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☆ Some student-loan borrowers are getting kicked out of classes and racking up debt after being placed in shady payment plans with minimal legal protection, a federal consumer watchdog says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It found the plans can have predatory terms that include big late fees and aggressive debt collection practices. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe report analyzed 450 institutions' payment plans — 60% of which outsourced management of the payment plans to third-party financial service providers, and it found that the interest-fee plans aren't as affordable as they sound. Additionally, the inconsistency among payment plans can leave students facing disparate consequences for missing a payment. CFPB example of late fees on tuition payment plans. The CFPB said it will continue to monitor schools' payment plans to ensure they are in accordance with consumer law.

Persons: Rohit Chopra, Joe Biden's Organizations: Service, Consumer Financial, Education Department Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Beware Companies Selling Credit ‘Repair’ Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But beware the companies that sell credit “repair” services over the phone and charge fees upfront. Credit repair companies typically bombard credit bureaus with dispute letters in the hope of getting negative marks deleted, said Andrew Pizor, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. Occasionally, the repair companies’ efforts may work, Mr. Pizor said, but any benefit is often temporary. If the negative information is accurate, there’s generally no way to have it erased, Mr. Pizor said. Paying for credit repair, he said, is “really a waste of money for the vast majority of people.”

Persons: Andrew Pizor, don’t, Pizor, you’ve, ” Organizations: Consumer Financial, PGX Holdings, Progrexion, Lexington Law, National Consumer Law Center

☆ Conservatives hope Supreme Court defangs US consumer watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But the watchdog's future may be in peril thanks to a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Pro-business conservatives and their Republican allies believe the court fight has brought them closer than ever to dismantling the CFPB. Congress, then controlled by Democrats, authorized the agency to supervise certain financial institutions' compliance with federal consumer laws, backed by the threat of lawsuits and fines. Circuit Court of Appeals last October ruled that the agency's funding structure violated the Constitution. Biden's administration told the Supreme Court that the CFPB's funding structure approved by Congress - with a fixed amount going to the agency annually - was effectively "a standing, capped lump-sum appropriation."

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Kevin Wurm, Wells, Joe Biden's, Ellen Harnick, Barack Obama, Mick Mulvaney, Donald Trump, Mulvaney, John Kruzel, Douglas Gillison, Will Dunham, Scott Malone Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Fifth Third Bank, U.S . Federal, Congress, Center for Responsible, Republican, Democrats, Republicans, Republican U.S, Community Financial Services Association of America, Consumer Service Alliance of Texas, Circuit, Trump, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, New Orleans

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Airways lost its challenge to a court ruling on Wednesday that the Australian flag carrier had illegally fired 1,700 baggage handlers, cleaners and other ground staff at the height of pandemic travel disruptions. Seven High Court judges unanimously rejected Qantas’ appeal against a Federal Court full-bench decision. That court upheld a Federal Court judge’s ruling that the sacking of Qantas staff at 10 Australian airports in 2020 was illegal. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission initiated the Federal Court lawsuit two weeks ago for what it considers Australia’s most serious-ever breach of consumer law. As travel has ramped up, outsourcing of Qantas jobs has been blamed for a slew of problems including high rates of lost and mishandled luggage.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Michael Kaine, Kaine, Vanessa Hudson, ” Kaine Organizations: — Qantas Airways, Australian, Qantas, Federal, Competition, Consumer Commission, Court, Transport Workers ’ Union, Federal Court Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, Sydney

☆ Australia says Qatar strip-searches of women in 2020 a factor in blocking extra flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked outside Qatar Airways maintenance hangar in Doha, Qatar, June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Imad Creidi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Australia said a strip-search of women at Qatar's main airport in 2020 played a part in its decision this year to stop Qatar Airways from selling more flights to Australia, denying it was acting due to pressure from rival Qantas Airways. The claim brings a new element to a controversy surrounding the Australian Labor government's relationship with Qantas (QAN.AX) which had lobbied against a Qatar Airways request to increase its flights. It was "nonsense" to suggest that adding more Qatar Airways flights would have put downward pressure on international fares, King added. Antitrust regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said more Qatar Airways flights would have lowered fares.

