News in Brief June 3 – ABC, Marvel, AT&T and More

ABC, Marvel and Netflix Sued Over Workers’ Pay

ABC Television, Marvel Entertainment, Netflix and others who contributed to the making of “Jessica Jones” and “Quantico” have been hit with proposed class and collective actions claiming the companies didn’t properly pay their workers. According to the suits, set workers weren’t paid overtime despite working more than 40 hours per week, while parking production assistants weren’t given proper breaks or overtime.

Experian Accused of Failing to Provide Free Credit Reports

Experian Information Solutions has been hit with a proposed class action alleging that claims made by the information services company to provide consumers with annual, free credit reports are false. Named plaintiff Sean Gilbert DeVries says that when consumers attempt to access their “free” credit reports, they are required to jump through hoops to verify their identities – only to have the process ultimately fail. But, should the customer choose to pay to gain access to their credit report, it magically (and, of course, allegedly) becomes much easier to verify one’s identity. Unsurprisingly, the paid option rarely fails, according to the suit. The complaint says that the company’s practice of requiring unnecessary and complicated verification of one’s identity violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Teva Headache Patch Scrutinized Over Severe Burns

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will be investigating reports that Teva Pharmaceuticals’ migraine patch caused severe burns and scarring in a large number of patients. According to the announcement, the patch (Zecuity) can cause pain, blistering, redness and potentially permanent scarring – and should be immediately removed if patients start feeling pain. The FDA investigation should determine whether the agency needs to further regulate the product.

AT&T Accused of Misrepresenting GoPhones

AT&T has been accused of tricking consumers with a “classic bait and switch” scheme when it comes to calling plans advertised for its GoPhones. According to the complaint, the GoPhone’s packaging advertises that one of the featured plans lets consumers call anywhere in the U.S. for ten cents per minute – but no such plan exists. So, instead of the advertised plan, the unfortunate GoPhone purchasers are allegedly stuck with either a substantially more expensive plan or a useless phone.