Articles by Bob Van Voris

Judge Likely to Rule for Boy Scouts in Trademark Case With Girl Scouts

A federal judge said he’s likely to rule for the now-coed Boy Scouts of America in a trademark lawsuit brought by the Girl Scouts. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein on Wednesday told lawyers his “tentative” decision was to throw out …

Epstein Accuser Sues Prince Andrew Claiming Sexual Abuse

Prince Andrew was sued in New York by a woman who claims she was recruited by Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager and “lent out” to powerful men, including the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, for sexual purposes. Virginia Giuffre …

New York Gov. Cuomo Eased Path for Harassment Suits That May Now Target Him

Sexual harassment suits against Andrew Cuomo will face an easier path under changes to state law the governor signed two years ago, though New York taxpayers could be on the hook for the damages. Cuomo has been facing a political …

Internet Law Protects Video Platform From Church’s Bias Claim, Court Rules

Vimeo Inc. is immune to a lawsuit by a church whose account it deleted for promoting gay conversion, the federal appeals court in New York ruled, amid a battle over online speech. Church United and its president and founder, James …

SEC Sues Giuliani Associates Parnas, Correia Alleging Fraud Over Insurance Startup

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued two associates of Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and lawyer for Donald Trump, alleging they defrauded investors of $2 million in a company that never got off the ground. Lev …

Women Suing Goldman Sachs Demand Files with Words They Say Prove Discrimination

Women suing Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for gender discrimination are going after any internal documents with words like “babe,” “bimbo” or worse that they say would show bias by executives who administered the bank’s promotion and evaluation policies. The women …

AIG Settles Foreign Tax Credit Dispute With U.S.

American International Group Inc. settled a case involving cross-border transactions the government claimed amounted to improper tax shelters. The insurer agreed to pay a 10% penalty and disallow more than $400 million in foreign tax credits as part of the …

Berkshire Hathaway Sues Law Firm It Says Aided $756 Million M&A Fraud

A unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. claims a top international law firm helped German piping component maker Wilhelm Schulz GmbH fraudulently conceal its disastrous finances before its 2017 acquisition by the U.S. company. Berkshire unit Precision Castparts Corp. …

Some of Hand Sanitizer Purell’s Claims Called Misleading, Draw Lawsuits

Everyone’s favorite hand sanitizer may have to stand trial for claiming it can stop you from getting sick. A trio of lawsuits has hit Purell’s maker, Gojo Industries Inc., since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public …

What Companies Need to Disclose on Coronavirus Infections: Q&A

Almost all U.S. companies are likely to include in their quarterly filings broad statements on risks the ongoing coronavirus pandemic poses to their businesses. Should they be disclosing more? Smithfield Foods Inc., the world’s biggest pork processor, recently announced it …