Pays $750,000 to settle FTC antitrust suit
Trump agrees to pay a $750,000 civil penalty to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by the FTC, alleging his 1986 stock purchase of Holiday Corp. and Bally Manufacturing Corp, as part of a takeover bid, violated the notification procedures required by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The law requires that buyers must notify the government before purchasing more than $15 million worth of voting stock in a company and wait 30 days before completing the transaction.
[I decided to settle the case] to avoid protracted litigation within the federal government over a highly technical disagreement between the FTC and the business community…I firmly believe that I was in full compliance with the Hart- Scott-Rodino Act reporting restrictions…The most respected lawyers in the business’ [told me the law exempted the purchase of stock options]. Bear, Stearns also gave me the same assurance. I assume Bear, Stearns will reimburse me for the expense.
Divorce settlement
The Trumps settle their divorce. Ivana gets a settlement of $14 million dollars, a 45-room mansion, an apartment in the Trump Plaza, and $650,000 annually. The deal is similar to their prenuptial agreement. Trump will retain the 50-room triplex they shared at the top of Trump Tower, New York. Due to Donald’s precarious financial situation, Ivana’s lawyers say she wants to take the money now rather than hold out for a better deal. If Trump is forced to file for personal bankruptcy protection, the lawyers feared that Ivana would be just one of her ex-husband’s many creditors. Donald had asked his bankers this week for $10 million to pay for the settlement, but the banks confirmed yesterday that they had refused. He said he would come up with the money, but it remains unclear where the $14 million will come from because he gets a living allowance of only $375,000 a month from the banks. Donald:
I’m very happy that this is behind me and I think it’s a real positive step for everyone.
Wins damages
Mills wins $316,700 in damages for an accident involving British police motorcyclist PC Osborne. The case is settled out of court without any admission of guilt from Mills for the loss of her left leg. Mills issues a statement saying she only sued Osborne after he pursued his own claims against her for stress, anxiety, and loss of overtime due to a sprained wrist.
I feel a sense of relief that this is all over and this has ended in the right ruling for the public, not just myself.
$127,500 sexual harrassment payout
Tammy Brevik receives a $127,500 settlement after she sues Palmer, claiming he sexually harassed her when she worked for for him in his Minneapolis dental practice from 1999 to 2005.
I believe my sex was a factor… in that many of Dr Palmer’s comments concerned my breasts, buttocks and genitalia. I also believe that my termination was in retaliation for reporting the conduct because I was terminated the day my lawyer contacted Dr Palmer regarding the harassment.
Palmer denies any wrongdoing but agrees to the payment. He is ordered to take a jurisprudence exam and complete an ethics course.
Texas $1.4 million fraud settlement
The organization agrees to settle a billing fraud claim made against it by the State of Texas.
Investigators determined that Planned Parenthood falsified material information in patients’ medical records in order to support fraudulent reimbursement claims.
However, Planned Parenthood’s spokesperson denies the fraud allegations and says the organization agreed to settle for practical reasons.
Continuing this litigation in the hostile environment for women’s health would have ensured a lengthy and costly process that would have distracted our energies and required us to share the private medical information of thousands of women.
Bitcoin traders settle class actions
According to a statement and court filings, U.S. and Canadian customers have agreed to settle their proposed class action lawsuits by supporting a plan by Sunlot Holdings to buy the exchange and accept their share of bitcoins still held by Mt. Gox. Sunlot plans to buy Mt. Gox for one Bitcoin (less than $500).
The customers will share in a 16.5 percent stake after Mt. Gox is sold to Sunlot, a firm backed by child actor-turned entrepreneur Brock Pierce and venture capitalist William Quigley, and split the 200,000 bitcoins that Mt. Gox said it found after seeking bankruptcy protection. They will also split up to $20 million held by the administrator for Mt. Gox. Jay Edelson, the lead attorney in the U.S. case said:
This is the customers’ best option and the only chance they have for full restitution
The settlement releases Jed McCaleb, and Gonzague Gay-Bouchery, who have committed to help pursue the class action against the remaining defendants: Karpeles, Tibanne, Mizuho Bank Ltd and others.
