Montgomery Advertiser columnist Josh Moon says while Alabama AG Luther Strange is concerned about price gouging following the Alabama tornado disaster, consumers are being taken advantage of all year long by the oil and gas industry.
The Montgomery Advertiser talked to owners of a number of Alabama restaurants about the difficulties they are facing in the wake of the BP oil spill, and through the claims process. Owners of Montgomery's Capitol Oyster Bar were forced to close their doors after 15 years in business, when customers avoided seafood following the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last April. Others, like owners of Destin Connection seafood market, and Birmingham's Fish Market restaurant, are still trying to recover from consumer fears and high seafood prices driven by limited availability.
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., has reached a tentative settlement agreement involving employees and former employees who allege the company did not pay them for overtime hours worked, and that management at the stores ordered them to work through scheduled breaks.
A recent report noted the number of ERISA class action lawsuits filed in 2010 increased from 8,944 to 9,038, and that growth in this area of litigation is expected to continue in 2011.
A story published by the Associated Press on Jan. 8, 2011, reports incoming Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange intends to make compensation for the state's victims of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a top priority. According to the story by reporter Bob Johnson, Strange says he will "hold nothing back" to make sure the state and its citizens are compensated for their losses.
The U.S. Transportation Department announced Monday night, Dec. 20, that Toyota will pay an additional $32 million in penalties related to its recent automobile recalls. The fines are the result of two recent federal investigations into how Toyota handled the recent recalls, which involved millions of vehicles in the United States and abroad, for issues of sudden unintended acceleration and brake defects. The latest fines are the steepest allowed by law, and are in addition to a $16.375 million fine Toyota paid in April.
New York Governor David Paterson on Dec. 13 signed into law the Wage Theft Prevention Act (S.8380/A.11726), which seeks to ensure that employers pay statutorily mandated minimum wages and overtime. The law requires annual notifications of wages, expands those notifications, enhances available remedies for wage law violations and strengthens whistleblower protections.
Lawsuits filed against BP PLC and its business partners by Alabama Attorney General Troy King are progressing well and give the state an advantage over others, according to an attorney representing the state. Rhon Jones, of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, said Alabama is the only state with a case pending before the New Orleans-based federal judge with responsibility over all litigation filed over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Mobile Press-Register is reporting that Alabama Attorney General Troy King has issued a "consumer alert" about the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which is handling claims related to the BP oil spill disaster. According to the paper, the alert, issued this morning, says claims administrator Ken Feinberg has been misleading oil spill victims about the claims process.
A Jefferson County woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Target Corporation, claiming two area stores did not give her full credit for manfacturers' coupons she presented for purchases of baby wipes, frozen meals and baby food in September.
