Recent Class Action Lawsuits via Class Actions Reporter

This class action names BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Daimler as defendants, alleging that these famed car manufacturers colluded, over a period of twenty years, to keep innovation and competition down while keeping prices up. The complaint claims that the five car makers formed a Circle of Five to create a perception of innovation, competition, and superior engineering to keep prices high on German cars while colluding to reduce competition and stunt initiatives to innovate. The complaint alleges that German auto sales in the US therefore violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and some state antitrust laws, such as California’s Cartwright Act.

The Esanbocks’ new home in Savage, Minnesota was built in 2017 using Weyerhaeuser Flak Jacket Joists, which were coated with formaldehyde resin. In late July, the complaint says, the home’s builder informed the family that the Weyerhaeuser joists had been found to be off-gassing formaldehyde. The family moved out the next day, and the complaint alleges that a test performed on the home showed excessive formaldehyde levels above OSHA safety levels. Weyerhaeuser has stopped making the joists, has admitted problems with the coating, and claims to be working with homeowners to address the problem, but, the complaint says, the company’s offers are insufficient.

When plaintiff Paul Hancock bought a vehicle in Februrary 2016, the complaint for this class action says, he financed it with a loan from Wells Fargo and purchased an auto insurance policy through Allstate. However, in May 2016, the complaint says, Wells Fargo force-placed an insurance policy on his vehicle and charged him $598 for it. The complaint alleges that Hancock repeatedly contacted Wells Fargo to tell them that he already had the necessary insurance coverage, but that the bank refused to return the money they had collected and continued to try to force him to pay for the insurance, including being charged a late fee as soon as the CPI policy was established. According to the complaint, Hancock was only one of 800,000 auto loan customers ensnared in the Wells Fargo and National General Insurance Company scheme, one that pushed 250,000 of them into delinquency and caused the unlawful repossession of nearly 25,000 vehicles.

The pride of German industry are its automakers, which employ over 800,000 people and bring in roughly a fifth of its industrial revenue, with a worldwide reputation for precision and quality. But new class actions claim that the Volkswagen/Audi emissions scandal was just the tip of an iceberg that could rip away that fine reputation. This complaint alleges that for the past two decades, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW, and Daimler (Mercedes), along with Robert Bosch, a supplier, participated in a cartel which suppressed innovation and undercut engineering in favor of cost savings, while keeping prices high and pretending to be competitive, cutting-edge companies.

If you look up “Egyptian cotton” in Bed Bath & Beyond’s own glossary, the complaint for this class action says, you will read, “The world's finest cotton, it has the longest, strongest staple, resulting in the softest, most luxurious fabric and feel.” Egyptian cotton is thus highly desirable, says the complaint, and more desirable to those with textile allergies. According to the complaint, however, Bed Bath & Beyond’s Damask Stripe 500 Thread Count 100% Egyptian Cotton Bed Sheets are only 16% Egyptian cotton, with the rest of the fabric made up of inferior types of cotton.

According to the complaint for this class action, plaintiff Boyd Johnson bought a bicycle from Walmart and took advantage of their free, in-store assembly offer. But as he was riding his new bicycle in the bike lane on the road, the improperly-installed handlebar bolt came loose and the handlebars shifted completely to the right. Johnson lost control of the bike, the complaint claims, and flew over the handlebars, hitting the pavement with his face, shoulder, and the right side of his body. The complaint alleges that the Walmart assemblers do not have proper training and that they are pressured to assemble the bicycles as fast as they can. The complaint alleges that Walmart is guilty of negligence in not taking proper measures to see that the bicycles are assembled correctly by properly-trained employees.

The complaint for this class action alleges that Tranzvia violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) through unwanted telemarketing calls to a cell phone—even though the calls were placed not by Tranzvia but by a third party acting on its behalf. Companies are responsible for the TCPA violations of telemarketing calls made on their behalf by other parties.