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☆ A judge has ordered the owners of get-rich-on-Amazon startup Wealth Assistants to have their assets frozen
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Clients paid upfront fees ranging from $35,000 to more than $100,000 to have their stores run by Wealth Assistants. AdvertisementThe complaint also alleges that Carroll — who was Wealth Assistants' founder and CEO — and the Days violated securities laws because the business opportunity they sold through Wealth Assistants could be considered unregistered securities. Related stories"Plaintiffs' evidence shows that each of the Individual Defendants made intentional misrepresentations in connection with Wealth Assistants' services," the order reads. It follows another lawsuit that was brought against Wealth Assistants in California Superior Court in San Bernardino County in January. Wealth Assistants claimed that the digital bank froze its accounts without warning or explanation in October and is still withholding its funds.

Persons: —, — Ryan Carroll, Max K, Michael Day —, Max O, Carroll —, Judge Wesley Hsu, Carroll, Nico Banks Organizations: Service, Court, Central, Central District of, Wealth, Business, Washington, Banks Law Office, Bank Locations: Central District, Central District of California, DC, California, San Bernardino County, Tennessee, mstone@insider.com

☆ Tesla settles lawsuit over Autopilot crash that killed Apple engineer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Tesla Model X burns after crashing on U.S. Highway 101 in Mountain View, California, U.S. on March 23, 2018. Tesla has settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer and father of two who died after his Model X SUV, with Autopilot features switched on, crashed into a highway barrier near Mountain View, California, in 2018. The settlement comes as jury selection and a trial were just beginning on Monday in a California Superior court. The case was Sz Huang et al v. Tesla Inc. et al in a California Superior Court in Santa Clara County. In internal Tesla e-mails referenced in court filings, Tesla execs and engineers discussed how they had become complacent while driving their Tesla vehicles with Autopilot or related premium features switched on.

Persons: Tesla, Walter Huang, Huang, Huang's, Elon Musk Organizations: Tesla, Apple, National Transportation Safety, NTSB, California Superior Court Locations: U.S, Mountain View , California, View , California, California, Santa Clara County

☆ Judge denies lawyers' request to freeze the assets of Wealth Assistants and its executives amid ongoing fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe judge overseeing a case brought by more than 60 former clients of Wealth Assistants has denied their lawyers' request for a preliminary injunction against the company. Lawyers representing Wealth Assistants' former clients sought to freeze assets belonging to CEO Ryan Carroll, his mentor and business partner Max K. Day, Day's nephew Max O. AdvertisementMany Wealth Assistants clients said they were drawn by the opportunity to generate passive income through an Amazon store. Business Insider previously reported that Wealth Assistants filed a lawsuit on January 5 against Thread Bank, a digital bank based in Tennessee. Several former Wealth Assistants clients filed a motion to intervene in that suit earlier this month.

Persons: —, Ryan Carroll, Max K, Day's, Max O, John Pacheco, Nico Banks, Carroll Organizations: Service, Lawyers, Business, Amazon, Amazon . Business, Court, Banks Law, Thread Bank Locations: California, San Bernardino County, Washington, DC, Tennessee, mstone@businessinsider.com

☆ TikTok, Facebook and YouTube sued by New York City for alleged harm to kids' mental health
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The suit alleges that Meta , Snap , ByteDance and Google (whose parent company is Alphabet ) knowingly "designed, developed, produced, operated, promoted, distributed, and marketed their platforms to attract, capture, and addict youth, with minimal parental oversight." They claim that New York's school districts and various health and social services have been severely impacted by children who have suffered negative mental health consequences stemming from their use of popular social media apps. "In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we've built services and policies to give young people age-appropriate experiences, and parents robust controls." New York's lawsuit echoes similar allegations made against Meta, Snap, TikTok and Alphabet in litigation filed in 2022 in the Northern District of California. Meanwhile, a coalition of over 40 attorneys general filed a joint federal lawsuit against Meta alleging that its products are addictive and harm mental health.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, we've, Meta, it's, Snapchat, Mark Zuckerberg, Shou Zi Chew, Evan Spiegel Organizations: York City, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Meta, Northern District of, Social Locations: York, TikTok, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, California, Northern District, Northern District of California

☆ More than 60 former Wealth Assistants clients sued the get-rich-on-Amazon startup, claiming they were defrauded out of millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Lawyers representing Wealth Assistants' former clients are seeking to freeze assets belonging to Carroll, Max K. Day, Max O. When Wealth Assistants informed its clients in October that it planned to shut down, it provided a list of alternative providers clients could work with to manage their stores if they promised not to sue Wealth Assistants. According to the lawsuit, some former Wealth Assistants clients later started receiving emails from Wholesale Universe saying that Wealth Assistants had purchased an inventory package for them to use with Wholesale Universe. Advertisement"Wealth Assistants and Wholesale Universe made that transfer for the purpose of preventing Wealth Assistants' current and future creditors, including Plaintiffs, from accessing Wealth Assistants' assets," the complaint reads. Wealth Assistants claimed that the digital bank froze its accounts without warning or explanation in October and is still withholding its funds.

