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Jury hits Novartis with punitive damages for gender
discrimination
In the largest sex discrimination case ever to go to trial in the United States, a jury awarded $250 million in punitive damages to a class of current and former sales reps for the drug maker. The women alleged that they were paid less and promoted less than male sales reps and that some were discriminated against because they were pregnant.
Lawyer’s ad citing product defect is protected speech, California
high court rules
A California plaintiff lawyer’s advertisement is protected by the state’s free speech law, the state high court ruled in a case involving a manufacturer that sued the lawyer for “defamatory” statements in his ad. The ad informed consumers that if wooden decks in their homes were made with certain galvanized screws, they “may have certain legal rights and be entitled to monetary compensation.”
New York court certifies class action alleging ‘corporate
slumlording’
The plaintiffs are low-income tenants in rent-controlled apartment buildings who allege that the owner subjected them to fraud and harassment to drive them out of the buildings so the apartments could be converted to more lucrative co-ops and condominiums. The lawsuit charges that the landlord’s conduct violates the RICO act and state consumer protection laws. |