QBE, Bank of America Force-Placed Insurance Class Action Lawsuit

By Kimberly Mirando

A class action lawsuit filed Thursday claims Bank of America Corp. conspired with insurance company QBE Holdings Inc. and various affiliates to inflate premiums for mortgage holders by instituting force-placed hazard insurance on their policies. This force-placed insurance was sometimes up to 10 times more expensive than policies purchased voluntarily, despite providing far less protection, according to the class action lawsuit.

Judge Trims Toyota Steering Defect Class Action Lawsuit

By Matt O'Donnell

A federal judge last week significantly trimmed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Toyota of hiding a dangerous steering defect in its 2009 and 2010 model year Corolla and Matrix vehicles, but allowed plaintiffs in the case to revise the complaint and try again.

Toyota owners Irene Corson and Susan Yacks sued Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. in 2009 alleging that these Corolla and Matrix vehicles contain a defect in their electric power steering systems that makes them drift out of the driver’s control. Yacks claims the defect caused her daughter to spin out of control on a highway, causing her to drive into oncoming traffic before ending up on an embankment.

Acer Laptop Memory Class Action Settlement

By Mike Holter

Acer has reached a class action lawsuit settlement over allegations it sold laptops that did not contain enough memory to properly run the pre-installed Microsoft Windows Vista  Premium operating systems. Eligible Class Members who submit a valid claim can receive a cash award of between $10 and $100 or a free Flash Drive from the Acer class action settlement.

Hydroxatone Product Class Action Settlement

By Matt O'Donnell

A proposed class action lawsuit settlement has been reached between the companies behind the skin care product Hydroxatone and customers who claim they were duped into purchasing the products based on a “Risk Free Trial” offer that the companies didn’t honor. Consumers who purchased Hydroxatone-branded products between 2005 and 2013 may be eligible to receive a cash award or free product if the class action settlement is approved.

The Hydroxatone settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit (Susan Sabol, et al. v. Hydroxatone LLC, et al.) alleging, among other things, that defendants Hydroxatone LLC and Atlantic Coast Media Group LLC:

Aeropostale Overtime Class Action Lawsuit Certified

By Mike Holter

Aeropostale store workers won class certification last week in a wage and hour class action lawsuit accusing the clothing retailing over failing to pay overtime to thousands of store employees in a timely manner.

Lead plaintiff Portia Daniels sued Aeropostale Inc. last November, claiming that Aeropostale had under-paid overtime to non-exempt store employees by failing to include earned bonus amounts in their regular rate of pay.

Pacific Bell/AT&T Landline Late Fee Class Action Settlement

By Kimberly Mirando

Pacific Bell Telephone Company, which does business as AT&T in California, has reached a $15 million class action lawsuit settlement over claims it unlawfully charged and collected late payment charges from its residential landline telephone customers. If you paid one of these late payment fees between 2009 and 2013, you may be eligible to claim a cash award.

The Pacific Bell late fee settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit known as In Re: Pacific Late Fee Litigation that claims Pacific Bell/AT&T violated California consumer protection laws and other state laws by imposing late payment charges to residential landline telephone customers in California.

Class Action Lawsuit Against Florida Debt Collection Agency Certified

By Courtney Coren

A federal judge has certified a class action lawsuit filed against a medical debt collection agency in Florida. The man filing the lawsuit claims that they agency used his cell phone illegally, violating his rights under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) when it left an illegal message.

The TCPA class action lawsuit was brought by Stephen Manno. He says filled out paperwork, including his cellphone number, while he was receiving treatment in the emergency room at Memorial Hospital Pembroke in Pembroke Pines, Florida. While there, he was treated by a doctor that belonged to the hospital’s operator, Inphynet. What Manno didn’t know was that his cell phone number would be given to the hospital’s debt collection agency to use -- something that he claims he did not consent to.

Sony Grand Wega SXRD TV Class Action Settlement

By Mike Holter

A federal court has preliminarily approved a class action lawsuit settlement between Sony Electronics and consumers who claim Sony falsely advertised the screen resolution of its Sony Grand Wega SXRD 1080p TVs. If you purchased or received one of these rear-projection TVs as a gift, you may be eligible to claim a $60 gift card from the proposed class action settlement.

The Sony TV settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit (Date v. Sony Electronics Inc., et al.) that alleges Sony and ABC Appliance Inc. falsely represented and advertised that certain Sony Grand Wega SXRD rear-projection TVs had a 1080p display resolution, when they were actually incapable of accepting input of 1080p signals and could not accept and display video content at 1080p resolution via the televisions’ PC and HDMI Input.