New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman on December 30 announced that he has won a contempt of court decision against a Washington County scrap metal and automobile dismantling operation and its owners for failing to complete a court-ordered cleanup of environmental contamination. The Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Washington […]
U.S. Files Complaint Against Volkswagen on Clean Air Act Violations
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), yesterday filed a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit, Mich., against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations LLC, Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America Inc. The complaint alleges that nearly […]
3M Files Lawsuit to Enforce Paint Protection Films Patent
3M (NYSE:MMM) announced December 29 that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit in federal district court in Minnesota against XPEL Technologies Corporation. The suit alleges that XPEL Technologies Corporation’s XPF paint protection film product infringes 3M’s U.S. Patent No. 8,765,263. 3M develops paint protection film products which protect the finish of a vehicle from scratches, […]
Federal Lawsuit Filed Against 7 Insurers Alleging Conspiracy to Control the Cost of Collision Repairs
Repair facility alleges violation of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, Fraud and Unjust Enrichment by the largest U.S. insurers. Seeks class action status. A lawsuit brought by a Pennsylvania-based collision repair facility was filed April 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, naming State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, […]
Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Avery vs State Farm, Non-OEM Parts Suit
After almost three years of deliberation, the Illinois Supreme Court today issued its decision overturning the billion dollar Avery vs State Farm suit alleging that the insurer deceived policyholders by specifying the use of non-OEM parts for collision repairs. Because of differing language in different policies, the court ruled that a Williamson County Circuit Court […]
J.C. Whitney & Co. Seeks Injunction Against Carparts.com
J.C. Whitney & Co. has filed a six-count lawsuit against Carparts.com for unfair and deceptive trade practices. According to the J.C. Whitney suit, Carparts.com, based in Santa Monica, CA, has been driving Internet users to its web site by misappropriating the J.C. Whitney trade name, using such URLs as “jcwhitneya.car-carparts.com”, “jcwhitney.car-carparts.com”, etc. Such actions are […]
PA Court Throws Out Diminished Value Class Action Suit
The NAII reports that the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas recently joined state trial courts in Florida, Texas and Massachusetts in rejecting a class action suit that would require insurers to pay for both the repair and the alleged “diminished value” of cars involved in accidents. “These so-called diminished value cases have been found […]