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Alaina Lancaster

Alaina Lancaster

Alaina Lancaster, based in San Francisco, covers disruptive trends and technologies shaping the future of law. She authors the weekly legal futurist newsletter What's Next. Contact her at [email protected]. On Twitter: @a_lancaster3

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September 23, 2019 | The Recorder

Passengers Sue United Claiming Kickbacks Doubled the Cost of Travel Insurance

Consumers claim that they would not have paid the artificially inflated travel insurance prices had they known that the airline negotiated a brokerage fee with the sellers.

By Alaina Lancaster

3 minute read

September 19, 2019 | The Recorder

Blocked Marketer Accuses Facebook of Wielding 'Virtually Monopolistic Power'

Content-marketing company Stackla alleges that Facebook revoked the company's access to its platforms to protect its own reputation in light of Cambridge Analytica backlash, not for any legitimate violations of their agreement.

By Alaina Lancaster

4 minute read

September 18, 2019 | The Recorder

Ninth Circuit Finds 'Uncomfortable Facts' Are Not State Secrets in CIA Torture Ruling

A panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that the district court did not do enough to separate privileged information from sensitive facts that could be embarrassing to the government.

By Alaina Lancaster

5 minute read

September 18, 2019 | Law.com

What's Next: Uber's Arbitration Agreements Hit a Detour + Google Cleans House with More Employee Guidelines + Are Big Tech's Fingerprints on California's Privacy Law?

An appeals court ruled in favor of Uber drivers in an order that could open the floodgates for litigation against the ridesharing industry.

By Alaina Lancaster

12 minute read

September 16, 2019 | The Recorder

Google Hit With Another Age Discrimination Suit by Former Employee Who Claims He Was Called 'Grandpa' and 'Old and Slow'

After a July settlement with 200 job seekers claiming the company didn't hire them because of their age, Google faces a lawsuit from a 72-year-old former employee who said the tech giant's investigation of alleged discrimination and retaliation was inadequate.

By Alaina Lancaster

4 minute read

September 13, 2019 | The Recorder

Appellate Court Upholds $900K Damages Award in Case Where Televangelist Blamed Granddaughter for Her Own Rape

The Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal decided that televangelist Jan Crouch's behavior went beyond "grandmotherly scolding or irascible behavior," as lawyers for the church she co-founded had argued.

By Alaina Lancaster

4 minute read

September 12, 2019 | The Recorder

Mental Health Care Providers Seek Payment From UnitedHealthcare for Billions in 'Wrongfully Denied Claims'

Although an earlier ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero aimed to address the harm caused to patients who were able to pay for their treatment out of pocket, it did nothing to rectify the harm done to unpaid healthcare providers, according to the complaint.

By Alaina Lancaster

3 minute read

September 11, 2019 | The Recorder

Cellphone Users Sue Apple and Samsung Over Radiation Exposure

San Francisco's Andrus Anderson represents a class action of phone owners who say they would not have purchased or paid top dollar for their cells if they had known about the risks of contact with radiofrequency radiation.

By Alaina Lancaster

4 minute read

September 11, 2019 | Law.com

What's Next Facebook Pivots on Facial Recognition + Judge Says Gibson Dunn Attorneys 'Couldn't Be More Wrong' On Privacy + State AGs Tee Up Antitrust Probes

Facebook rolled out some new facial recognition settings, and it appears the FTC had a role in that.

By Alaina Lancaster

9 minute read

September 09, 2019 | The Recorder

Ninth Circuit Tells John Steinbeck's Family to Stop Litigating the Same Copyright Claims

"This has to end," wrote Ninth Circuit Judge Richard Tallman. "We cannot say it any clearer."

By Alaina Lancaster

6 minute read