Persons: —, Ryan Carroll, Max K, Max O, Carroll, Yax, Daddy Jules, Max Day, Troy Marchand, Bonnie Nichols, Marchand, Nichols Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Amazon . Business, Court, Lamborghini, Trading, Oak Properties, MKD Investment, Private Management Company, Max, HouTex Farm Equity Partners, Business Financial Solutions, Evo Maxx, Management, Wholesale, Tennessee, Bank, Wealth, Bank of America Locations: California, San Bernardino County, Oak, mstone@insider.com

☆ Brokerage firm BTIG accuses rival StoneX of stealing technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. brokerage firm BTIG on Monday filed a lawsuit against rival StoneX Group Inc (SNEX.O), accusing it of stealing trade secrets, and sought at least $200 million in damages. "Defendant StoneX recruited a team of BTIG traders and software engineers to exfiltrate BTIG software code and proprietary information and take it to StoneX," lawyers for BTIG wrote in the suit filed in the California Superior Court, San Francisco County. StoneX used the software code and proprietary information to build competing products and business lines "that generate tens of millions of dollars annually," they said. StoneX did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment outside of regular business hours. BTIG's lawyers also requested the court issue an injunction to prevent StoneX from using or disclosing BTIG's trade secrets or other proprietary information.

Persons: Defendant StoneX, BTIG, StoneX, Akanksha, Blake Brittain, Stephen Coates Organizations: StoneX, California Superior Court, Thomson Locations: California, San Francisco County, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ United wanted young, blue-eyed, blonde women to staff LA Dodgers flights, lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

United Airlines planes are parked at their gates at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 20, 2021. Both said they have worked for United for more than 15 years, and are seeking unspecified damages for alleged discrimination and harassment. In a statement, United said: "United fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. The Los Angeles Times reported the lawsuit earlier on Friday. The case is Quezada et al v United Airlines Inc et al, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, No.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dawn Todd, Darby Quezada, Todd, United, Quezada, Jonathan Stempel, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Airlines, International, REUTERS, United Airlines, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles, Superior Court, Dodgers, United, Los Angeles Times, United Airlines Inc, Court, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, California, Los Angeles County, New York

☆ Trump cited the ‘Scottsboro Boys’ case when he asked for a 2026 trial. Judge Chutkan rejected any comparison
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A female judge, a Black judge, and to talk about that case and compare it to Trump’s case was absurd,” retired California Superior Court Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s “The Source” Monday night. “And Judge Chutkan really took them up on it and said this case is entirely different. No comparison between Scottsboro Boys and Trump, judge saysTrump’s attorneys didn’t discuss the Supreme Court case during Monday’s hearing, but used the case to begin their August 17 brief to Chutkan. “The prompt disposition of criminal cases is to be commended and encouraged,” the 1932 Supreme Court ruling states. In addition to Powell, the trials also resulted in the 1935 Supreme Court case Norris v. Alabama, which paved the way for racially diverse juries.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith isn’t, Tanya Chutkan, “, ’ ” Chutkan, ” Chutkan, –, ”, Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s, Chutkan, ” Cordell, Trump, didn’t, ” Trump, Jack Smith, John Lauro, Lauro, Powell, Norris, Clarence Norris, George Wallace, Paroles, Collins Organizations: Washington CNN, Boys, Powell v . Alabama, California Superior, Scottsboro Boys, Alabama, Scottsboro, Trump, . Alabama, Gov Locations: Scottsboro , Alabama, Powell v ., California, United States, Scottsboro, Memphis , Tennessee, ., Alabama

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting to vote on legislation and pending nominations before the committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has filed a lawsuit alleging financial elder abuse and breach of trust by the trustees of her late husband's estate, with the legal filing seeking their removal over the alleged wrongdoing. The lawsuit alleges that the trustees committed "financial abuse" of Feinstein by "wrongfully withholding distributions to which (her late husband's) trust entitles her in bad faith and diverting assets that they should have used to fund" the senator's trust. The attorney added: "The trustees have always respected Senator Feinstein and always will. First elected to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein has said she will not seek re-election in 2024.

