Class Action Roundup – June 3

Thanks for joining us for this week’s Class Action Roundup. Your reward? A look at some of the biggest class action news from around the web. (Hooray!)

“Biggest Loser” Contestants Threaten to File Suit

Former contestants of NBC’s reality series “The Biggest Loser” are threatening to file a class action claiming that they were forced to lie about their weight, take drugs and dehydrate themselves for the sake of the show. Suzanne Mendonca (a contestant from season two) says that everything she was forced to do caused her and others to experience emotional distress. It’s worth noting that not all of the contestants feel the same way, as some have taken to social media to defend the show and talk about their positive experiences. If you’d like to know more, Meena Jang of the Hollywood Reporter has more on the story and the contestant’s reactions to the potential litigation. Check it out here.

Fitbit Heart Rate Litigation Races

I’m sure you’ve heard about the lawsuits that say Fitbit’s heart rate tracking is lacking in the accuracy department. Well, now the attorneys working on the litigation claim to have produced a study that shows just how inaccurate the devices really are. The results? The study says the devices are, on average, off by 20 beats per minute off during exercise. The attorneys are adding this newfound fuel to their legal fire, potentially adding solid proof to their case against Fitbit. For more information on the study and the litigation, check out Paul Lamkin’s article over at Wearable.com.

Facebook’s Privacy Class Action Could Affect Millions

Facebook was hit with a lawsuit in 2013 that claimed it violated users’ privacy by using information from private messages to target advertisements. Well, it’s been a few years since then and the lawsuit has now been partially certified – meaning that all Facebook users in the U.S. who sent or received a private message with a URL in it since December 30, 2011 could be entitled to compensation if the case settles. Yeah. That’s going to be a big number. Facebook has something like a billion users and it’s fairly safe to assume that at least few million users in the U.S. have sent their friend a link to a cool video or interesting article within the last five years. Speaking of interesting articles, check out this one by Ashley Cullins over at Hollywood Reporter for more information on the Facebook litigation.

Well, that’s it for this week’s Class Action Roundup – Hollywood Reporter Edition. Seriously though, a big shoutout to Meena and Ashley for killing it on the class action news. Thanks for the great work.