DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

WASHINGTON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N), one of the nation's largest drug distributors, of helping ignite the nation's deadly opioid epidemic by failing to report hundreds of thousands of suspicious orders of prescription painkillers. The government said AmerisourceBergen had since 2014 systematically refused or negligently failed to flag suspicious orders by pharmacy customers when it had reason to know that opioids were being diverted to illegal channels. "For years, AmerisourceBergen prioritized profits over its legal obligations and over Americans' well-being," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta told reporters. In a statement, AmerisourceBergen called the lawsuit an improper attempt to "shift blame" and the burdens of law enforcement from the Justice Department and DEA to the companies they regulate. The Justice Department said AmerisourceBergen for years understaffed and unfunded programs designed to ensure compliance with the Controlled Substances Act.

BOSTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence the mastermind of the largest U.S. college admissions fraud scheme ever uncovered to six years in prison after he helped them secure the convictions of dozens of wealthy parents including Hollywood celebrities. Prosecutors made the recommendation a week before William "Rick" Singer, the college admissions consultant at the center of the "Operation Varsity Blues" investigation, goes before a judge for sentencing after pleading guilty in 2019. Prosecutors said Singer, operating through his California-based college admissions counseling service The Key and a related charity, took in more than $25 million from his clients. They said he paid out more than $7 million to bribe coaches and administrators at schools including Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, Yale University and Stanford University. Singer, who now lives in a Florida trailer park, in his own filing wrote that he lost everything by "ignoring what was morally, ethically, and legally right in favor of winning what I perceived was the college admissions 'game.'"

Dec 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Thursday filed a civil lawsuit accusing the drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N) of contributing to the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic by repeatedly failing to report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers. "The United States brings this suit to hold defendants accountable for their egregious failure to report suspicious orders and their role in contributing to the opioid epidemic," the Justice Department said in its complaint. The company has long denied contributing to the opioid epidemic. Thursday's lawsuit is latest in a series of criminal and civil actions the Justice Department has pursued against companies accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place for now a pandemic-era policy allowing U.S. officials to rapidly expel migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border. The court said it would hear arguments on whether the states could intervene to defend Title 42 in its February session. Enrique Lucero, director of migration affairs in Tijuana, said it was "absurd" that Title 42 remained in place, noting the city had a large backlog of U.S. asylum seekers. It also failed to weigh the harm asylum seekers would face from Title 42, he said. When a federal appeals court on Dec. 16 declined to allow them to intervene and put Sullivan's order on hold, they took the matter to the Supreme Court.

The Title 42 order was first implemented in March 2020 under Republican former President Donald Trump at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to half of those arrested were rapidly expelled under the Title 42 policy. In that case, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C., sided with the migrants on Nov. 15 and ruled Title 42 was unlawful. He said the government also failed to weigh the harm asylum seekers would face from the Title 42 order. When a federal appeals court on Dec. 16 declined to allow them to intervene and put Sullivan's order on hold, they took the matter to the Supreme Court.

Companies Meta Platforms Inc FollowDec 23 (Reuters) - Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) has agreed to pay $725 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing the social media giant of allowing third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, to access users' personal information. "Over the last three years we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program," Meta said. The users' lawyers alleged that Facebook misled them into thinking they could keep control over personal data, when in fact it let thousands of preferred outsiders gain access. Facebook argued its users have no legitimate privacy interest in information they shared with friends on social media. But U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria called that view "so wrong" and in 2019 largely allowed the case to move forward.

Companies Meta Platforms Inc FollowDec 23 (Reuters) - Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) has agreed to pay $725 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing the social media giant of allowing third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, to access users' personal information. "Over the last three years we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program," Meta said. The ensuing Cambridge Analytica scandal fueled government investigations into its privacy practices, lawsuits and a high-profile U.S. congressional hearing where Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by lawmakers. The users' lawyers alleged that Facebook misled them into thinking they could keep control over personal data, when in fact it let thousands of preferred outsiders gain access. Facebook argued its users have no legitimate privacy interest in information they shared with friends on social media.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had campaigned on overturning Trump's hardline immigration measures before taking office in 2021 but kept Title 42 in place for more than a year. A federal judge last month ruled Title 42 was unlawful in response to a lawsuit originally brought by asylum-seeking migrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. Hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts in a brief order issued a stay that will leave Title 42 in place until further notice from the court. DHS last week updated a six-pillar plan that calls for the expanded use of a fast-track deportation process if Title 42 is terminated. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to provide for arriving migrants even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