Persons: Dianne Feinstein, Kevin Lamarque, Katherine Feinstein, Feinstein, Richard Blum, Steven Braccini, Michael Klein, Marc Scholvinck, Kanishka Singh, Sandra Maler Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic, California Superior Court, Democrats, Senate, San Francisco Chronicle, Committee, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, California, County, San Francisco, Washington

The complaint by Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, was filed on Wednesday in the California Superior Court in San Francisco. Musk accused Wachtell of exploiting Twitter by accepting, in the final days before the Oct. 27, 2022, buyout closed, huge "success" fees doled out by departing Twitter executives who were grateful that Musk would be forced to close. "Wachtell arranged to effectively line its pockets with funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over" to Musk, the complaint said. Musk wants to recoup "excess" fees that Wachtell charged under an agreement signed on the day of closing by one of its partners and Twitter's chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde. The case is X Corp v Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, California Superior Court, County of San Francisco, No.

Persons: Elon Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Musk, Vijaya Gadde, Martha Lane Fox, Sean Edgett, Mark Zuckerberg's, Carl Icahn, Icahn, Jonathan Stempel, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Rosen, Twitter, Musk's X Corp, California Superior Court, Tesla Inc, SpaceX, Fox, CVR Energy, X Corp, Thomson Locations: California, San Francisco, Delaware, Katz , California, Court, County, New York

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter sues top law firm Wachtell over $90 million fee for work under prior ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Attorneys for Elon Musk filed suit this week against the law firm that represented Twitter when Musk was trying to take the company private last year, claiming the firm charged too much for its work. The lawsuit says Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz, which was Twitter's firm prior to Musk's acquisition, racked up a $90 million "last minute" legal bill. Wachtell represented Twitter after Musk reneged on his initial offer to take Twitter private for $44 billion. The law firm helped close the deal in November 2022, and was paid that $90 million fee for its work securing the transaction, which was tendered at a significant premium to Twitter's public market valuation. Twitter sued Musk for not honoring his commitment to the company's shareholders, and Musk eventually relented, purchasing Twitter at the agreed upon price.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, Katz, Reid Collins, Tsai, It's, Ben Roth, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Tesla Inc, Elon, Twitter, X Corp, San Francisco, Google, Rosen Locations: San Francisco , California, Austin , Texas, Delaware, California, San Francisco

☆ American Express is being investigated over sales practices. Salespeople say they have been made scapegoats.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

In late May last year, some 250 salespeople at American Express learned they weren't going to get paid. In addition to earning commissions, the Premium Wire volumes helped them reach higher compensation tiers, known as kickers. For the first time, the Premium Wire product made economic sense. The presentation discussed shifting the sales focus toward Premium Wire and another product to "accelerate revenue growth and meet client's needs." Isserlis said Williams was fired because of misconduct unrelated to Premium Wire.

Persons: Amex, salespeople, Salespeople, Adam Isserlis, Isserlis, Stephen Squeri, John Moore, Amex salespeople, Pablo Ribas, Ribas, Anna Marrs, Marrs, Charles Schwab, Schwab, Mike Peterson, Charlene Luke, they'd, Nick Williams, Williams, Nick, Mr, —, Thomas Zoerner, Zoerner, Amex's, she's, weren't, Carter Johnson Organizations: American Express, Commercial Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department, Internal Revenue Service, Street, IRS, Getty, Credit, Employees, Business, SME, Global Commercial Services, Marriott, Express, University of Florida's Levin College of Law, Amex, California Labor, Court, whistleblowing Locations: Brooklyn, California, Manhattan, Canadian, —, Orange County , California, New York, Webex

☆ Byron Allen sues McDonald's for allegedly lying about commitment to Black media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios and Allen Media Group, speaks at the 2021 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., October 19, 2021. REUTERS/David SwansonMay 8 (Reuters) - The media entrepreneur Byron Allen has filed a second lawsuit against McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) over the fast-food chain's alleged refusal to advertise with Black-owned media. Allen said he would know if McDonald's were honoring that pledge because his Allen Media Group represents more than 90% of Black-owned media. The case are: Weather Group LLC et al v. McDonald's USA LLC, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, No. 23STCV10045; and Entertainment Studios Networks Inc et al v McDonald's Corp, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowMarch 14 (Reuters) - A California civil rights agency suing Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) over alleged widespread race discrimination at its flagship assembly plant must detail the investigation it conducted prior to filing the lawsuit, a judge has ruled. The tentative ruling on Monday by California Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo in Oakland could give Tesla an opportunity to narrow the lawsuit filed last year by the state Civil Rights Department. If the agency did not probe certain claims against Tesla before suing, the electric carmaker could seek to have them removed from the case. The Civil Rights Department and a Tesla representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Several other lawsuits are pending in California courts that accuse Tesla of tolerating discrimination and sexual harassment at its factories.

