News in Brief July 6 – Amazon, Twitter and More

Amazon Subsidiary Settles Delivery Worker Lawsuit

An Amazon subsidiary that handles its same-day delivery service has agreed to settle a class action claiming that it failed to pay its workers properly. According to the lawsuit, R.R. Donnelly & Sons’ employees were consistently required to work up to 50 hours per week without overtime pay, with some workers wrongly classified as independent contractors. The settlement amount has not yet been made known to the public.

Twitter Responsible for Sending Unwanted Texts

Twitter’s request for partial summary judgment in a lawsuit claiming that it violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act was rejected on Friday. (The lawsuit claims that Twitter sent hundreds of unwanted text-message tweets.) Judge Vince Chhabria found that the social media network can’t escape the claims even if the recipients’ phones were previously owned by people who consented to receive the messages.

AT&T Sued for Holding Out on Returned Phone Refunds

AT&T is facing a proposed class action claiming that it makes its customers jump through hoops to return their unwanted phones for refunds that may never materialize. According to the lawsuit, customers wishing simply to return their phones within the 14-day window period are kept busy by service calls that promise refunds, but serve only to coax people into buying new phones and maintaining their current payment plans.

Citizens Bank Settles Robocalling Suit

Citizens Bank has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that it placed automated calls to more than one million consumers’ cellphones without their permission. The settlement puts to rest allegations that the bank violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and could award close to $280 to each class member, if everyone submits a claim.

UPS Accused of Violating Massachusetts Wage Laws

United Parcel Service Inc. has been hit with a putative class action claiming that it didn’t pay its employees when they came in for work on slow days and were sent home after a few hours. The workers are claiming that this practice violates Massachusetts wage laws and are seeking compensation for the hours they did work when they came in.