Persons: Imad Creidi, Catherine King, King, Alan Joyce, Vanessa Hudson, Byron Kaye, Kirsty Needham, Michael Perry Organizations: Qatar Airways, airbus, REUTERS, Rights, Qantas Airways, Australian Labor, Qantas, Australian, Hamad International Airport, Antitrust, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ACCC, Thomson Locations: Doha, Qatar, Australia, Qatar's, Canberra

☆ Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to depart early as airline looks to rebuild reputation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Australia's Qantas Airways said its long-serving CEO would bring forward his retirement amid a publicity firestorm over an accusation of illegal ticket sales, signalling what the flagship carrier hopes is the end of a tumultuous period. Five days earlier, Australia's consumer watchdog sued Qantas alleging it sold tickets to some 8,000 flights in mid-2022 after they were cancelled, violating the country's consumer law. Qantas had issued two apologies, blaming tough industry conditions at the time. Over a decade and a half Joyce faced regular criticism for cutting jobs, including a 2011 decision to ground the entire Qantas fleet over an industrial dispute. Even before the fares-for-no-flights scandal, Qantas was facing negative headlines over reports it campaigned successfully to have Australia's federal government stop rival Qatar Airways from running additional flights to Australia.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Joyce Organizations: Qantas Airways, Qantas, Qatar Airways Locations: Australia

☆ Qantas apologises after Aussie regulator alleges ticket sale for cancelled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: A ground worker walking near a Qantas plane is seen from the international terminal at Sydney Airport in Australia, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/file photo/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Qantas (QAN.AX) apologised for its service standards falling short and acknowledged it was suffering reputational damage, after the country's competition regulator sued it for allegedly selling tickets for thousands of cancelled flights. The regulator alleged that Qantas kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control. Qantas clarified that its practice is that when a flight is cancelled, customers are offered an alternative flight close to the original departure time, or a refund. "The ACCC's allegations come at a time when Qantas' reputation has already been hit hard on several fronts.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Himanshi, Rashmi Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australia, Thomson Locations: Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australian regulator seeks 'hundreds of millions' in fines for Qantas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The maximum penalty Qantas faces is 10% of annual turnover, which was A$19.8 billion in the year to June, according to Australian consumer laws. Cass-Gottlieb said the ACCC would seek a fine for Qantas that was "significantly more than" the record A$125 million ($81 million) automaker Volkswagen was fined in 2019 for breaching Australian consumer laws. "We consider these penalties have been too low, we think the penalty should be in hundreds of millions, not tens of millions", she added. The regulator has said that Qantas kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control. ($1 = 1.5420 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Cass, Renju Jose, Miral Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australia, ABC Radio, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney, Francisco

☆ Australia regulator sues Qantas alleging sale of tickets on cancelled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Qantas Airways Ltd FollowSYDNEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator sued Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) on Thursday, accusing it of selling tickets to thousands of flights after they were cancelled, putting the airline at risk of huge fines and reputational turbulence. The airline kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control, such as "network optimisation", the ACCC added. Qantas kept selling tickets to one Sydney-to-San Francisco flight 40 days after it had been cancelled, the regulator said. At the Senate hearing, Joyce confirmed Qantas had written to the federal government in 2022 asking it to deny a request from Qatar Airways, a Qantas competitor on international routes, to increase flights to Australia.

Persons: Phil Noble, Rico Merkert, Alan Joyce, Joyce, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Byron Kaye, Poonam, Shailesh Kuber, Rashmi Aich, Gerry Doyle, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, SYDNEY, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ACCC, Sydney University's Institute of Transport, Logistics Studies, Australia, Senate, Qatar Airways, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Sydney, Francisco, Bengaluru

Legal experts say that if California wins, it could embolden other states to take action against lenders that make high-interest loans to low-income borrowers using what critics call "rent a bank" partnerships. Several nonbank lenders have already exited California, said Saunders, whose group tracks high-interest lenders. In California, OppFi took the unusual step of preemptively suing to try to block the state from taking action. Federal law allows state-chartered banks to lend across state lines at the interest rate legal in their home state. California has urged Dillon to recognize that OppFi decides who to lend to and has a deal with the bank to purchase the loans.

Persons: Lee Jae, Timothy Dillon, Lauren Saunders, California's, OppFi, Saunders, Dillon, Allard Chu, That's, Ron Vaske, Ballard Spahr, Jody Godoy, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, California Department of Financial Protection, Los Angeles Superior, California, Federal Reserve, National Consumer Law Center, EasyPay Finance, FinWise Bank, FinWise, Thomson Locations: Seoul, California, Chicago, Utah, U.S, In California, Colorado, New York

☆ ‘I’ve had this black cloud looming over me’: How private lenders have left millions of college students with no hope for the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

We both do DoorDash, and probably when those federal student loans start up, it'll be more of a necessity to do that." While private debt makes up just about 10% of the $1.7 trillion student-debt mountain in the US — about $136 billion — the industry has exploded over the past decade: the amount of outstanding private debt has jumped an estimated 47% since 2014. "Regardless, the student loan debt that was supposed to be an investment in their futures is dragging them down." To be sure, some private servicers do disclose benefits private borrowers could lose should they choose to refinance. Moran said he didn't regret taking out private student loans because it allowed him to pursue his desired nursing career.

