Michael Liedtke

January 11, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

A federal appeals court on Tuesday cleared the way for California to recover $4.6 billion that the state's attorney general alleges was illegally transferred from Pacific Gas and Electric to its corporate parent before the power utility's 2001 bankruptcy. The 9th Circuit decided U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker had improperly restricted the state's policing powers when he concluded that federal bankruptcy laws blocked the reimbursement claim from being heard in state court.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

August 16, 2004 | Law.com

Google Inc. forged ahead with its IPO auction Friday, even as the online search engine leader acknowledged a newly published magazine interview with its founders contained misleading information. The flap over the Playboy interview cast another cloud over the once-resplendent IPO. The company has been stung by a backlash against its high IPO target price and a legal settlement that will result in a third-quarter loss.

By Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

September 23, 2005 | Law.com

Arguments are scheduled today in a California class action consumer lawsuit that seeks to force Visa and Mastercard to notify 264,000 customers that a computer hacker stole their account information from a payment processor. The breach, initially disclosed by MasterCard three months ago, exposed up to 40 million credit and debit-card accounts to potential abuse between August 2004 and May 2005. The credit card companies maintain that responsibility should fall to the banks administering the accounts.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

December 09, 2005 | Corporate Counsel

Six former and current employees of Best Buy Co. sued the electronics retailer Thursday, alleging the company has purposefully excluded women and minorities from top-paying jobs as part of a sales culture catering to white men. The civil complaint, filed in a San Francisco federal court, seeks to be certified as a class action so it can potentially represent thousands of women, blacks and Hispanics who work in Best Buy's 731 stores nationwide.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

May 17, 2006 | Law.com

Software makers Symantec and McAfee launched a crackdown on illegal Internet sales of their products Tuesday by suing suspected pirates who have set up shop on the online auction site eBay. "If online marketplaces are going to pursue the free-market ideals that they aspire to, they must make sure the products they sell are authentic," said Joe Fitzgerald of Symantec. The industry estimates it loses $11 billion to $12 billion a year from the distribution of pirated software.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

April 26, 2007 | Law.com

In what has become an annual rite, Chevron's opponents in a South American environmental and legal quagmire have come to the U.S. in an effort to gain support from consumers, investors and politicians. The latest public relations campaign culminated in California during Chevron's shareholders' meeting Wednesday, when a delegation from Ecuadorean rain forests contaminated by oil drilling confronted Chevron's chairman. A class action suit seeks an estimated $6 billion in clean-up costs from Chevron.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

October 10, 2006 | Law.com

By Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

March 24, 2006 | Law.com

A San Francisco Superior Court judge indicated on Wednesday that he needed more time to figure out how much to reduce the fees of two lawyers representing the interests of 5.5 million current and former Netflix subscribers. Judge Thomas Mellon Jr.'s refusal to approve the proposed attorney fees represents the latest twist in an 18-month-old case revolving around allegations that Netflix had been exaggerating how quickly it delivers movies to subscribers.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

May 09, 2006 | Law.com

Some Google advertisers say the search giant is shortchanging them by offering $60 million in refunds to settle a class action over "click fraud." One marketing director, who isn't sure how much his company paid Google for bogus sales referrals caused by the sham, called the offer "almost like an insult." Google also expects to pay $30 million to lawyers who settled the case on behalf of advertisers. An Arkansas judge is expected to consider the proposed class action settlement in late July.

By Michael Liedtke

6 minute read

August 14, 2006 | Law.com

Apple Computer maneuvered Friday to keep its shares listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market after reiterating that it will miss a regulatory deadline for filing its quarterly results while it investigates whether mishandling of employee stock options distorted its financial results. The company will seek an administrative hearing in response to a Nasdaq letter warning of a possible delisting due to the delayed report. Apple's shares will remain listed until there is a ruling, not likely for two to three months.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read