Tag:

Settlements

Bel Air, MD
News
Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says
Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says Fortnite players across the US are getting a fresh round of cash — and they didn’t even have to win a battle royale to claim it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it’s sending out more than $126 million in refunds to players who were charged for unwanted in-game purchases, as part of a settlement with Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games. The latest round of payments includes 969,173 checks and PayPal transfers issued on June 25 and 26, the FTC said this week. This stems from a 2023 settlement in which Epic agreed to pay $245 million after the FTC accused the company of using decept…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Paramus, NJ
News
Investigation Into Priest Sexual Abuse Can Proceed, NJ Supreme Court Rules Investigation Into Priest Sexual Abuse Can Proceed, NJ Supreme Court Rules
Investigation Into Priest Sexual Abuse Can Proceed, NJ Supreme Court Rules The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday, June 16 that a grand jury investigation into New Jersey archdioceses for sexual abuse can proceed. The Diocese of Camden had challenged the original grand jury investigation, which began in 2018, and a trial court had ruled in favor of the church, blocking the investigation, ruling it was not authorized by law. "We find that the State has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury. If the grand jury issues a presentment, the assignment judge should review the report and publ…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Suicidal Patients Turned Away Without Stabilizing At Westchester Medical Center, AG Says Suicidal Patients Turned Away Without Stabilizing At Westchester Medical Center, AG Says
Suicidal Patients Turned Away Without Stabilizing At Westchester Medical Center, AG Says Three major hospitals in the Hudson Valley have been slammed for putting psychiatric patients at risk by prematurely discharging them or denying them care altogether, the New York Attorney General’s Office announced in a landmark settlement that aims to bring major reforms to the region’s mental health services.   In an announcement on Monday, April 21, Attorney General Letitia James said that Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, and HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston will face sweeping changes after a state investigation f…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
East Hartford, CT
News
'A Rip-Off': Defunct CT Nursing School To Pay $5M For Defrauding Students, AG Says 'A Rip-Off': Defunct CT Nursing School To Pay $5M For Defrauding Students, AG Says
'A Rip-Off': Defunct CT Nursing School To Pay $5M For Defrauding Students, AG Says A multimillion-dollar settlement has been approved in the case against a defunct for-profit nursing school accused of misleading students and failing to provide promised training, officials said. Stone Academy and its owners will pay $5 million to settle claims of unfair and deceptive conduct, Attorney General William Tong said in a news release on Thursday, Feb. 27. The settlement resolves lawsuits brought by the State of Connecticut and former students. The school had campuses in East Hartford, Waterbury, and West Haven before permanently closing in February 2023. "Stone Academ…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Arlington, VA
Business
H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC
H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC H&R Block will pay $7 million in federal fines for deceptive practices and must implement sweeping changes to its filing services in time for the 2025 tax season, officials said. H&R Block reached the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency announced in a news release on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The order requires the company to revamp its services and pay $7 million to compensate its customers. The settlement stemmed from a February 2024 complaint accusing H&R Block of forcing users to contact customer service to downgrade products. The tax filer was also a…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Mineola, NY
Business
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Thousands of local delivery drivers are in for a much-deserved payday. Drizly, a now-defunct alcohol delivery platform, reached a $4 million settlement with the State of New York on Tuesday, Dec. 17, for failing to ensure that delivery workers received their rightful tips. According to New York Attorney General Leitita James, Drizly encouraged customers to tip delivery workers but sent the funds to liquor store owners instead. Store owners were responsible for distributing the tips, but in many cases, workers did not receive the money they earned. The investigation also revealed that Driz…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Business
NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing
NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing Thousands of New Yorkers will benefit from a $4.8 million settlement with the now-defunct SmileDirectClub over improper billing practices. The former Nashville, Tennessee-based teledentistry company agreed to the move after it continued to charge more than 28,000 consumers despite filing for bankruptcy and stopping services in September 2023. Multiple complaints were filed with the New York State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) after consumers were told to keep making monthly installment payments despite no longer receiving aligner treatment. In December 2023, OAG sent a cease-and-de…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Trenton, NJ
News
'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops 'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops
'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops Federal investigators have accused the Trenton Police Department (TPD) of widespread civil rights violations, including excessive force and illegal arrests, calling the department’s practices “unconstitutional” in a damning report released Thursday, Nov. 21. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that TPD officers routinely stopped and searched individuals without reasonable suspicion, made arrests without probable cause, and escalated encounters with excessive force.  These practices, compounded by poor training, inadequate oversight, and a lack of accountability, have eroded community…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Toms River, NJ
Business
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to s…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Elizabeth, NJ
News
Union County Skincare Specialist Performed Unlicensed Procedures: State AG Union County Skincare Specialist Performed Unlicensed Procedures: State AG
Union County Skincare Specialist Performed Unlicensed Procedures: State AG A skincare specialist in Union City is paying a $22,500 fine for allegedly performing unlicensed procedures, Matthew Platkin, the state attorney general announced. Carolina Nunez, who owned and operated Carolina Nunez Skincare Salon, allegedly offered and performed numerous services that she was not licensed to do, including  dermal filler injections, Botox injections, cosmetic tattooing, platelet rich plasma treatments  and the using a hyaluronic pen, Platkin said.  The salon was not licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, Platkin said. As part…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Paterson, NJ
Legal
$2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel $2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel
$2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel UPDATE: A Passaic County man whose bowel was perforated during hernia surgery, leading to severe and permanent complications, has reportedly reached a $2.25 million settlement of his medical malpractice suit. Vincent Dominianni, 54, of Totowa had the elective surgery in January 2019, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. He returned to the hospital the next day complaining of pain, constipation and a bloated abdomen, it says. The surgeon, Dr. Melissa Warta, ordered a CT scan and prescribed pain medications for what lawyers said she described as “normal post-operative findings" after an evalu…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
Jersey City Pedestrian Left With Limp Gets $675,000 Crash Settlement Jersey City Pedestrian Left With Limp Gets $675,000 Crash Settlement
Jersey City Pedestrian Left With Limp Gets $675,000 Crash Settlement A pedestrian who had several bones broken when he was hit by a Bergen County manufacturing company's vehicle while crossing a Jersey City street has accepted $675,000 to settle a lawsuit. Jose Rojas, 33, was crossing Barrow Street in a crosswalk when he was knocked down by a vehicle owned by a Moonachie company when its driver turned from York Street on Nov. 19, 2018, according to the NJ Law Journal. Rojas suffered right leg and ankle fractures requiring surgery and leaving him with what his attorney said will be a permanent limp. Rojas claimed that the driver, Guido Openner, disregarded a…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco