News in Brief July 28 – Navient, General Mills and More

Navient Robocalling Suit Granted Class Certification

A lawsuit claiming that Navient placed unsolicited calls to consumers was granted class certification on Wednesday. Despite the company’s argument that the proposed class would be too diverse, anyone in who was autodialed by Navient between May 2011 and March 2016 after telling the company they had the wrong number will now be covered by any potential settlement. Judge Larry J. McKinney found that while there will be differences in the damages individuals can claim, they can be easily managed.

General Mills Escapes Gluten Labeling Lawsuit

General Mills has successfully avoided a proposed class action that claimed it used the wrong flour to make its gluten-free Cheerios. The lawsuit was dismissed when Judge Michael McShane found that the company’s recall and refund offer was enough to make up for the damage done and that a simple manufacturing accident shouldn’t be made to look like a deceptive marketing scheme. He called the suit “creative at best.”

Kate Spade Can’t Escape Discount Pricing Suit

Kate Spade & Co.’s attempt to dismiss a proposed class action, which claims that its outlet price discounts are deceptive, was denied on Tuesday. According to the suit, Kate Spade uses fake “original” prices to make its sales prices look better, leading shoppers to believe they are getting good deals. Judge Vince Chhabria found that the three named plaintiffs have been specific enough in their claims to have a case against the retailer.

McDonald’s Workers Granted Tentative Class Certification

A judge in California has granted a class of McDonald’s employees temporary certification in a lawsuit that claims the fast food chain doesn’t compensate workers for uniform expenses. Certification was not granted, however, on claims that the workers were pressured into skipping or delaying their breaks. Should the certification be finalized, nearly 18,000 McDonald’s employees would be one step closer to compensation for the time and money spent maintaining their uniforms.