Articles by Erik Larson

Title Insurer Amrock’s Lawsuit Backfires to Tune of $706M

An affiliate of mortgage-lending firm Quicken Loans Inc. filed a fraud suit to back out of a software deal with a housing data-analytics firm, serving the complaint at a trade show in front of the startup’s customers and calling the …

Appeals Court Rules Firing Over Sexual Orientation Is Illegal

Gay workers and their corporate supporters won a legal victory over the Trump administration as a federal appeals court ruled that firing people over their sexual orientation is a form of illegal sex discrimination. The appeals court in Manhattan overturned …

Exxon Claim of Bogus Schneiderman Probe Questioned by Judge

A federal judge questioned Exxon Mobil Corp.’s claim that a securities-fraud probe by New York’s Attorney General is flawed because its focus shifted from a suspected climate-change cover-up to whether investors were misled. An Exxon lawyer argued Thursday that “shifting …

Trump Administration Argues U.S. Civil Rights Law Does Not Protect Gay Employees

The U.S. law that has protected workers from gender and racial bias for more than half a century should not be extended to cover gay and lesbian employees because that isn’t what Congress envisioned when it passed the bill, Trump …

Exxon Must Disclose Accounting Details in New York Climate Probe

Exxon Mobil Corp.’s attempt to use “accountant-client privilege” to avoid handing over audit documents in a politically charged climate-change probe was dealt a final blow by New York’s top court. The finding on Tuesday affirms a 2016 ruling that Exxon …

New York Says Exxon’s Climate Change Proxy Costs May Be a `Sham’

New York’s top cop told a judge that an investigation into Exxon Mobil Corp.’s public statements about climate change uncovered “significant evidence” the oil giant may have misled investors. In a court filing Friday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman …

Exxon Dealt a Blow as Texas Judge Sends Climate Suit to New York

Exxon Mobil Corp.’s attempt to derail a multistate fraud probe into whether the company fully disclosed to investors the financial risks of climate change was dealt a major blow after a Texas judge moved the case from its home turf …

Wal-Mart to Settle Bias Suit Over Gay Benefits for $7.5 Million

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of discriminating against gay workers by failing to offer health insurance benefits to their spouses. The settlement covers employees who were affected by Wal-Mart’s conduct …

Exxon Climate Judge Orders ‘Unprecedented’ Questioning

A federal judge in Texas is giving Exxon Mobil Corp. an unprecedented chance to question a state law-enforcement officer who is investigating whether the energy company hid damaging data about climate change from investors. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in …

Trump Settles University Fraud Claims for $25 Million, Avoids Trial

President-elect Donald Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle claims that his defunct Trump University cheated more than 6,000 students with false promises of teaching them his real estate secrets. The accord, announced Friday minutes before the start of …