Persons: Brianne Jones, Jones, she's, We're, it'll, Michele Shepard, they've, it's, Shepard, Suzanne Martindale, —, Anna Anderson, you've, It's, Navient, Martindale, Ryan Moran, Moran, Moran isn't, Joe Biden, I've, Anderson, forbearance, Steve Cohen, didn't Organizations: Eastern Michigan University, West, Federal Direct Loan Program, Institute for College, California's Department of Financial Protection, National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, — Maryland Locations: Florida, —, California

☆ Australian court fines Dell unit $6.5 mln for misleading customers on discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Navya Mittal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Dell logo is seen on an item for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyAug 14 (Reuters) - Australia's Federal Court on Monday ordered Dell Technologies Inc's (DELL.N) local unit to pay A$10 million ($6.46 million) in penalties for making misleading representations on its website about discounts for add-on computer monitors. In a legal action brought by the country's competition regulator, Dell Australia was found guilty by the Federal Court in June to have misled customers about the prices or discounts on add-on monitors on its website. "This outcome sends a strong message to businesses that making false representations about prices or inflating discounts is a serious breach of consumer law and will attract substantial penalties," said Liza Carver, commissioner of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. ($1 = 1.5480 Australian dollars)Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Liza Carver, Navya Mittal, Rashmi Aich, Subhranshu Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Dell Technologies, Dell, Federal Court, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Dell Australia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Dell Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australian court fines Dell unit $6.5 million for misleading customers on discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Dell Technologies flag outside the company headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, US, on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. Australia's Federal Court on Monday ordered Dell Technologies local unit to pay $10 million Australian dollars ($6.46 million) in penalties for making misleading representations on its website about discounts for add-on computer monitors. In a legal action brought by the country's competition regulator, Dell Australia was found guilty by the Federal Court in June to have misled customers about the prices or discounts on add-on monitors on its website. "This outcome sends a strong message to businesses that making false representations about prices or inflating discounts is a serious breach of consumer law and will attract substantial penalties," said Liza Carver, commissioner of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Dell Australia, which sold more than 5,300 add-on monitors with overstated discounts between Aug. 2019 and Dec. 16, 2021, will be working "with impacted customers to provide appropriate refunds plus interest and are taking steps to improve our pricing processes to ensure this sort of error does not happen again," a spokesperson for Dell Australia said in a statement to Reuters.

Persons: Liza Carver Organizations: Dell Technologies, Monday, Dell, Federal Court, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Dell Australia Locations: Round Rock , Texas, Australia's, Dell Australia

☆ This sophisticated investing strategy could be making a comeback after a blow to the FTC
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Valida Pau | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Merger arbitrage investors have been struggling this year. Play the gap Merger arbitrage can be a tricky strategy for regular investors to incorporate. Investors can buy into the following funds for exposure to merger arbitrage: The Arbitrage Fund (ARBNX) The Merger Fund (MERIX) The NexPoint Merger Arbitrage fund (HMEAX) The First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB) The IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) To be sure, many of these funds charge a hefty fee. Kroger and Albertsons , the two largest biggest grocers by revenue, just notched a regulatory win after a judge dismissed a consumer lawsuit challenging the $25 billion merger. Tower Semiconductor is trading for around $34 a share such that the arbitrage spread stands at more than 50%.

Persons: Activision Blizzard, Andrew Beer, Dealmaking, John Orrico, Salvatore Bruno, VMware's, Black Knight, it's Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Activision, FTC, Microsoft, Hedge Fund Research, Beta Investments, Global, Horizon Therapeutics, Activision Blizzard, Broadcom, VMware, Intercontinental Exchange, Black, CNBC, Kroger, Albertsons, Intel, Semiconductor Locations: Island, Water Island, British, Israel

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: SolarEdge Technologies, Humana, Starbucks, Robinhood and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

SolarEdge Technologies — The solar stock tumbled about 19% after the company reported $991 million in revenue, missing analysts' estimates of $992 million, according to Refinitiv. CVS Health — The retail pharmacy stock gained 4% during midday trading Wednesday after the company posted strong earnings and revenue for the second quarter. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.29, topping the $1.10 expected from analysts polled by StreetAccount. Starbucks' adjusted earnings per share for the fiscal third quarter was $1, versus the 95 cents expected by analysts, per Refinitiv. Chinese tech stocks — Shares of Chinese technology stocks dropped after regulators in China proposed limits on smartphone use for minors.

