Latest news with #classactionlawsuit
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Judge approves B.C. inmate's class action over 'inhumane' prison isolation during pandemic
As chair of the inmate wellness committee at his prison, Dean Christopher Roberts was allowed to go cell to cell at Mission Institution to speak with inmates through the bars during some of the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The men in the medium-security facility in Mission, B.C., were being isolated in their rooms to prevent the spread of COVID-19. By April 2020, they were allowed out of their cells for 20 minutes a day — time that Roberts claims they could choose to use only for a shower or a phone call to family. "Within the first month of solitary confinement some men were showing me, [as] I went door to door, where they had developed bed sores and body pain from being sedentary and lying in bed all day," he wrote in an affidavit filed in B.C. Supreme Court. "Sadly, I encountered some men who had taken to scarring their face with long slashes and bloody lines. Others, who had slammed their heads into the wall, so consumed by the helplessness, isolation and fear of the unknown that they didn't even understand." Roberts, 56, is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the federal government that was greenlit in B.C. Supreme Court on Friday. The case claims the medical isolation that began in Canadian prisons in March 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, subjected prisoners to "inhumane rights restrictions" that amounted to solitary confinement. Class members include any inmate incarcerated in a Correctional Services Canada (CSC) prison during a COVID-19 outbreak declared at a site after March 11, 2020. Inmates would be eligible if they were confined to their cells for 20 or more hours a day and deprived of the chance to interact with others for less than two hours a day for 15 or more consecutive days, the ruling said. Patrick Dudding, Roberts's lawyer, estimated the class could include anywhere from hundreds to thousands of inmates. "We welcome the court's decision, and we'll take this through the next steps," he said in a phone interview on Wednesday. Inmates didn't know when isolation would end: lawsuit Mission Institution was declared COVID-free by mid-May 2020, but significant restrictions continued until mid-July, the judgment said. "That's 23'/4-hours-a-day in a 7x10 foot box with your head 18 inches from the toilet," Roberts said in his affidavit. "I cannot stress enough that worse than the solitary confinement was the absence of routine. On any given day staff seemed to invent a new routine for showers and phonecalls. We were left in our cages anxious, worried, angry what the day would bring and when would relief come." The United Nations' minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners, called the Nelson Mandela Rules, define solitary confinement as isolation for more than 22 hours a day and say solitary confinement that lasts longer than 15 consecutive days amounts to torture. During the pandemic, health-care professionals and advocates recognized the challenges that came with preventing the spread of COVID-19 within prisons. Typical advice for slowing the spread — like regular handwashing and physical distancing — could be virtually impossible in crowded prisons. Researchers in the United States, where overcrowded prisons faced similar health challenges, say medical isolation could be a beneficial public health tool if done properly. Mental health advocates and public health researchers have said officials needed to find ways to differentiate purposeful medical isolation from punitive solitary confinement to help inmates' cope psychologically. WATCH | Former Canadian diplomat recalls 6 months in solitary confinement: Michael Kovrig describes 'gruelling, painful' solitary confinement and interrogation 8 months ago Duration 0:50 Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who was held in China for nearly three years, tells CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault about the interrogation he endured during his six months in solitary confinement. 'They are trying to bully and torment and terrorize and coerce you' into believing you're guilty, even though you're not, he says. "The only commonality that solitary confinement should share with quarantine and medical isolation is a physical separation from other people," physicians from the University of California wrote in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on July 6, 2020. "This means that people in quarantine or medical isolation should have enhanced access to resources that can make their separation psychologically bearable—for example, television, tablets, radio, reading materials, and means of communicating with loved ones—since they are enduring isolation for the greater good, not for punishment." The Mental Health Commission of Canada said medical isolation that is run the same way as solitary confinement"poses significant human rights risk and should be done only as a last resort." It recommended low-risk prisoners or those near the end of their sentences be released from correctional facilities to reduce the pressure. In a statement on Wednesday, CSC said it was "committed to reducing the risks of COVID-19 in all its operations and keeping offenders, employees, and the public safe" during the pandemic. "During that time, we worked with public health experts, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), local public health agencies, our labour partners, and stakeholders to develop infection prevention and control measures to mitigate and contain the spread of COVID-19," it