Car Owners File Lawsuit Against Ford Over Alleged Defect that Poses Serious Safety Risks

On January 5, 2023, two Ford vehicle owners, represented by FeganScott and the Miller Law Firm, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Ford vehicle owners and lessees, alleging that the automobile manufacturer sold 3 million vehicles with a serious defect that can result in unintended rollaway accidents.

The lawsuit focuses on the shift cable bushings, which connect a vehicle’s transmission to the gear shift, installed in the class vehicles. It is alleged that these bushings prematurely degrade, causing the shift cable to detach from the transmission. When the bushings degrade and the cable detaches, rollaway car accidents can occur, threatening the safety of drivers, passengers, and bystanders.

According to Elizabeth Fegan, managing partner of consumer-rights law firm FeganScott, Ford knew about the defect for many years, but did not issue a recall until July 2018. Since the initial recall, Ford has issued four additional recalls to include the remaining class vehicles. However, according to the lawsuit, Ford’s proposed fix for the defect is insufficient and does not address its root cause.

“Ford has long touted itself as a pioneer of auto safety, but by hiding information surrounding this defect, it has knowingly endangered millions of its consumers,” said Fegan. “Through this suit, we intend to hold Ford accountable for ignoring its responsibility to protect consumers, and the public at large.”

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Female Convention Center Maintenance Workers File Charges of Sexual Harassment, Racial and Age Discrimination Against City of San Antonio

On November 4, 2022, two women filed charges with the Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division, against the City of San Antonio, alleging that supervisors at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center routinely targeted female maintenance employees with sexual harassment, age discrimination, bullying and physical abuse, and created a sexually charged, toxic work environment.

According to the filings, supervisors of the city-run facility would routinely subject the women to sexualized abuse and bullying, taunting them with lewd and lascivious verbal comments, sexual sounds, and electronic communications containing highly inappropriate sexual content.

“These women knew that when they came to work each day, they would likely face a barrage of harassment by their supervisors,” said Lynn Ellenberger of FeganScott, the firm representing the women. “They were denied the opportunity to earn a wage for their families in a safe workplace, and we plan to hold the city responsible for allowing this environment to flourish at the convention center.”

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Judge Grants Final Approval of $92 Million Settlement and Enters Final Judgment in Class Action Lawsuit Involving TikTok

On August 22, 2022, a federal court judge in Illinois entered final judgment after granting final approval of a groundbreaking $92 settlement between TikTok, and its parent company, ByteDance, Inc., and consumers who use the app. The settlement resolves claims that the popular video-sharing app violated federal law and Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by unlawfully collecting users’ biometric information and private data and disclosing that information to third parties without notice to consumers.

According to Beth Fegan, co-lead counsel representing the plaintiffs and managing partner of FeganScott, this settlement is a harbinger of the importance of protections for consumer privacy as technology advances, especially facial recognition software.

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