Being a business owner is an exciting line of work. You may look forward to all of the successes your company will see over the years, but you likely also know that you set yourself up for complaints and claims simply by offering a product or service. The chance exists that unhappy clients, customers or competing businesses could attempt to file a claim against your company.
Are you properly protecting your company against lawsuits?
New bill looks to fine utilities that cut power unnecessarily
The damage and loss of life caused by wildfires is a serious concern for most here in California (and, of course, our neighbors across the Pacific in Australia). This has led to some soul searching about the risks, including utilities since the now-bankrupt PG&E and others' power lines were determined to be a significant contributor to the fires over the last decade.
Jury award $54.6m in suit against WalMart
The 9th Circuit Court recently affirmed the San Francisco jury trial award of $54.6 million to long-haul truckers working for WalMart. According to news reports, this award is for damages plus interest for not paying the drivers during rest breaks, layovers and the inspections of their semi-trucks. The ruling by the three-judge panel was a 2-1 decision to support the jury award. The 16-day trial that featured a robust number of motions is likely the conclusion of litigation that lasted 12 years.
Local governments, police and hospitals targets for ransomware
It has become clear in recent years that local governments, its agencies, and other large organizations are the targets of hackers launching ransomware. It starts with a suspicious email that is opened, but soon the hackers have encrypted files and locked down the computer networks of townships, local governments, law enforcement, and even hospitals. Frequently, the only way to regain control of the computer system is to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoin, which is difficult to trace back to the criminals.