Persons: SolarEdge, Norwegian's, Emerson Electric's, Pinterest, Generac, Freshworks, Genuity, Robinhood, CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Pia Singh, Alex Harring Organizations: SolarEdge Technologies, CVS Health, CVS, Wall Street, Cruise, Susquehanna, Emerson, StreetAccount, Revenue, Wall, FactSet's, Starbucks, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Scotts Miracle, Gro, Scotts, JD.com, Baidu, Tencent Locations: Refinitiv, China

☆ Australia fines Facebook owner Meta $14 mln for undisclosed data collection
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 26 (Reuters) - An Australian court ordered Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O) to pay fines totalling A$20 million ($14 million) for collecting user data through a smartphone application advertised as a way to protect privacy without disclosing its actions. Australia's Federal Court also ordered Meta, through its subsidiaries Facebook Israel and the now-discontinued app, Onavo, to pay A$400,000 in legal costs to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which brought the civil lawsuit. Meta still faces a civil court action by Australia's Office of the Information Commissioner over its dealings with Cambridge Analytica in Australia. However, Facebook used Onavo to collect users' location, time and frequency using other smartphone apps, and websites they visited for its own advertising purposes, the judge Wendy Abraham said in a written judgment. ($1 = 1.4736 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Meta, Wendy Abraham, Abraham, Byron Kaye, Tom Hogue Organizations: SYDNEY, Meta, Facebook Israel, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Cambridge, Australia's Office, Cambridge Analytica, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Australia, Lincoln

☆ Dutch urge stricter digital coins, videogame loot boxes EU rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 19 (Reuters) - The European Commission should better protect children with stricter consumer rules for digital coins and videogame loot boxes, the Dutch government said, according to a discussion paper seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The EU executive late last year sought feedback on whether to overhaul the existing EU consumer law for the digital world. The Dutch said an area of concern was increasing digital coins usage for paying in an app or in videogames, with children as the most vulnerable to this practice. "This is exacerbated by the fact that software developers can change the value of digital coins and can offer different digital items in one app." "Loot boxes have a high potential to distort the economic behaviour of consumers.

Persons: they're, Foo Yun Chee, Josie Kao Organizations: European Commission, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ Is Biden's $39 billion student loan forgiveness action legal? 'Be assured it's going to stay,' says expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesHow are the two loan forgiveness actions different? There are four of these plans, which aim to make loan payments more affordable for lower earners. That law gave the president power to revise student loan programs during national emergencies. The Trump administration had leveraged the Heroes Act to implement a student loan payment pause at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Congress has already authorized loan forgiveness relative to income-driven repayment plans, dating to when it created them in the 1990s.

Persons: Joe Biden, Education Miguel Cardona, Demetrius Freeman, —, Biden, hasn't, Virginia Foxx, Abby Shafroth, who've, Trump, Shafroth, Kantrowitz Organizations: U.S, Education, Washington, Getty, White, U.S . Department of Education, Department of Education, National Consumer Law Center, National Consumer Law, of Education

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Shutterstock, Newell Brands, Zillow and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shutterstock — Shares of the stock image, video and music provider jumped 10% after Shutterstock announced a six-year, expanded partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Newell Brands — Shares of the consumer goods company jumped more than 10% after Canaccord initiated its coverage with a buy rating. Salesforce — Shares gained more than 2% after the software company announced it would hike prices across its cloud-based offerings starting in August. Scotts Miracle-Gro — Scotts Miracle-Gro shares gained 7% after Truist upgraded the stock to buy from hold. U.S. Bancorp — Shares gained more than 3% after Bank of America upgraded them to buy from neutral, saying earnings and strong execution should foster outperformance.