Renounces Canadian dual citizenship
Cruz officially renounces his Canadian dual citizenship. His spokeswoman:
Ted is pleased to receive the notification and glad to have this process finalize.
Settlement
UNC settles with Willingham for $335,000. Willingham wanted her job back in her suit, but that was not part of the settlement. In her lawsuit against UNC, she claimed she was retaliated against and demoted for exposing nearly two decades of academic fraud, which caused her to resign amid the scandal. Willingham:
It gets me out far enough that I will be able to get a job.
UNC:
We believe the settlement is in the best interest of the university and allows us to move forward and fully focus on other important issues.
Settles LAX scuffle lawsuit
West settles lawsuit with photographer Daniel Ramos over LAX scuffle. Ramos’ attorney, Allred, doesn’t reveal the terms of the settlement, but says the agreement includes West apologizing to Ramos. Allred:
We believe that this case sent an important message. Celebrities are not above the law, and they have no right to physically attack someone simply because they were asked a question.
Family settles for $5.9 million
Officials say the family of Garner accepts settlement for $5.9 million with New York City. NYC Comptroller Stringer:
Following a judicious review of the claim and facts of this case, my office was able to reach a settlement with the estate of Eric Garner that is in the best interests of all parties. We are all familiar with the events that lead to the death of Eric Garner and the extraordinary impact his passing has had on our City and our nation. It forced us to examine the state of race relations, and the relationship between our police force and the people they serve. [The settlement] acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner’s death while balancing my office’s fiscal responsibility to the City.
Stringer also says the settlement does not mean New York City accepts liability.
Leaves Philippines
Brown leaves the Philippines after a contract dispute initially prevented him from departing the country. His earlier Tweets have been deleted.
— Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) July 24, 2015
Enforcement action
U.S. Department of Transportation says Fiat Chrysler must offer to buy back hundreds of thousands of recalled vehicles and faces fine of up to $105 million. Jeep owners of affected vehicles will be paid to repair their gas tanks or offered a trade-in. Secretary Foxx:
Today’s action holds Fiat Chrysler accountable for its past failures, pushes them to get unsafe vehicles repaired or off the roads and takes concrete steps to keep Americans safer going forward.
$6.4 million wrongful death settlement
Baltimore officials reach a $6.4 million wrongful death settlement with Gray’s family. The deal still must be approved on Wed 9 September by the city’s Board of Estimates, the governing body that oversees the city’s spending. $2.8 million will be paid to Gray’s family this fiscal year, and $3.6 million in the fiscal year beginning next July. The settlement also calls for the Baltimore police department to begin requiring its officers to wear body cameras. The mayor’s office says the settlement will resolve any civil claims against the city, the police department and the individual officers, but is not an admission of liability and would not impact the criminal cases.
The proposed settlement agreement going before the Board of Estimates should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial. This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city, and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages.
$900m faulty ignition settlement
General Motors reaches a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with the company agreeing to pay $900 million to end a criminal inquiry into its failure to recall vehicles with faulty ignitions. The fault, which could shut down engines, disable power-assisted steering and brakes and prevent airbags working, has been linked to more than 100 confirmed deaths. An independent monitor will also be appointed at the company. The car maker admitted it did not alert regulators and the public, and did not begin recalling cars worldwide until early 2014, after years of avoiding any acknowledgement of the problem. The number of recalled cars rose to nearly 30 million by the end of 2014. US Attorney’s Office:
[GM] admits that it failed to disclose a safety defect to NHTSA and misled US consumers about that same defect.
CEO Barra says that the company’s engineers, managers and workers who identify a problem must come forward or they will be held responsible.:
Reaching an agreement with the Justice Department does not mean we are putting the issue behind us. Our mission has been to take the difficult lessons from this experience and use them to improve our company. We’ve come a long way and we will continue to build on our progress.