said in an email. "First and foremost, the health and safety of offenders, our employees, and the public remains our top priority." Attorney general says medical isolation 'entirely different' In his lawsuit, Roberts claims the federal government's isolation policy neglected or violated inmates' Charter rights to protect life, liberty and security of the person. The Attorney General of Canada argued the case shouldn't be certified as a class action because isolating inmates for medical purposes was "entirely different" from punitive solitary confinement, according to Friday's decision. It also said Roberts wasn't a suitable plaintiff for the case, which it described as overly broad without enough clarity. In his decision, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Tammen ruled the lawsuit could go ahead. He said Ottawa could win the case on a few different points, like its argument that medical isolation isn't the same as solitary confinement or that the isolation was justifiable in an "unprecedented and unexpected" pandemic, but he said those would have to be decided at trial — "not at this preliminary stage." None of the allegations have been proven in court. Roberts has been serving a life sentence for the murders of his wife and twin sons in Cranbrook, B.C., in 1994. A jury convicted him of strangling his wife and one son, before setting a fire at the family home that killed the second son. Roberts, then 26, was also convicted of trying to kill his adopted three-year-old. The eldest child survived after being rescued from the burning house. He has maintained his innocence and pursued exoneration with the University of British Columbia's Innocence Project for more than 15 years, claiming his confession was the result of a flawed Mr. Big sting. He was granted the right to ask for a ministerial review of his case in 2021, seeking the opportunity to present fresh DNA evidence he says will prove his innocence.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Strategy Incorporated (MSTR) Crashed On Friday
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Strategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR) stands against other Friday's worst-performing stocks. Shares of Strategy Inc. dropped for a third straight day on Friday, shedding 7.5 percent on Friday to close at $369.51 apiece, after getting hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly disclosing false information to the public. In a regulatory filing, Strategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR) said it received a class action lawsuit against its executives on May 16, alleging that the company made false statements about its anticipated profitability, the various risks associated with Bitcoin volatility, and the magnitude of the losses. A software engineer wearing a headset, collaborating with a remote team on a project. However, it said that it intends to defend itself against the claims. 'At this time, we cannot predict the outcome, or provide a reasonable estimate or range of estimates of the possible outcome or loss, if any, in this matter,' it added. In the first quarter of the year, Strategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR) posted a 3.5-percent increase in revenues to $111.1 million from $115.2 million in the same period last year. Net earnings from operations narrowed by 92 percent to $15.4 million from $203.7 million year-on-year. Overall, MSTR ranks 10th on our list of Friday's worst-performing stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of MSTR, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSTR and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
CNET
16-05-2025
- Health
- CNET
Ziploc and Rubbermaid Sued for Microplastics. Are Plastic Food Containers Safe to Use?
Newell Brands, the maker of Rubbermaid, is facing a class action lawsuit for its claims that the plastic-based containers are "microwave safe" and "freezer safe." The complaint alleges that despite the products' marketing, they can release microplastics into food when used as directed. Ziploc was hit with a similar class action lawsuit earlier this week. Ziploc storage bags are made from polyethylene and polypropylene. These types of plastics are known to release microplastics into foods when exposed to extreme temperatures, something that is not mentioned on Ziploc's packaging. "Repeated exposure to extreme temperatures -- cold or hot -- stresses plastic materials and can lead to the breakdown of their surface layers, releasing tiny plastic particles into food," said Brad Younggren of Circulate Health. When you microwave food in plastic, the heat accelerates how much microplastics leach into the food. "Similarly, freezing and thawing cycles can cause structural degradation that also encourages microplastic release, not unlike how freezing temperatures crack pavement in winter," Younggren said. The misrepresentation of plastic products and the lack of disclosure have exposed millions of families to ingesting microplastics. The average person intakes between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles each year, and that number increases to 120,000 when airborne particles are accounted for. There's no established "safe" or "unsafe" level of microplastic consumption, which is why it's important to know where microplastics come from and how to reduce ingestion. What's the deal with microplastics? Microplastics have long been a topic of conversation, mainly because they're important environmental pollutants. But these tiny plastic fragments don't just negatively impact the earth; they have potentially health impacts too. Some days, it feels like we're regularly discovering a surprisingly high