In The Media

For years, hundreds of Trilogy at Redmond Ridge residents say they have been pleading with California-based Shea Homes, the 55-plus resort community’s developer, to fix and better waterproof more than 1,500 homes. more »

Seattle attorney Steve Berman (left) is considered one of the most powerful in the country for his work on prominent class-action lawsuits against the likes of Toyota, Exxon and the tobacco industry. It comes as little surprise a federal judge selected noted Seattle lawyer Steve Berman last week, over dozens of others, to co-lead a high-profile class-action lawsuit against General Motors.  more »

BATS Global Markets Inc. agreed to pay $14 million—the highest fine levied by a regulator against a stock exchange—to settle allegations that two exchanges it bought last year failed to disclose to investors important information about how their markets functioned. The settlement Monday brought to a close a more than three-year investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into how Direct Edge Holdings LLC, which merged with BATS last year, gave some high-speed traders an advantage over others by not providing details about certain order types, according to the SEC. more »

The N.C.A.A. has reached a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by former college athletes to institute wide-ranging reforms to its head-injury policies. The settlement is the latest attempt by the N.C.A.A. to address concerns over athletes’ rights. more »

Apple Inc. has settled a civil class-action lawsuit from U.S. states and consumers over allegations that it conspired to fix prices for e-books. Plaintiffs’ representative Steve Berman said in a letter to Denise Cote, the presiding judge at the Southern District court of New York, that the two sides had reached “a binding agreement in principle” to settle the case. more »

A new lawsuit claims GM is liable to compensate millions of customers for their devalued automobiles, and owes around three times its annual earnings in compensation. more »

A group of soccer parents and players filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday morning against FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, over its handling of concussions. Filed in United States District Court in California, the suit also names American soccer organizations, including U.S. Soccer and the American Youth Soccer Organization, charging that they and FIFA have been negligent in monitoring and treating head injuries. more »

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is expected as early as April to reach an agreement to boost safeguards for athletes who get concussions while playing college sports. Driving the deal is 59-year-old Seattle lawyer Steve Berman, a onetime college soccer goalie who has brought successful group actions against Big Tobacco, Enron Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. more »

On Tuesday, German carmaker Volkswagen acknowledged that 11 million of its diesel engine cars sold worldwide were equipped with software to cheat on emission tests. In a video statement, Martin Winterkorn, chief executive of Volkswagen, said the deception was the result of “the grave efforts of a very few” employees. Repercussions are just beginning... more »

On the eve of baseball’s All-Star Game, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed Monday against Major League Baseball claiming it did too little to protect fans from fast-moving foul balls and splintered bats. In particular, the suit cited what it said was a need to add netting far down the first- and third-base lines more »

Volkswagen's board of directors appears to be moving quickly to identify and dismiss those responsible for the emissions cheating scandal. Reuters reports the first announcement could come Friday. more »

Hagens Berman has been among the most active in the latest wave of sports suits. The firm has filed two cases against the NCAA in the Northern District, a concussion suit against soccer's domestic and international governing bodies, and another trying to force Major League Baseball to install protective netting to protect fans from foul balls. Berman's firm is also taking the lead on concussion suits on behalf of water polo players and on behalf of college athletes where a $75 million settlement is pending approval. more »

Free agency could be coming to college sports. "Free transferring is more appropriate," said Steve Berman, the managing partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and lead attorney of a case involving a pair of ex-college football players against the NCAA. Whatever the terminology you wish to utilize, it would create a significant impact throughout the world of college athletics more »

When Steve Berman, a plaintiffs’ lawyer in Seattle, heard about the Volkswagen scandal, he quickly posted a video on YouTube urging vehicle owners to contact him. “We are going to launch a lawsuit on behalf of consumers against Volkswagen, and you are welcome to join,” said Mr. Berman, who has been involved in class-action lawsuits against car makers, drug companies and the tobacco industry. more »

Former Northwestern men's basketball player Johnnie Vassar filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and the school based on the current transfer rules — labeled "destructive" — and potentially opened up a Pandora's box in the college basketball landscape, which has seen transfer rates skyrocket over the past decade. Vassar's attorneys, the Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, already have two lawsuits pending against the NCAA over its transfer rules. more »

​Volkswagen's dealers will receive an average of $1.85 million in a $1.2 billion settlement approved by a U.S. judge on Monday over its diesel emissions scandal. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the 650 U.S. dealers would be paid over 18 months, ruling the settlement "fair, reasonable, and adequate."  more »

Although American demand for dairy has risen steadily for almost 40 years, some farmers tried to limit the supply of milk by killing off their own cows. No, you read that correctly. This mysterious state of affairs was revealed in a nationwide class-action lawsuit against dairy cooperatives, groups of farmers who pool their supplies but, as a whole, serve as middlemen between the farmers and dairy processors. more »

A group of diabetes patients filed a lawsuit Monday against three drug companies for systematically increasing the list prices of insulin for years in an alleged fraudulent-pricing scheme that saddled patients with “crushing out-of-pocket expenses,” according to the filing. more »

When you want to sue the largest, most powerful companies on the planet, Steve Berman is the guy you call. He forced Jack-in-the-Box to pay $12 million for causing an E. coli outbreak that killed four children. He won a $215 million settlement against Enron for defrauding investors and wiping out employee retirement accounts. He represented auto dealers in a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Volkswagen for cheating on diesel emissions. more »

All of this figures prominently in the lawsuit. Hagens Berman, one of the preeminent class action firms in the U.S., is leading the charge for Tesla owners. Partner Steve Berman represented a dozen states in the $206 billion settlement with Big Tobacco, as well as victims of fraud by Enron Corp. and Bernard Madoff. The 72-page amended complaint filed in San Jose federal court alleges fraud in the sale of Autopilot features, with lead plaintiffs from California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Florida describing similar experiences of expectation, expenditure—and disappointment. more »

A lawsuit filed Monday accused three makers of insulin of conspiring to drive up the prices of their lifesaving drugs, harming patients who were being asked to pay for a growing share of their drug bills. “People who have to pay out of pocket for insulin are paying enormous prices when they shouldn’t be,” said Steve Berman, a lawyer whose firm filed the suit on behalf of patients and is seeking to have it certified as a class action.  more »

Amazon’s war with publishing giant Hachette over e-book pricing has earned it a black eye in the media, with the likes of Philip Roth, James Patterson, and Stephen Colbert demanding that the online mega-store stand down. How did Amazon—which was once seen as the book industry’s savior—end up as Literary Enemy Number One? And how much of this fight is even about money? more »

Class-action attorney Steve Berman is coming after a drug industry he says is “gouging” the American consumer. And his suits have the potential to crack the lid on the black box of drug pricing, shedding light on a secretive process that has sparked an escalating blame game between drug makers and the many middlemen in the US health care system. more »

​Thousands of current and former college athletes could receive $5,000 or more from an agreement to settle part of an antitrust lawsuit against the N.C.A.A., a lawyer for the plaintiffs estimated. In a statement, Steve Berman, a lawyer for the players, called the settlement a “watershed” and estimated that eligible players would receive checks from $5,000 to $7,000. more »