News in Brief April 7 – Starbucks, WWE and More

It’s Thursday April 7th and this is the news. Today we have the attempted revival of a coffee shop wage and hour lawsuit, WWE wrestling with a proposed class action, counterfeit claims hitting an online craft marketplace and some unsolicited faxes.

Former Employee Urges Revival of Starbucks Class Action

A former Starbucks employee has asked that a wage and hour class action against the coffeehouse be revived. The lawsuit claims that Starbucks failed to properly pay its California employees for the time they spent closing their stores. Previously, the judge granted summary judgment in favor of Starbucks because the time employees spent closing was miniscule, but the ex-employee is arguing that labor laws must be upheld even if the amount in question is small.

WWE Wrestling with Lawsuit over Royalties

World Wrestling Entertainment has been hit with a proposed class action claiming that it refused to pay its wrestlers for the use of their intellectual property on streaming services. According to the complaint, wrestlers sign licensing agreements that allow WWE to use their names and likenesses, but only if they continue to be paid royalties.

Etsy Looks to Dismiss Securities Fraud Allegations

Etsy has asked a New York federal judge to dismiss a class action claiming that the company hides information that some products found on its site might be counterfeit – which investors claim results in stock drops. Etsy is arguing that the lawsuit has no merit because it adequately documented and presented all the risks involved with its investments.

Sanofi Spam Fax Lawsuit Denied Dismissal

A Third Circuit judge has refused to dismiss a class action against Sanofi Pasteur Inc. The lawsuit claims that Sanofi sent unsolicited faxes to consumers – in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Sanofi claimed that they had sufficiently offered full compensation to the lead plaintiff (only) and that there was nothing more to seek in court. The judge refused Sanofi’s request for dismissal on the grounds that companies aren’t allowed to end class actions by offering full relief to an individual plaintiff.