Legal News Roundup: September 9

Posted in In the news on September 9, 2020

Here’s a roundup of some legal stories from the past week.

Upcoming Vote on Coronavirus Relief Bill

ABC News – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate will vote on a GOP-proposed coronavirus relief bill on Thursday. It is another attempt to pass a coronavirus aid bill before the November 3 presidential and congressional elections. The Democratic-controlled House called for a $3 trillion bill in mid-May. A copy of the bill text obtained by ABC News shows that the slimmed-down proposal includes $105 billion for schools and a two-year tax credit for school choice, as well as $29 billion for vaccines and $16 billion for testing.

Read the full story.

Assange Receives Stern Warning

ABC News – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is trying to avoid extradition to the United States from Britain, was warned by a judge on Tuesday he will be removed from the courtroom and tried in his absence if he continues to create disturbances. Proceedings were briefly adjourned after Assange shouted “nonsense” as James Lewis, acting for the U.S. government, told a witness that Assange was facing extradition proceedings over the publication of informants’ names and not for handling leaked documents. Judge Vanessa Baraitser told Assange that he must not speak out even though he will hear things he disagrees with.

Read the full story.

Investigation into TurboTax

ProPublica – The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Intuit and its marketing of TurboTax products. The investigation follows a ProPublica report that the financial software company deceived tax filers into paying when they could have filed for free. Intuit faces several other investigations and lawsuits related to its marketing practices. The company has denied wrongdoing.

Read the full story.

Strawberry Pop Tart Lawsuit

Bloomberg Law – An alleged misleading label is at the center of a lawsuit involving a popular breakfast snack. According to a suit filed in New York, Kellogg Sales Co.’s Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts aren’t flavored only with strawberries, despite their name and packaging that depicts a toaster pastry brimming with bright red filling. Consumers are misled into thinking that the pop tarts contain strawberries as the sole fruit filling, New Yorker Kelvin Brown claims.

Read the full story.