Class-Action

Sony Settling Class Action Lawsuits for Data Breach

October 10, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

In today’s increasingly digital age, it has become easier than ever for hackers to gain access to people’s personal information, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft. Most major credit card companies offer monitoring services to protect customers from fraudulent charges, but they charge an extra fee for these services and many people don’t want to pay the extra fee if they don’t have to.

More often than not, large companies are the targets of cyberattacks, but it’s not usually the company that experiences any negative outcomes from the attacks. Instead, it’s the customers and/or employees whose personal information was compromised in the attack who suffer. The companies rarely experience any consequences of these attacks until someone files a lawsuit against the company for failing to take the proper security measures to protect against these data breaches. Continue reading ›

Ashley Madison Sued in Data Breach Class Actions

October 8, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

Class actions are an extremely useful tool that benefit both plaintiffs and the courts. When plaintiffs suffer small damages that are not large enough to justify the expenses associated with filing a lawsuit, a class action allows multiple plaintiffs with similar complaints to combine their claims into one lawsuit. This also saves the courts time and money by preventing them from getting flooded with numerous lawsuits of the same nature.

Companies who conduct business all over the country sometimes face multiple class action lawsuits in different courts. Depending on where the jurisdiction falls, these class action lawsuits can sometimes be combined into one, large, nation-wide class action lawsuit. Continue reading ›

Our Chicago Data Breach and Privacy Protection Class Action Lawyers Bring Class Actions in Data Breach Cases to Protect Victims Rights – Contact One of Our Data Breach Attorneys if You Are Victim of a Data Breach Including the Ashley Madison Data Breach

October 7, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

Data Breach Cases

We are investigating various data breach cases and will bring class actions on behalf of victims of data breaches such as the Target, Ashley Madison, Sony and Home Depot data breaches.

Contact Us if You Are a Victim of the Ashley Madison Data Breach or of Another Data Breach

Continental and United Flight Attendants are Pursuing Overtime Class Action — Our Chicago Overtime Attorneys Pursue Wage and Hour Class Actions and Collective Actions

September 20, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), every employee is entitled to receive accurate itemized wage statements along with their paychecks. These wage statements need to specify: the employee’s hourly rate; the pay period; the number of hours the employee worked in that pay period; the total wages paid, and any deductions made to the employee’s wages (such as taxes, health insurance, etc.).

Employers are required to provide these wage statements so their workers can keep track of the hours they worked and the money they made. It also helps them estimate how much money they’ll make in future pay periods so they can plan their finances accordingly. Continue reading ›

Class Actions an Avenue for Redress of Consumer Rights

August 3, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

Class action lawsuits were designed to give individuals leverage against large corporate defendants. A large company with billions of dollars and a team of lawyers at their disposal stands a much better chance of winning a lawsuit than a single employee or consumer with a claim that’s only worth a small amount of money.

Big businesses have long lamented this attempt to level the playing field, complaining that class actions exist for the sole purpose of allowing plaintiffs to come together to pick on large companies. Although defendants choose to settle class actions, rather than risk the time and expense of litigating them, it is possible for large corporations to get a fair hearing in court. Continue reading ›

Class Action Certified Against Yahoo For Alleged Privacy Violations Relating to Scanning Emails Content

July 10, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

By this point it is well known that companies are taking advantage of any and all personal information they can collect on customers. Every Internet search, social media “like”, and online purchase is closely monitored for the purpose of determining which ads we would be most likely to respond to.

Despite the fact that many companies include information on these practices on their terms of service, people should not be subject to these types of practices without agreeing to them.

For example, Yahoo is currently facing a class action lawsuit from plaintiffs who were not Yahoo Mail subscribers, but sent emails to or received emails from Yahoo Mail subscribers. According to the lawsuit, Yahoo allegedly illegally intercepted these emails and analyzed the content, including keywords and attachments. Far from just scanning for spam and malware, Yahoo Mail allegedly did this to create “targeted advertising” for Yahoo Mail subscribers. Because these users were not subscribers of Yahoo Mail, they allegedly did not agree to be subject to these practices. Continue reading ›

Class Action By Musicians for Pre-1972 Music Against SiriusXM to Continue

July 1, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

In today’s increasingly digital world, physical barriers mean less than they ever have. This can be confusing when it comes to some consumer laws that cover certain areas, but not others.

For example, the federal Copyright Act puts a statute of limitations on exclusive rights to any and all recordings made on or before February 15, 1972. This means any musician who recorded music on or before that date has no right to claim any of the rights to that music.

However, various states have their own laws regulating the statute of limitations on art and music, and they are frequently more favorable to artists than the federal law. Any company that sells goods or services in the United States must be sure to abide by all of the relevant local laws, as well as federal regulations. Continue reading ›

Spyware Class Action Against Aaron’s Given New Life by Third Circuit — Our Chicago Class Action Lawyers Bring Suit to Protect Privacy Rights

June 22, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

After George Orwell’s novel, “1984”, was published, the term “Big Brother” became a household name. It is used to refer to any institution or practice that allows companies or organizations to see what people are doing no matter where they are. The term has been applied to everything from traffic light cameras to Google’s practice of tracking consumers’ search histories.

But most disturbing of all is a recent lawsuit against Aaron’s Inc., a rental company, alleging it leased computers that contained spyware. Aaron’s allegedly used the software to take pictures of people in their homes via the computers’ webcams, as well as screenshots taken while the leased computers were in use. According to the lawsuit, even when users thought their computers were turned off, the spyware could turn it on and take photos via the computer’s webcam. The information collected by the rental company in this manner allegedly included highly sensitive emails and pictures, including pictures of nude children and people having sex. Continue reading ›

‘Fight Of The Century’ Results in Class Action Suit for Pacquiao For Failing To Disclose Shoulder Injury

June 18, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

NPR reports Pacquiao Sued For Failing To Disclose Shoulder Injury in ‘Fight Of The Century’.

NPR Reports Caddies File Class Action Lawsuit Against PGA Tour For Unpaid Advertising Display on Bibs

June 17, 2015 | Peter S. Lubin and Patrick Austermuehle

Caddies sue for Unpaid Compensation for Advertising on Bibs reports NPR.

More than 100 caddies filed legal action against the Professional Golfers Association for $50 million in advertising revenue. Renee Montagne talks to Rex Hoggard, a senior writer at the Golf Channel.