REUTERS/Jordan VonderhaarWASHINGTON/CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said COVID-era restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border that have prevented hundreds of thousands of migrants from seeking asylum should be kept in place for now, siding with Republicans who brought a legal challenge. U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had campaigned on overturning Trump's hardline immigration measures before taking office in 2021 but kept Title 42 in place for more than a year. A federal judge last month ruled Title 42 was unlawful in response to a lawsuit originally by asylum-seeking migrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts in a brief order issued a stay that will leave Title 42 in place until further notice from the court. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to house newcomers even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

BOSTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Massachusetts state prison system will reform how it cares for inmates with serious mental health issues and supervise prisoners at risk of harming themselves to resolve a years-long civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department on Tuesday said the Massachusetts Department of Correction entered into a settlement agreement after investigators concluded conditions at its prisons resulted in inmates on mental health watch dying or injuring themselves. The deal calls for improved policies and training that will result in heightened supervision for inmates, increased out-of-cell contact with mental health staff, and the creation of a new treatment-focused housing unit. "Statistics show that far too many of the incarcerated population suffers from significant mental health and substance use disorders, among other severe things," she said. The Justice Department found that the prison system's mental health or suicide watch involved placing prisoners in "restrictive, isolating, and unnecessarily harsh conditions" for prolonged periods, placing them at risk of harming themselves.

The temporary order from the nation's highest court means Title 42 will stay in place until further notice from the court. Title 42, aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, was issued in March 2020 under Republican former President Donald Trump, an immigration restrictionist. Jean-Pierre stressed that migrants entering illegally could still be removed via other means even if eventually Title 42 goes away. "Truly, I am asking from my heart for the opportunity to enter" the United States. In El Paso, shelters have struggled to house newcomers even as many ultimately are headed to join relatives in other parts of the United States.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court's Roberts temporarily blocks end to pandemic-era border restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts on Monday at the request of Republican officials in 19 states temporarily blocked the Biden administration from later this week ending a pandemic-era policy of rapidly expelling migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Republican officials led by the attorneys general in Arizona and Louisiana on Monday asked the Supreme Court to act after a federal appeals court on Friday declined to put on hold a judge's ruling last month that invalidated an emergency order known as Title 42. The policy is set to expire Wednesday. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Caitlin WebberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Pfizer Inc FollowDec 16 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday tossed a lawsuit by a group of medical professionals alleging a fellowship program established by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) to improve diversity within its higher ranks discriminates against white and Asian-American applicants. Do No Harm, a group opposed to what it calls "radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideologies" in healthcare, alleged the drugmaker's Breakthrough Fellowship Program was discriminatory because only Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans could apply. Pfizer in a statement welcomed the ruling, saying it was "proud of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion." Pfizer launched the fellowship in 2021. Fellows receive two years of full-time jobs, fully funded master's degrees, and employment at New York-based Pfizer after completing the program.

Four former Coinbase users had sued Coinbase, claiming the company duped them into paying $100 or more to enter a sweepstakes in June 2021 for a chance to win prizes of up to $1.2 million in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. Friday's ruling came a week after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a procedural issue from that and another case that Coinbase unsuccessfully sought to force into arbitration. Business groups say arbitration is more efficient than suing in court. Plaintiffs' lawyers say arbitration favors companies and that consumers are better off in court. A judge put the proceeding in the sweepstakes case on hold pending appeal, but only after Coinbase asked the Supreme Court to hear the dispute.

The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, named for the son of a federal judge who was fatally shot in 2020, was attached to the annual must-pass defense policy bill that the Senate endorsed 83-11. The defense bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. The judicial security measure, which the federal judiciary backed, had long languished in Congress before its supporters were able to tack it on to the National Defense Authorization Act. The measure remained in the 4,000-plus page defense bill despite criticism from public interest groups who say it could chill free speech and undermine efforts to scrutinize judges' conflicts of interest. Sponsors of the bill, including Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, say it is narrowly tailored to protect judges.

Dec 15 (Reuters) - A New York appeals court on Thursday ruled that Yeshiva University must formally recognize an LGBTQ student group, rejecting the Jewish school's claims that doing so would violate its religious rights and values. The ruling by the Appellate Division in Manhattan marked the latest setback for the university in its fight to avoid recognizing Y.U. Pride Alliance, in a statement said the ruling affirmed that the school "cannot discriminate against its LGBTQ+ students by continuing its refusal to recognize the YU Pride Alliance." YU Pride Alliance agreed in September to hold off on forcing Yeshiva to recognize it while the school pursued its appeals after the school briefly halted all student club activities. read moreIt did so after the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision earlier that month declined to block the New York judge's June ruling requiring it to recognize the club.

