News in Brief June 15 – General Mills, Hyundai, Kia and More

Hyundai, Kia Recall Issued Over Hood Latch Defect

Hyundai and Kia are recalling a total of 300,000 cars over potentially defective hood latches. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the primary hood latches can unintentionally be released, leaving only the secondary latch to compensate – and increasing the risk of the hood opening while the vehicles are in motion. Affected models include 2016 Hyundai Tucson SUVs and 2006-2014 Kia Sedona minivans.

The Sopranos’ “Bada Bing” Club Facing Class Action

The notorious stand-in for the “Bada Bing” strip club (made famous by “The Sopranos”) has been hit with a proposed class action over its retention of dancers’ tips. According to the lawsuit, Satin Dolls and The Harlem (the clubs’ actual names) violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by illegally keeping dancers’ tips and deducting “fees” from their paychecks, leaving them with less than minimum wage. The lawsuit is looking to recover unpaid wages for close to 100 of the clubs’ employees.

General Mills GMO Lawsuit Put On Hold

The proposed class action claiming that General Mills deceived consumers by advertising the corn in its Kix cereal as “all natural” was put on hold in anticipation of an evaluation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Judge Kevin McNulty announced that he wants to wait until the FDA reviews the public’s comments about the whole “natural” issue before the court comes to a decision. McNulty said that the FDA’s “expertise” is “critical” to the case. And, while that may be true, we still have to wait on the FDA to come to a conclusion about natural foods. Even with public opinion playing a factor, this could take a while. So, uh, don’t hold your breath.

Sun Products Accused of Using Deceptive Packaging

Sun Products is facing a putative class action that says the company used oversized containers for their liquid detergent to make consumers think they were getting more for their money. Classic slack-fill accusations. Allegedly, the detergent containers are filled with roughly 17 percent empty space that isn’t actually serving a purpose – aside from potentially misleading consumers.