News in Brief August 29 – US Water Polo, Mazda and More

USA Water Polo Concussion Suit Dismissed

A putative class action claiming that USA Water Polo Inc. was responsible for the concussions its players suffered was dismissed on Friday. The lawsuit was brought by a concerned mom after her 16-year-old daughter suffered a concussion during a tournament. The suit was dismissed after two amended complaints were filed and a third chance to refile wasn’t allowed. In the end, Judge Andrew J. Guilford found that the risk of head injury is a part of playing the sport.

Mazda Recalls SUVs Over Potential Steering Failure

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Mazda will be recalling 190,000 potentially defective CX-7 SUVs. According to the announcement, 2007 and 2012 CX-7s may contain defective suspension ball joints that could corrode when exposed to salt water (e.g., during winter when driving on salt-treated roads) and cause complete steering loss. The recall is set to begin in early October and the defective parts will be repaired at no cost to the owner.

HSBC Settles Illegal Call Recording Lawsuit

HSBC has agreed to shell out $13 million to settle a proposed class action claiming that it recorded debt collection calls without the recipients’ consent. If granted final approval, the settlement will cover three consolidated class actions alleging that HSBC violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

Tropical Smoothie Café Faces Lawsuit Over Hepatitis Outbreak

Tropical Smoothie Café is facing a lawsuit after its imported strawberries were linked to an outbreak of hepatitis A. The class action is looking to compensate a group of smoothie drinkers who had to take prophylactic measures (vaccine or immune globulin shot) after consuming the allegedly tainted strawberries. The class action is only looking to cover those who received medical treatment and didn’t get sick. Several of those who did get sick have already filed individual lawsuits.