Brianna Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Southwest Michigan. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Brianna has a passion for politics, social issues, education, science, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the simple life with her husband, daughter, and son.
Google, a Mountain View, California-based company, has been in the news quite a bit lately. However, instead of shining a spotlight on a former employee’s 10-page anti-diversity memo, this week Google is getting attention because three former female employees have decided to file a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of “discriminating against women in pay and promotions.”
A new safety recall has been issued by Studio Fun International for slap bracelets sold with “DreamWorks Trolls: It’s Hug Time!” storybooks. Why? Well, it turns out the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received reports that the slap bracelets can “cause cuts to the hands and fingers.” As a result, an estimated 79,000 bracelets are being recalled.
The Honest Co., Jessica Alba’s Health and Wellness company, has had a rough year. After battling class action lawsuits that alleged the company “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices related to its marketing, labeling, and advertising,” the Honest Co. has agreed to pay a $7 million settlement to customers in the United States who “purchased certain Honest diapering, cleaning, or personal care products.” Though the matter hasn’t been officially resolved in court, both sides of the aisle “agreed to settle the case in order to avoid the costs of continued litigation.”
Discrimination has many faces. From racial and age discrimination to gender discrimination, many can agree that it occurs far too often. One area where gender discrimination in particular is rearing it’s ugly head is the tech industry. For women trying to pursue careers in the male-dominated tech industry, they often face an uphill battle in their search for success. But gender discrimination in the tech industry isn’t just a U.S. problem. Around the world female tech professionals are either under represented in executive roles or face discrimination daily.
L.L. Bean, a company based in Maine, has decided to issue a nationwide recall of its popular “toddler sweater fleece pullovers…because the front snaps can detach and pose a potential choking hazard.”
Since the massive Equifax data breach that compromised sensitive personal information of 143 million Americans, more than 30 class action lawsuits have been filed against the credit reporting company. An estimated 25 of those lawsuits were filed as of Sunday in federal courts across the country, and at least one lawsuit is accusing Equifax of securities fraud. Even on Monday lawsuits against Equifax continued to pour in, and it’s expected that many of them will be “combined into a single, nationwide case.”
If you’ve been following the story about the detective that aggressively arrested a nurse in Utah, Alex Wubbels, then you probably know that there have been a lot of developments since that unfortunate day back in late July. Not only has the detective, Jeff Payne, been suspended from the blood draw unit with the Salt Lake City Police Department, but he’s also being investigated by state authorities and was fired from his second job as a paramedic with Gold Cross Ambulance. Now, it looks like the FBI is stepping in to examine whether or not Payne violated any federal laws when he assaulted and arrested Wubbels.
For many parents, the thought of losing a child is almost too much to bear. Unfortunately for two parents in Texas, John and Copper Comita, they’ve had to face every parent’s worst nightmare and filed a wrongful death lawsuit as a result. Their lawsuit was filed against the Boy Scouts of America after their son, 15-year-old boy scout Reid Comita, died from heatstroke during a mountain hike in Texas. The lawsuit was filed because they believe the organization was responsible for their son’s death.
An alarming cyber security attack on Equifax has compromised personal information of an estimated 143 million people across the United States. To put that number into perspective, that’s nearly half of the country’s population. According to reports from Equifax, “cyber criminals have accessed sensitive information such as names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and the numbers of some driver’s licenses.”
Mainstays is a popular furniture brand, and many Americans have some sort of furniture piece from the brand in their homes. Unfortunately, a voluntary recall has just been issued for the four-drawer chests from Ameriwood Home amid concerns “about their stability and entrapment hazards.” According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the chests “are unstable if not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children.”