Latest news with #classactionlawsuit
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Settlement proposed in class-action lawsuit over B.C. solitary confinement
The Alouette Correctional Centre for Women is seen in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Monday, December 10, 2018. The law firm Proactio says a proposed settlement of up to $60 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit related to the use of solitary confinement in British Columbia correctional facilities. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) A proposed settlement of up to $60 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit related to the use of solitary confinement in B.C. correctional facilities. The Quebec-based law firm Proactio says the settlement must be approved by the B.C. Supreme Court, but could provide eligible class members up to $91,000. A statement from the firm on Saturday says the lawsuit alleges the B.C. government improperly subjected prisoners to solitary confinement, 'causing emotional, physical, and psychological harm.' It says the class includes people incarcerated after April 18, 2005, and involuntarily held in separate confinement or segregation for at least 15 consecutive days, or when the province knew or ought to have known they suffered from a mental illness. The allegations in the statement of claim had not been tested in court and B.C.'s Ministry of Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement has been set for Oct. 22 and Proactio says class members have until Sept. 2 to indicate if they support or object to the proposal. Those put in separate confinement after Dec. 22, 2020, can opt out by Sept. 2, in which case they would not receive compensation but would retain their right to pursue an individual lawsuit. The firm says class members can also submit a claim for compensation at a later date if the court approves the settlement. The court has appointed Koskie Minsky LLP and McEwan Partners LLP as class council, while Proactio has been mandated to act as administrator of the class action, the statement adds. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
The Verge
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Anthropic will face a class-action lawsuit from US authors
A California federal judge ruled Thursday that three authors suing Anthropic over copyright infringement can bring a class action lawsuit representing all U.S. writers whose work was allegedly downloaded from libraries of pirated works. The filing alleges that Anthropic, the Amazon-backed OpenAI competitor behind the chatbot Claude, 'violated the Copyright Act by doing Napster-style downloading of millions of works.' It alleges that the company downloaded as many as seven million copies of books from libraries of pirated works. The new ruling impacts a lawsuit filed last August by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, who alleged that Anthropic had 'built a multibillion-dollar business by stealing hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books.' Late last month, a federal judge sided with Anthropic to rule that training its AI models on legally-purchased books was fair use but noted the company would need to face a separate trial for using allegedly pirated books. It also follows the lawsuit Reddit filed against Anthropic last month, claiming that the AI company's bots had accessed Reddit more than 100,000 times since last July, after Anthropic had said it blocked them from doing so. The authors' lawsuit is part of a growing trend of media outlets, platforms, companies, and creatives either suing AI companies over copyright infringement — for instance, Universal Music's 2023 lawsuit against Anthropic over 'systematic and widespread infringement of their copyrighted song lyrics' — or partnering up with them to willingly provide AI training data in order to get a slice of the profits.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
More than 900 people now allege abuse at Illinois, Cook County juvenile detention facilities
More than 900 people have now come forward charging they were sexually abused at state-operated Illinois youth centers and the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Attorneys on Wednesday announced that 107 additional names have been added to a class-action lawsuit. They say their clients were sexually abused while underage during a timespan that crosses several decades — from 1995 to 2022. The victims have filed complaints against the state and county over how they've handled sexual abuse in their juvenile detention facilities. CBS News Chicago previously reported on hundreds of similar cases last year. Several survivors spoke out about childhood sexual, mental, and physical abuse on Wednesday. "From 1995 to 2022, these children — nearly all of them boys, many from the Black and brown and female communities — were preyed upon by state employees in government-run facilities," said attorney Kristen Feden. One plaintiff, a 39-year-old Central Illinois man named Charles Graves, said he was facing criminal charges at the age of 13 with no father figure present in his life, and no one in his corner, when he was abused by officers in juvenile detention. "They were only there for their own gain — the game of taking our innocence and manipulating our minds. With me never having known love or the security of family, the officers were able to bend my mind to their own will," Graves said. "I was sexually assaulted by three officers throughout my time in the juvenile correctional system in the state of Illinois." Another plaintiff, a 26-year-old Central Illinois woman named Kate-Lynn, broke down as she told her story. She said her father passed away when she was in juvenile detention, and was told she was being put on suicide watch. "At least five staff members came into my cell and stripped off all of my clothes. I remember a 300-pound male staff member sitting on top of my naked body, forcing me to lay on the ground," Kate-Lynn said. "Throughout the incident, he inappropriately touched me in placed I would rather not discuss in this setting. I was left bruised, naked shackled, handcuffed, and unable to move." Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a motion to dismiss the cases back in June, saying they were required to come forward before turning 19 years old. Survivors and attorneys say under the Illinois Childhood Sexual Abuse Act have unlimited time to bring lawsuits.
