied an opportunity to speak at a fairness hearing.
11th Circuit Ruling Against Class Incentive Awards Still Causing Confusion, Conflicting Approaches
These awards have been routine in class actions around the country. In a split decision last year, the 11th Circuit surprised the class action bar by rejecting a proposed $6,000 […]
Ransomware Attacks Lead to Class-Action Lawsuits
Consumers and workers are behind this little-noticed consequence. A little-noticed consequence of the increasing ransomware attacks on American businesses is the rise of class action lawsuits brought by consumers and […]
Trump’s Big-Tech Class-Action Suits Land in South Florida
Former President Donald Trump has launched three class-action lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook, and Google-owned YouTube, alleging these social media behemoths of censoring him and a class of similarly situated plaintiffs in violation of the First Amendment and targeting the legality of Section 230 of the Communications Act. All three cases were filed in the Southern District of Florida.
Roundup MDL Judge Rejects Attorneys’ Fee ‘Holdback’
In a sweeping ruling analyzing the authority of an MDL Judge to award “holdback” attorneys’ fees to lead counsel for common benefit work, Roundup MDL Judge Vince Chhabria of California refused to hold back for lead counsel 8.25% of all recoveries in state court Roundup cases brought by other attorneys and cases that settled without any lawsuit being filed at all.