Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Elon Musk $258 Billion Dogecoin Lawsuit Expands

The $258 billion racketeering lawsuit accusing Elon Musk of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency Dogecoin has expanded, adding seven new investor plaintiffs and six new defendants including his tunnel construction business Boring Co. According to an amended …

J&J to Pay $40.5M to Settle New Hampshire Lawsuit, Avoid Trial Over Opioid Marketing

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $40.5 million to settle New Hampshire’s claims over the company’s role in the opioid epidemic, averting a trial that had been scheduled to begin next week. Thursday’s settlement resolves a lawsuit brought in …

Starbucks Executives, Directors Are Sued Over Diversity Policies

Starbucks Corp. executives and directors have been sued by a conservative think tank that believes the coffee chain’s efforts to promote diversity amount to racial discrimination. In a complaint filed on Tuesday, the National Center for Public Policy Research objected …

Sept. 11 Victims Not Entitled to Seize Afghan Central Bank Assets, Says Judge

A U.S. judge on Friday recommended that victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks not be allowed to seize billions of dollars of assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban. U.S. Magistrate …

Meta Reaches $37.5 Million Settlement of Facebook Location Tracking Lawsuit

Meta Platforms Inc. reached a $37.5 million settlement of a lawsuit accusing the parent of Facebook of violating users’ privacy by tracking their movements through their smartphones without permission. A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed on …

Peloton Must Face Lawsuit Over Availability of Fitness Classes

A U.S. judge on Thursday said Peloton Interactive Inc. must face a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the bike and treadmill maker of misleading customers about the “ever-growing” size of its library of on-demand fitness classes. The lawsuit stemmed from …

Berkshire Hathaway Posts $43.8 Billion Loss as Stock Holdings Tumble

The slide in U.S. stock prices punished Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s bottom line in the second quarter, as the conglomerate run by billionaire Warren Buffett on Saturday reported a $43.8 billion loss. Berkshire nevertheless generated nearly $9.3 billion of operating profit, …

Uber Admits Covering Up 2016 Hacking, Avoids Prosecution in U.S. Settlement

Uber Technologies Inc. on Friday accepted responsibility for covering up a 2016 data breach that affected 57 million passengers and drivers, as part of a settlement with U.S. prosecutors to avoid criminal charges. In entering a non-prosecution agreement, Uber admitted …

T-Mobile to Pay $350 Million in Settlement Over Massive Hacking

T-Mobile US Inc. agreed Friday to pay $350 million and spend an additional $150 million to upgrade data security to settle litigation over a cyberattack last year that compromised information belonging to an estimated 76.6 million people. The preliminary settlement …

Jury Finds Tesla 1% Negligent in Fatal Model S Crash

A Florida jury found electric car maker Tesla Inc. to be 1% negligent in the death of an 18-year-old man whose Model S sedan slammed into a concrete wall after the car’s speed limiter had been deactivated, with the teenager …