News in Brief April 28 – Ford, Whole Foods and Starbucks… Again

Whole Foods Accused of Fixing Scales

Whole Foods has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that its checkout scales measure weight differently than the scales in the produce department, causing some customers to pay more than they anticipated. The plaintiff claims that when he weighed a bag of grapes in the produce section, the price was close to $3, but ended up being $9 at the register.

GM Financial Hit with Robocall Lawsuit

General Motors Financial Co. has been accused of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by making collection calls to customers’ family members. The proposed class action says that GM used autodialers to call these individuals without their prior consent. The attorneys working on the case are looking to get $2,000 per unsolicited call for each potential class member.

Ford Recalls Vehicles Over Transmission Problems

Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will be recalling nearly 202,000 vehicles because of a potential issue with their transmissions. According to Ford’s announcement, the defect could cause the vehicles to shift down into first gear while in motion, severely reducing the car’s speed and increasing the risk of an accident. Included in the recall are 2011-2012 Ford F-150 Trucks, 2012 Ford Expeditions, Ford Mustang SUVs and Lincoln Navigators.

Ashley Furniture Sued Over Unexceptional Upholstery

Ashley Furniture has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that it misrepresented the quality of its DuraBlend upholstery. According to the lawsuit, the upholstery blend was purposely not designed to last more than a couple years – despite claims that it was made of “bonded leather.” The suit also alleges that there is, in fact, no leather in Ashley Furniture’s DuraBlend upholstery and that the company’s claims are misleading customers.

Dapple Accused of Falsely Advertising “Natural” Products

Dapple Baby has been accused of falsely advertising its cleaning products, claiming that they are natural when they actually contain synthetic and highly processed ingredients. According to a proposed class action, Dapple deceived customers looking to buy all-natural and safe products to use around their babies. If the lawsuit goes in favor of the plaintiffs, Dapple could be required to pay for monetary relief to the class members and change its allegedly misleading advertising strategy.

Starbucks Sued for Under-Filling Cold Drinks

Starbucks has been hit with another lawsuit claiming that it failed to properly fill its beverages – except this time it’s over cold drinks. The lawsuit claims that both the standardized measurements used to make cold drinks and the amount of ice added causes the finished drinks to be several fluid ounces less than the coffee chain advertises. By this time next year, we might just have a lawsuit for everything on the menu.