Persons: Shutterstock, ChatGPT, Canaccord, Zillow, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Xpeng, JPMorgan Chase, Jefferies, Wegovy, Gro —, Generac, —, Alex Harring, Michelle Fox, Sarah Min, Yun Li Organizations: OpenAI, Newell, Bank of America, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Prime, JetBlue Airways —, American Airlines, JPMorgan, Novo Nordisk — Novo Nordisk, Reuters, Scotts Miracle, Gro, Miracle, Truist, Argus Research, Bancorp — Locations: underperform, Xpeng —, Xpeng, U.S

☆ ‘We’re paying twice for the same experience’: Plus-size travelers hit out at ‘discriminatory’ airline seat policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Policies around plus-size travelers tend to vary from airline to airline. However, the rule only applies to domestic flights, which means that plus-size travelers still need to buy an extra seat when going on an international flight. Constant challenges“The stereotypes that surround plus-size travelers, and the hostility towards us when we’re traveling by plane is honestly horrendous,” she adds. “This [shrinking seats] has had such a negative impact on plus-size travelers,” says Leanne. “The agency is reviewing the thousands of comments it received on whether current seat size and spacing affect passenger evacuation,” the FAA said in a statement.

Persons: Chaney, Jae'lynn Chaney, Jae’lynn Chaney, ” Chaney, Charles Leocha, ”, Juan Silva, couldn’t, hadn’t, we’re, Robert Alexander, Gabor Lukacs, ” Lukacs, “, she’s, isn’t, Kirsty Leanne, Leanne, Lukacs, “ I’m, Jake Organizations: CNN, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, CNN Travel, “, Travelers United, Australian Consumer Law, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Canadian Transportation Agency, ”, ” United Airlines, American Airlines, Fort Worth International, Getty, World Obesity Federation, FAA, Flyers, Samoa Air, Polynesian Airlines, Air New Zealand Locations: Kona , Hawaii, Canada, ” United, Dallas, Samoa, New Zealand

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour rejected bids from Apple and Amazon to dismiss the prospective class action on various legal grounds. Lawyers for Apple and Amazon and representatives for the companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. In 2018, according to the lawsuit, there were some 600 third-party Apple resellers on Amazon. Apple agreed to give Amazon a discount on its products if Amazon reduced the number of Apple resellers from its marketplace, the lawsuit alleged. The judge in Seattle said "countervailing" motivations for the agreement between Apple and Amazon would be addressed later in the litigation.

Persons: iPads, John Coughenour, Coughenour, Steve Berman, Apple, Steven Floyd, Read, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: District, Apple, Amazon, Ninth Circuit, Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Western District of Washington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Seattle, Western District

Critics have said such awards encourage frivolous lawsuits and excessive fees going to class action attorneys who may seek to benefit their own interests instead. The Supreme Court in 2019 sidestepped resolving a challenge to cy pres awards in a case involving Google. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, dissenting in that case, called cy pres settlements "unfair and unreasonable." Monsanto has called the group, which advocates against what it considers abusive class action procedures, a "serial objector to class-action settlements." The group said in court papers that further steps could have taken to distribute the settlement award to class members.

☆ Australia's Medibank served with third class-action suit over cyber breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Australia's Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) said on Friday it was served with another class-action suit related to the cyber hack incident last year in which personal data of current and former customers was leaked on the dark web. The third class-action suit related to the incident was filed in the country's federal court by law firm Slater & Gordon on behalf of affected current and former Medibank customers, and healthcare service providers. In recent months, similar class action suits against the company have been filed by law firms Baker & McKenzie and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Medibank, which is also under investigation from the country's privacy regulator on how it handles personal information, said it would defend the proceedings. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: JPMorgan Chase, General Motors, Exxon Mobil & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 24: A person walks past a First Republic bank branch in Manhattan on April 24, 2023 in New York City. First Republic , JPMorgan Chase — First Republic shares and were halted after JPMorgan Chase acquired the ailing bank and most of its assets after regulators seized control. General Motors — The automaker gained 2% after Morgan Stanley upgraded General Motors to overweight from equal weight and called the stock oversold. — Regional bank stocks were volatile on Monday as investors reacted to the seizure and sale of First Republic Bank over the weekend. However, management said on the company earnings call Monday that demand for loans originating from the fourth quarter would see a lower monetization level due to higher interest.

Companies Qualcomm Inc FollowMarch 21 (Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled that shareholders suing chip maker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) for allegedly hiding anticompetitive sales and licensing practices may bring their claims as a class action. U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta on Monday rejected Qualcomm's argument that the sales practices were already publicly known. The class covers investors who bought Qualcomm common stock between Feb. 1, 2012 and Jan. 20, 2017 and incurred losses. Qualcomm paid the Korea Fair Trade Commission 1.03 trillion won ($912.34 million) in 2017 for what the regulator called unfair business practices in licensing and chip sales. The case is Shah v. Qualcomm Incorporated et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, No.

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