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba woman files proposed class action against Loblaw over alleged underweight meat sales
Social Sharing A Manitoba woman, who blew the whistle on a case in which Loblaw sold underweight meat across 80 stores in Western Canada, has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the grocery chain over allegations it consistently overcharges for meat and seafood by including the packaging weight in the final price tag. Plaintiff Iris Griffin's claim, filed in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench last week, names Loblaw Companies Ltd., Loblaws Inc., T&T Supermarket Inc. and Provigo Distribution Inc. as defendants. It alleges that since at least 2023, "rather than weighing only the edible portion, they have included the packaging weight in the prices charged to customers." "This practice is deceptive and misleading and violates Canadian food regulations, which require accurate net quantity labelling," the claim reads in part. The court filing also alleges the companies have continued the practice, "either deliberately, or at minimum recklessly," and failed to correct the issue despite consumer complaints, media coverage and reports to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, "at a time when many are already struggling with the rising cost of food." WATCH | No fines laid for overweighted meat: Underweighted meat prompts class-action lawsuit 6 months ago Griffin says she hopes her challenge in court holds the industry and stores accountable. "They're making profit off of the backs of Canadians, one plastic tray at a time," Griffin said in an interview on Tuesday. CBC News has reached out to Loblaw for comment. In November 2023, Griffin purchased ground beef at a Loblaw-owned Superstore in Winnipeg, CBC News reported earlier this year. The Hecla Island resident determined the meat in the package was 134 grams short and that its plastic tray had made up for the missing weight, amounting to an overcharge of almost eight per cent. Under federal regulations, net weights for packaged food used for pricing can't include the packaging. WATCH | Tip from shopper spurs CBC investigation: Grocery stores overcharge for meat by including package weight 6 months ago A CBC News investigation discovered some Canadian grocers were found to be overcharging customers, potentially by including the weight of the packaging in the cost of meat, which over time could add up to millions in profit. One of the grocers has apologized and all have pledged to address the issue. Griffin's statement of claim says her complaint to the food inspection agency did not trigger any enforcement action — including fines — or follow-up inspections. It relied "instead on Loblaw's assurance that the issue had been resolved," the claim states in part. About a year later, Griffin shared her experience as part of a CBC News investigation that found packages of underweight meat being sold in Loblaw locations, along with one store owned by Sobeys and a Walmart. Loblaw apologized for the errors at the time, saying that it had refreshed its in-store training. Following the publication of the story, a company spokesperson told CBC that Loblaw was offering a discount on selected meat products at "the impacted stores." The company did not specify which stores were involved. The court filing accuses the grocery chain of breach of contract, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, breach of the federal Competition Act and breach of provincial consumer protection legislation in Manitoba and seven other provinces. "Loblaw's conduct violated the trust of consumers to inflate their profits," the claim alleges. "Loblaw's actions are part of a pattern of willful disregard for their customers and the law." If certified, a class action would seek general and punitive damages and restitution for affected customers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. "Punitive damages are necessary to appropriately condemn Loblaw's actions and serve as a sufficient deterrent to prevent Loblaw from engaging in these practices in the future."
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba woman files proposed class action against Loblaw over alleged underweighted meat sales
Social Sharing A Manitoba woman, who blew the whistle on a case in which Loblaw sold underweighted meat across 80 stores in Western Canada, has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the grocery chain over allegations it consistently overcharges for meat and seafood by including the packaging weight in the final price tag. Plaintiff Iris Griffin's claim, filed in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench last week, names Loblaw Companies Ltd., Loblaws Inc., T&T Supermarket Inc. and Provigo Distribution Inc. as defendants. It alleges that since at least 2023, "rather than weighing only the edible portion, they have included the packaging weight in the prices charged to customers." "This practice is deceptive and misleading and violates Canadian food regulations, which require accurate net quantity labelling," the claim reads in part. The court filing also alleges the companies have continued the practice, "either deliberately, or at minimum recklessly," and failed to correct the issue despite consumer complaints, media coverage and reports to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, "at a time when many are already struggling with the rising cost of food." WATCH | No fines laid for overweighted meat: Underweighted meat prompts class-action lawsuit 6 months ago Griffin says she hopes her challenge in court holds the industry and stores accountable. "They're making profit off of the backs of Canadians, one plastic tray at a time," Griffin said in an interview on Tuesday. CBC News has reached out to Loblaw for comment. In November 2023, Griffin purchased ground beef at a Loblaw-owned Superstore in Winnipeg, CBC News reported earlier this year. The Hecla Island resident determined the meat in the package was 134 grams short and that its plastic tray had made up for the missing weight, amounting to an overcharge of almost eight per cent. Under federal regulations, net weights for packaged food used for pricing can't include the packaging. WATCH | Tip from shopper spurs CBC investigation: Grocery stores overcharge for meat by including package weight 6 months ago Griffin's statement of claim says her complaint to the food inspection agency did not trigger any enforcement action — including fines — or follow-up inspections. It relied "instead on Loblaw's assurance that the issue had been resolved," the claim states in part. About a year later, Griffin shared her experience as part of a CBC News investigation that found packages of underweighted meat being sold in Loblaw locations, along with one store owned by Sobeys and a Walmart. Loblaw apologized for the errors at the time, saying that it had refreshed its in-store training. Following the publication of the story, a company spokesperson told CBC that Loblaw was offering a discount on selected meat products at "the impacted stores." The company did not specify which stores were involved. The court filing accuses the grocery chain of breach of contract, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, breach of the federal Competition Act and breach of provincial consumer protection legislation in Manitoba and seven other provinces. "Loblaw's conduct violated the trust of consumers to inflate their profits," the claim alleges. "Loblaw's actions are part of a pattern of willful disregard for their customers and the law." If certified, a class action would seek general and punitive damages and restitution for affected customers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. "Punitive damages are necessary to appropriately condemn Loblaw's actions and serve as a sufficient deterrent to prevent Loblaw from engaging in these practices in the future."