[1/2] The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. "Securities fraud victimizes innocent investors and undermines the integrity of our public markets,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. His attorney did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Rybarczyk and Deel did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Reporting by Chris Prentice and Nate Raymond; Editing by Mark Porter and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Prosecutors said Wu, through a Berklee-focused WeChat group whose 300-plus members included the activist, demanded that any fliers be torn down and said he was reporting the activist to the public security agency in China. "I already called the tip-off line in the country, the public security agency will go greet your family," Wu wrote, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors said Wu in a later WeChat post asked for help determining where the unnamed civic activist lived. "You should wash dishes for the capitalist dogs," Wu wrote, according to the complaint. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Richard Chang and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building on the first day of the court's new term in Washington, U.S. October 3, 2022. The Supreme Court on Dec. 1 said it would hear arguments on the legality of the debt relief program in the other case pursued by six mostly Republican-led states. Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. Students who received Pell Grants to benefit lower-income college students would have up to $20,000 of their debt canceled. The Congressional Budget Office in September calculated that the debt forgiveness program would cost taxpayers about $400 billion.

Dec 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider how strictly to interpret the landmark Title IX civil rights law's protections for gender equality in college sports in a lawsuit challenging Michigan State University's elimination of its women's swimming and diving team. The high court rejected the university's appeal of a lower-court ruling in favor of former members of the team who say MSU violated Title IX by not providing enough opportunities for women athletes to participate in sports. At issue is how to determine whether a school has met a key benchmark in assessing if it provides equal opportunities to participate under Title IX, the 50-year-old law credited with expanding access to sports for female student-athletes. He said no court had ever held a gap of less than 2% violated the law. In a petition to the Supreme Court, MSU argued the 6th Circuit's approach was "unworkable" and conflicted with how every other federal appeals court that had examined the issued had approached Title IX.

Companies Coinbase Global Inc FollowDec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Coinbase Global Inc's (COIN.O) bid to halt two lawsuits the company contends belong in private arbitration by customers who accused the cryptocurrency exchange of failing to protect their funds from theft and deceptively marketing a Dogecoin sweepstakes. The justices took up Coinbase's appeal of lower-court rulings rejecting the company's request to have the two proposed class actions put on hold at the trial court level while it appeals decisions by judges to not force the customers to arbitrate their claims. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Alito authored that decision, called Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and the Hobby Lobby one. Schenck said he was motivated to come forward out of fear Supreme Court staff could unfairly take the blame for this year's leak. Chief Justice John Roberts directed the Supreme Court's marshal to investigate the leak in the Dobbs case, calling it a "betrayal." Democratic lawmakers said Schenck's account underscored the need for legislation requiring the U.S. Supreme Court, which now has a 6-3 conservative majority, to adopt a code of ethics, which unlike lower-level federal courts the high court lacks. "I believe we pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics and compromised the high court's promise to administer equal justice," Schenck said.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File PhotoCompanies U.S. House of Representatives FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A pastor told a U.S congressional panel on Thursday he believed he pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics when he learned in advance of a landmark 2014 Supreme Court decision that exempted some companies from insuring employees for birth control. Prominent Democrats have called for increased oversight at the Supreme Court, which now has a 6-3 conservative majority that includes three appointees of Republican former President Donald Trump. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts directed the Supreme Court's marshal to investigate the leak, calling it a "betrayal." Justice Alito, an intellectual hero for some conservatives, would later say the leak this year put him and his colleagues at risk of assassination. Schenck on Thursday said he was motivated to come forward out of fear that Supreme Court staff could unfairly take the blame for the Dobbs leak.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee will on Thursday hear the testimony of a former anti-abortion leader who has alleged he was told in advance about the outcome of a major 2014 Supreme Court ruling regarding contraceptives. Earlier this year, a majority opinion written by Alito and overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide, was leaked to Politico. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts directed the Supreme Court's marshal to investigate the leak, calling it a "betrayal." Justice Alito, an intellectual hero among some conservatives, would later say the leak this year put him and his colleagues at risk of assassination. Some Democrats have said the leaks show the Court needs more oversight and that the increasingly conservative body is susceptible to influence peddling.

Another state court then replaced that map with one drawn by a bipartisan group of experts. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts wondered whether such broadly worded provisions provide proper "standards and guidelines" for state courts to apply. The Republican lawmakers argued that the state court usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority under that provision to regulate federal elections. Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized the "historical practice" that "nearly all state constitutions regulate federal elections in some way." David Thompson, arguing for the North Carolina lawmakers, said the Constitution "requires state legislatures specifically to perform the federal function of prescribing regulations for federal elections.

Search resuls for: "Nate Raymond"

25 mentions found