News in Brief September 15 – Samsung, L'Oréal and More [UPDATE]

Samsung Faces Lawsuit Over Smartphone Explosion Injuries

Samsung has been hit with a lawsuit after a Galaxy S7 Edge owner claimed that his phone exploded in his pocket. While not the exact phone that was recalled earlier this month (the Galaxy Note 7), the product at issue in the suit is a similar model. According to the lawsuit, the phone’s lithium-ion batteries contain a potential defect that can cause them to burst into flames – and that, by not warning potential phone buyers, Samsung deceived its customers.

Lawsuit: L‘Oréal Hair Relaxer Causes Hair Loss

L‘Oréal USA Inc. is facing a proposed class action claiming that its hair relaxer kit is defective and causes hair loss, scalp irritation and burns. According to the lawsuit, the product in question is advertised as a lye-free hair relaxer that makes hair fuller and smoother because of its key ingredient, amla oil (made from amla fruit, which is also known as the gooseberry). But, the complaint claims that there isn’t much amla in the relaxer and that it contains irritants and potentially toxic ingredients instead. The lawsuit is looking to compensate anyone in the U.S. who bought the product.

Farmers Insurance Reaches Wage and Hour Deal

Farmers Insurance has agreed to pay $4.9 million to settle claims that it failed to grant claims adjusters proper rest periods and overtime wages. Under the settlement, more than 2,000 of Farmers’ California employees will be able to claim part of their allegedly lost wages.

NFL Commits $100 Million to Fight Concussions

In the wake of all the lawsuits hitting organizations over whether players are properly protected from concussions, the National Football League committed $100 million to support research toward the injury. The initiative – titled “Play Smart. Play Safe.” – will reportedly look to improve medical protocols and help promote concussion safety by changing the way the game (football) is taught. The $100 million will be split to cover different areas, with $60 million going to engineering research and $40 million going to medical research.

PacSun Looks to Settle Wage and Hour Class Action

PacSun (Pacific Sunwear) proposed a $400,000 settlement in a class action claiming that it didn’t pay employees for breaks or for tasks performed after the store closed. The proposed settlement would offer current and former PacSun employees (if they worked there between 2007 and 2015) $300,000 in cash payments and $100,000 in store vouchers in total.