Darren Crook

New Class Action Accuses UPS of Overcharging for Shipping Insurance

By Darren Crook on January 6, 2014 Posted in Consumer Class Action

A new consumer class action has been filed against shipping giant UPS, alleging that the company overcharges its customers for “declared value coverage” (i.e., shipping insurance) on the packages it delivers. The case was filed on December 27, 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The complaint alleges that UPS offers declared value … Continue Reading

Australian Thalidomide class action settled

By Darren Crook and Patrick T. Lewis on December 5, 2013 Posted in Consumer Class Action, Settlements

More than 50 years after the morning sickness drug Thalidomide was first released to the market, the drug’s British distributor announced on Monday, December 2nd that it has agreed to settle an Australian class action in the Victorian Supreme Court over birth defects linked to the drug. The legal team representing the class claimed that Australia … Continue Reading

BlackBerry Hit With New Class Action Amid Claims The Company Misled Investors About The BlackBerry 10

By Darren Crook on October 7, 2013 Posted in Securities

BlackBerry and two of its highest-ranking executives were hit on Friday with a proposed class action lawsuit by a shareholder claiming the company misled investors in reports made regarding the BlackBerry 10 smartphone line. The suit, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that, despite BlackBerry’s promise that the Blackberry 10 platform would … Continue Reading

Individual Causation Issues and Lack of Uniformity in Sales Practices Mean No Certification in Consumer Fraud Class Action

By Darren Crook on April 6, 2012 Posted in Class Certification, Consumer Fraud, RICO

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently refused to certify a proposed class in a dispute against an insurance company selling annuities to seniors because individualized inquiries into the company’s sales presentations precluded satisfaction of the predominance criterion required for certification. In Rowe et al. v. Bankers Life and Casualty … Continue Reading