Case closed
Pao’s gender-bias case against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers closes as the venture capital firm says in a court filing that its award for court costs against her is resolved. The company says it has accepted a payment or performance other than the amount ordered by the judge.
Widow, children settle estate claims
Williams’ widow and his three children reach a settlement over his estate. Lawyers say Susan Williams will remain in the San Francisco Bay Area home she shared with Williams and receive living expenses to maintain the home for the rest of her life. She will also receive a watch Robin Williams often wore, a bike bought on their honeymoon, and their wedding gifts. Lawyer:
Susan gets to enforce Robin’s wishes. She gets to stay in the house as Robin wanted, with the trust being created to pay the expenses.
Children’s lawyer:
I think they’re just very happy to have this behind them.
Trump, Univision reach Miss USA settlement
Trump and Univision reach a settlement litigation that was initiated after the network decided not to air Trump’s Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. Terms are not disclosed. Trump:
I have known Univision’s President and CEO, Randy Falco, for more than 20 years and I’m glad we are able to put these differences behind us.
Falco:
I have known Donald Trump for many years in both a personal and professional capacity and we are pleased to settle this matter and move forward.
False cleanup claim settlement
Shell will forfeit a chance to collect up to $150 million from a state-run fund that reimburses oil companies for cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks. The company also will pay $20 million in penalties under a settlement, by California officials, bringing the total cost to as much as $170 million. The whistleblower, who informed the Water Board that Shell was collecting insurance proceeds while also submitting claims to a cleanup fund for underground tanks, will collect $3.4 million of the $20 million. California Water Board:
They were getting reimbursement for cleanup costs from an insurer.
Shell denies wrongdoing:
We feel this settlement is an amicable resolution to this issue.
The company is still obligated to clean up the leaks even though the reimbursement claims have been denied. Shell still has about 900 claims pending with the state cleanup fund.
Settles Trump University suit for $25 million
Trump agrees to settle three cases relating to Trump University for $25 million. The cases were brought by former students who paid $35,000 for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors. Trump will not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. Schneiderman
Today’s $25 million [£20m] settlement agreement is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university. The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result and I am pleased that their patience – and persistence – will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.
Columbia settles with Nungesser
Columbia settles with Nungesser out of court for an unknown amount. Nungesser’s lawsuit contended the university had failed in its duty of care to protect him after the college investigation cleared him of the rape allegation. He stated that he faced discrimination because of Sulkowicz’s art project, and argued the university violated Title IX by allowing her to receive academic credit for a project that encouraged protest against a fellow student.
Columbia statement:
Paul Nungesser and Columbia University have agreed to settle the lawsuit he filed in 2015. While Paul was a student at Columbia, he was accused of sexual misconduct. In November 2013, after a diligent and thorough investigation, Paul was found not responsible for any misconduct. Columbia University stands by that finding. In 2015, Paul graduated from Columbia in good standing as a distinguished John Jay Scholar. John Jay Scholars, like Paul, are recognized for their remarkable academic and personal achievements, dynamism, intellectual curiosity, and original thinking. Paul is currently enrolled at an internationally recognized film school and has launched a career as a filmmaker. Columbia recognizes that after the conclusion of the investigation, Paul’s remaining time at Columbia became very difficult for him and not what Columbia would want any of its students to experience. Columbia will continue to review and update its policies toward ensuring that every student––accuser and accused, including those like Paul who are found not responsible––is treated respectfully and as a full member of the Columbia
community.
Nungesser lawyer:
We are very pleased with this settlement. Together with Paul and his parents, we have fought for three long years for a statement like the one Columbia released today. It gives Paul a chance to go on with his life and recover from the false accusation against him. We hope that the resolution of the case also ensures that no student will ever have to endure what Paul went through after he was exonerated.
Nungessers’s parents:
The scarlet letter that comes with an allegation of rape is virtually indelible, and that is why universities must take great care in their approach to these matters. This dark episode in Paul’s life will never fully disappear, but we are extremely happy that Paul can now fully focus on following his passion and talent as an aspiring filmmaker.