amount of microplastics lurking in our bodies. Scientists recently found a spoon's worth of microplastics in the cadaver brains. While the US Food & Drug administration says scientific evidence doesn't suggest that the amount of microplastics in foods is a risk to our health, not all doctors are convinced. Microplastics located in the blood vessels have been linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Research has also found tissue inflammation, cell death and lung and liver impacts because of microplastics. That said, there's still plenty we don't know about the effects of microplastics. What we do know is that microplastics are everywhere. They're in the burned-down plastic spoon you should have thrown away years ago or the plastic-wrapped foods at the grocery store. However, it's not just how we package our foods. Microplastics can enter our food through soil and water contamination where they're grown. Since microplastics touch so many areas of our lives (did I mention they're also in the synthetic fibers of our clothing?), it can feel challenging to outrun them completely. While there's no established safe or unsafe level of microplastic consumption, most of us want to minimize our contact with them as much as possible. How can I limit my microplastic intake? This news doesn't automatically mean that plastic storage containers aren't safe to use. They remain one of the most affordable and convenient options for many families. However, it's not a bad idea to avoid freezing and microwaving them in the future. If you want to limit your family's consumption of microplastics even further, it's best to minimize your use of plastic in the kitchen. Remember, microplastics aren't just in plastic bags or containers. Top places microplastics lurk in your kitchen: Nonstick cookware Plastic cooking utensils Tea bags Plastic straws Canned food lining Plastic cutting boards So you should probably stop using Ziploc bags to freeze and microwave your food. But where does that leave you? Younggren suggested opting for non-plastic alternatives when you can. "We recommend microwave-safe glass containers as safer options," Younggren said. Glass containers are more stable under temperature stress, so the risk of microplastic contamination is lower. There are things you can do beyond changing how you store your food. You can opt for wood cutting boards instead of plastic, or use loose tea leaves or cook in cast iron. You'd probably be surprised by how much plastic is in your kitchen. A good rule of thumb when cooking is to note how often your food comes into contact with plastic. It's difficult to cut it entirely out of your life, though any strides you can make will reduce your microplastic intake.
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Bloomberg
NYC Ordered to Hand Control of Rikers Jail to Outside Manager
A federal judge ordered New York officials to hand control of the city's troubled jail complex at Rikers Island to an outside manager. The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, said in a ruling Tuesday she would appoint a 'remediation manager' to take over handling of the city's jail complex. Rikers has been under federal monitoring since 2015 as the result of a class-action lawsuit over problems at the complex, including rampant violence.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New Nintendo of America policy asks users to give up their rights to a class-action lawsuit and call customer service instead: 'Most matters can be quickly resolved in this manner'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Nintendo of America's latest End User License Agreement (EULA) includes a new segment asking users to agree to waive their right to join a class action lawsuit against the company. During the lifespan of the Nintendo Switch, Joy-Con drift was a hot topic, and one that got Nintendo a lot of heat from fans. It was the subject of two class action lawsuits – filed in 2019 and 2020 – that were eventually dismissed. And while Nintendo has confirmed that the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are designed from scratch with new sticks (although they don't have Hall effect sticks), there's been no confirmation that the problem is fixed for Nintendo Switch 2. Regardless of whether it's fixed or not, Nintendo clearly wants to avoid more class action legal issues, as a user on Reddit pointed out about the latest EULA for US Nintendo accounts. Clause 16 of the EULA reads: "This arbitration provision precludes you and Nintendo from suing in court, having a trial by jury, or participating in a class action. You and Nintendo agree that arbitration will be solely on an individual basis and not as a class arbitration, class action, or any other kind of representative proceeding. You and Nintendo are each waiving the right to trial by a jury." Nintendo does give users some other options to resolve issues through, such as contacting customer service, about which the company says, "Most matters can be quickly resolved in this manner to our customer's satisfaction." Users also are given the right to opt out of Nintendo's arbitration requirement by sending written notice of this decision to the company's Redmond, Washington HQ; however, you'll only have 30 days from the day you agree to the EULA to do so. Disney had a similar clause in the Disney+ terms, which came to light last year after it was used during a lawsuit a Disneyland customer filed when his wife died from a severe allergic reaction after eating at the park. The company later withdrew its right to arbitration following backlash. Switch 2 price could still rise, as Nintendo president says the company is racing to beat new tariffs.
