Financial Recovery Strategies keeps up to date on the latest in class action developments. Here is a recap of some of the latest key developments.
OPM hack class action plaintiffs win initial approval for $63M payout
A D.C. federal judge Tuesday gave preliminary approval for a $63 million settlement to go ahead in a class action brought by victims of the 2014 and 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breaches. In a court order, U.S. district judge Amy Berman Jackson said the figure in the agreement was “fair, reasonable, and adequate, and in the best interest of named plaintiffs and class members.” The $63 million payout remains subject to a fairness hearing scheduled for Oct. 14. (Read full article)
Lawsuit claims Amazon using Alexa to target ads at customers
Is Alexa a spy for Amazon’s targeted ads? A new lawsuit alleges the popular speaking assistant included in the Seattle-based tech giant’s Echo and other smart speakers is collecting voice data from unwitting customers that Amazon then uses to target ads at them. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle last week, seeks certification as a class action that, if approved, potentially could include millions of smart speaker customers as plaintiffs. (Read full article)
This Desjardins Class Action Lawsuit Is Paying Out Over $200 Million Because Of A Data Breach
The Superior Court of Quebec has approved a $200 million class action lawsuit settlement against financial services company Desjardins, because of a significant data breach back in 2019. On Saturday, June 18, the lawyers for the class members announced that a settlement agreement had been reached, enabling Canadians from all over the country to claim their share. The payout is related to an issue that occurred in June 2019, when a series of technological and administrative failures caused a data breach. (Read full article)
In New Jersey, Ford faces lawsuit over polluting tribal land
New Jersey is suing Ford Motor Company, one of the country’s largest automobile manufacturers, for allegedly dumping waste on the homelands of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, a Native American tribe recognized by the state. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in state court, accuses the company of disposing of thousands of tons of toxic paint sludge and other pollutants on the site of a former iron mine in northern New Jersey in the 1960s and 70s, then donating or selling the land without disclosing the contamination. As a result, tribal members say they have experienced cancer, birth defects, and other negative health effects. (Read full article)
Meta hit with class action suit alleging it mined providers’ patient data
Tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook, was slammed with a class action lawsuit alleging that the social media company has been scouring sensitive patient data from hospital websites in violation of HIPAA and numerous state and federal laws. The lawsuit, filed last week in Northern California, charges that Meta’s Pixel tracking tool sent patient data like IP addresses, online portal login information and health conditions directly back to the company. (Read full article)