☆ Elon Musk-led Twitter has been sued by at least six companies for failing to pay bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's Twitter was sued again in California this week for alleged failure to pay a vendor. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO led a $44 billion buyout of Twitter, which closed around October 27, 2022. According to a Platformer report on Thursday, Twitter suddenly cut off employees' access to Slack this week after failing to pay a bill. In the newest complaint, filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, Writer says that Twitter failed to pay a bill for the relatively humble amount of $113,856. This week, he wrote on Twitter, "Say what you want about me, but I acquired the world's largest non-profit for $44B lol."

☆ Exclusive: Carta settles lawsuit with former female executive who claimed gender discrimination and illegal retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Carta, facing allegations of discrimination and retaliation, had been scheduled to go to court in February. A lawsuit brought by former Vice President of Growth Emily Kramer alleging gender discrimination and illegal retaliation was settled on February 6 in California Superior Court, according to a court filing. While the Kramer case has now been settled, Carta is still involved in other legal disputes and facing complaints of gender discrimination. Carta's "No assholes policy"According to the lawsuit, Kramer was recruited by Carta CEO and co-founder Henry Ward in 2018 to serve as Carta's head of marketing. As part of her job, Kramer led the company's high-profile campaign to raise awareness about the gender equity gap in Silicon Valley.

The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, targets Eli Lilly and Co , Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVOb.CO) and Sanofi SA (SASY.PA), which together make more than 90% of the insulin drugs sold globally. Insulin drugs are used to control blood sugar in patients with diabetes. Eli Lilly and Sanofi both previously announced that they would cap the cost of a 30-day supply of insulin at $35 for uninsured patients. California said that the companies' dominance in the market has allowed them to hike insulin prices at patients' expense, violating the state's Unfair Competition Law. Prices of top-selling insulin drugs have soared in recent years.

A judge in Oakland, California, in a tentative ruling late Tuesday dismissed Tesla's counter-suit claiming the agency did not notify the company of the bias allegations or give it a chance to settle before suing it last February. A Tesla representative and the agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The agency argues that Tesla's Fremont, California, plant is a racially segregated workplace where Black employees have been harassed and discriminated against over job assignments, discipline and pay. Several lawsuits are pending in California courts that accuse Tesla of tolerating discrimination and sexual harassment at its factories. A state judge in April cut a jury award to a Black worker who alleged racial harassment from $137 million to $15 million.

☆ Twitter sued by landlord for allegedly failing to pay rent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A commercial landlord is suing Twitter for breach of contract after the company allegedly failed to pay rent for one of its offices in San Francisco. The lawsuit concerns Twitter’s office space at 650 California Street, not its main headquarters on Market Street. The complaint by Columbia REIT – 650 California, LLC asks the court to force Twitter to pay the unpaid rent plus interest, as well as the landlord’s attorneys fees. Musk’s deep pockets make Twitter a lucrative renter, at least when it pays, or when it is forced to pay. “The litigation is a normal and expected action to occur when a tenant has a lease and does not pay rent required by a valid contract with the landlord,” Tobias said.

☆ Twitter Sued Over Rent Payment in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The suit against Twitter alleges breach of contract and was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco. Twitter Inc. was accused of not paying its rent in a lawsuit filed by the landlord for one of its offices in San Francisco. The landlord, Columbia Reit-650 California LLC, alleges that the social-media company has failed to pay $136,260 of rent due on the office space at 650 California St., according to the lawsuit filed Thursday.

☆ Restaurant Group Sues to Block California Fast-Food Wage Law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jacob Bunge | Ben Fritz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Efforts to block the law have drawn support from restaurant companies including McDonald’s. A restaurant industry group sued a group of California state officials Thursday, alleging that they plan to illegally begin implementing a new law that would set minimum hourly wages for fast-food workers. The group, including franchisee and restaurant business associations called Save Local Restaurants, said it filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court after the state’s Department of Industrial Relations informed them that the law would go into effect Jan. 1.

Los Angeles CNN —The woman who was inside the Los Angeles home actress Anne Heche crashed into in early August is suing the actress’ estate for at least $2 million, court documents show. Amanda Edwards/Getty ImagesCNN has reached out to Homer Heche Laffoon, the executor of Heche’s estate, for comment. The lawsuit alleges negligence that led to the crash, infliction of mental distress and trespassing. The complaint was filed last week in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. Heche was an award-winning actress who made her TV debut in 1987 on the soap opera “Another World,” a role for which she won a Daytime Emmy.

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