News in Brief June 21 – Apple, Sony and More

Apple iPhone Software Lawsuit Dismissed

A proposed class action claiming that an Apple software update caused iPhone users to lose everything stored on their phones was dismissed on Monday. Judge Vince Chhabria found that since the lawsuit looked to have Apple fix the problem with its software and cover the repair costs – and Apple already did those things – there was nothing left to gain from suing the company.

Sour Patch Watermelon Candy-Maker Sued For Misleading Packaging

Mondelez International (the maker of Sour Patch Watermelon candy) is the latest company to be accused of slack-filling its products. This time, Mondelez is being accused of tricking customers into thinking that there’s more Sour Patch Watermelon candy in its 3.5 oz. boxes than there actually is. The lawsuit claims that the allegedly false marketing violates the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Sony Agrees to Settle PS3 Software Lawsuit

Sony has agreed to settle claims that its PlayStation 3 firmware stopped allowing the system to run on other operating systems. The settlement could potentially cover up to 10 million people who bought a PS3 and who claim that the firmware change (which happened in 2010) limited the functionality of their game consoles. Proposed class members would be able to claim either $55 or $9 if they can show that they were adversely affected by the change.

Citibank Settles Wage and Hour Suit

Citibank and two employee-staffing companies (Princeton Information and Open Systems Technologies) have agreed to pay $1 million to settle claims that they failed to pay their workers proper overtime wages. The settlement will compensate employees who were hired by the staffing agencies to perform clerical work (the office kind, not the clergy kind) for Citibank and, in turn, put to rest allegations that the companies violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Judge Gives Final Approval to Settlement in Auto Parts Price-Fixing MDL

Judge Marianne O. Battani granted final approval to a $225 million settlement that will end multidistrict litigation that accused nine auto parts manufacturers of illegally fixing their prices. According to the Department of Justice’s ongoing investigation into the automotive industry, the parts-makers agreed to raise the prices of 19 specific parts, including alternators, starters, wire harness systems, instrument panel clusters and others.

Herr’s Faces Lawsuit Over Snack Food Preservatives

Herr’s Food has been hit with a proposed class action alleging the “No Preservatives Added” label on its potato chips, cheese curls and other snacks is bogus. According to the lawsuit, Herr’s uses citric acid (a non-natural, chemically processed preservative) in its products and, therefore, can’t legally say that its products are free of preservatives.