#1 ETHEX Patient Suspected of Deliberate OverdoseTampa, FL - Imagine taking your regular prescription for ETHEX corporation drugs and waking up in the hospital, only to be told that you had purposely suffered an ETHEX overdose. Imagine the shock and fear when you are told that you will have to stay in the hospital for observation because you could be a danger to yourself. Imagine trying to survive the ETHEX side effects while trying to figure out how you could possibly have followed your prescription properly only to suffer an overdose.
#3 Former Twittter Execs Demand Data in Severance ComplaintLos Angeles, CA - Elon Musk and X are trying to avoid discovery requests regarding California labor claims brought by four former Twitter executives. The plaintiffs argue that Musk is dodging “perfectly reasonable” requests to avoid paying numerous benefits and obligations, and they have requested a California federal court to demand that Musk provide the data.
#4 Google Settles Disability LawsuitSanta Clara, CA - Google and a former employee have settled a disability discrimination lawsuit in California federal court. Plaintiff Steven Newman claimed he was unlawfully terminated after taking medical leave for bipolar disorder. The settlement terms have not yet been disclosed.
#5 California Plant Nursery Pays $2.5 million in back wagesLos Angeles, CA - Altman Specialty Plants LLC has agreed to pay its workers $2.5 million in back wages and about $1 million in civil money penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined that the largest horticultural grower in the U.S coerced workers to quit so it could dodge the H-2A temporary agricultural program’s wage and hour requirements.
#6 What Happens Next for Exactech Hip Implant Lawsuits?Brooklyn, NY – On October 29, 2024, Exactech filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. As a result, all hip failure lawsuits, including the four bellwether trials (Tarloff, larson, Kramer and Caputo) were paused.
#7 "Stingy Employers" Beware of Attorney Edwin Aiwazian Los Angeles, CA: - Why start small when you can start big? A young attorney from Los Angeles, who has just opened his own firm, has filed three separate class action suits against three very large companies. The cases all involve allegations of unpaid overtime, unpaid meal breaks or rest breaks and a raft of other violations of the California Labor Code affecting retail employees, secretaries, painters, cleaning staff and many other kinds of hourly wage workers.
#8 Rescuing PAGASan Diego, CA - On February 26, the California Court of Appeal held that Jose Parra Rodriguez’s wage and hour lawsuit did not have to be arbitrated, even though Parra signed (or did he?) an arbitration agreement. The chance to go to court, rather than arbitrate a California wage and hour dispute is generally understood as an important procedural “win” for workers. The decision appears to strengthen the ability of wage workers to use the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) to enforce the protective provisions of the California Labor Code.
#9 Albuterol Asthma Death and OptumRx LawsuitMadison, WI - Cole Schmidtknecht suffered from asthma for most of his short life. He died in January 2024, just 22-years-old, allegedly because his prescription for the Advair Diskus inhaler suddenly and unexpectedly went beyond his price range because it was no longer covered by his insurance. Instead, he bought generic Albuterol, for a $5 co-pay, and used Albuterol exclusively in the time leading up to his death.
#10 NCAA supports College Athlete NIL SettlementOakland, CA - Attorneys for college athletes told a California federal judge that the NCAA’s proposed $2.78 billion settlement to provide name, image and likeness compensation (NIL) and revenue sharing with athletes across all sports has been “overwhelmingly positive”. The deal to settle the California labor class action was first filed by former swimmer Grant House in 2020, and it is scheduled for final approval April 7th, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken.
