News in Brief June 28 Coach, Banana Boat and More

Judge Denies Settlement Deal for Coach Sales Associates

It’s not over just yet for a group of California Coach sales associates who say they weren’t paid for the 30 minutes they spent waiting in line for security bag checks at the end of their shifts. The judge overseeing the case rejected a proposed $1.75 million settlement deal, saying he was concerned about whether it was fair and reasonable. One of the points he took issue with: allowing unclaimed settlement funds to go to the state rather than to the sale associates through a second round of payments.

Maker of Banana Boat Sued Over Misleading SPF Labels on Kids’ Sunscreens

Playtex Products, the maker of Banana Boat sunscreen, is facing a class action lawsuit in New Jersey over the amount of SPF in some of its kid’s sunscreens. According to the suit, the Banana Boat Kids SPF 50 product does not have an SPF of 50 as it claims. So how much SPF is actually in the product? About an SPF of 8, the suit says. The suit is looking to represent consumers nationwide.

Keyless Fob Suit Nearing Its End

It’s about over for a group of Ford, Kia and Toyota customers who claim that their keyless cars are defective and dangerous. Yesterday, a judge in California tentatively ruled to dismiss the lawsuit, which claimed that the carmakers failed to install proper safeguards and warnings for when drivers get out of their cars and leave the engines running. Although reports suggested that more than a dozen people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after their engines failed to shut off when the keyless fobs were a distance away, the judge said that he didn’t see how the plaintiffs themselves had been harmed.

Florida Strip Club Hit with Suit Over Dancers’ Wages

Tampa-area strip club Bare Assets is at the center of a class action lawsuit that claims dancers are being misclassified as independent contractors. When someone is classified as a contractor – as opposed to an employee – he or she is not entitled to normal workplace protections, including the right to minimum wage and overtime pay. The dancers claim that they are, in fact, employees because management controls how they dance, how much they charge and how they interact with customers. This is another case in a long string of suits alleging that exotic dancers are employees, not contractors, and are owed at least the minimum wage for their work, as well as overtime pay.