RICO laws

Manufacturers, Distributors, Pharmacies Opioid Epidemic RICO Case

A very large multi-district litigation (MDL) case on opioids is currently working its way through the court system, with multiple complaints, long lists of defendants, and around 3,500 documents currently on file. The complaints bring suit against a group of manufacturers, marketers, distributors, national pharmacies, and pharmacy benefit managers, for creating or contributing to the  Read more

Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax Strategy Rejected by IRS RICO Class Action

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows some conservation easements to be considered a noncash charitable contribution deduction, which can have substantial tax benefits for certain individuals. However, the easements must be placed on the property in strict compliance with the terms set by the IRS. The complaint for this class action brings suit against a  Read more

Fake Celebrity Endorsement “Free Trial” Scam Class Action

Plaintiff Cindy Adam signed up for a “free trial” of Nuvega Lash products on August 24, 2017. The complaint alleges that she “was billed multiple times that day for their products.” A couple of weeks later, she was billed again, twice, without her permission, resulting in an insufficient funds fee for her account This class  Read more

Insurance Office of America Inflated Securities RICO Class Action

This class action brings suit against Insurance Office of America, Inc. (IOA) and IOA Group, LLC, alleging that the company ran a Ponzi scheme that inflated stock prices. It also claims that the company defrauded its employees, customers, and independent sales agents and overbilled customers with fraudulent fees added to premiums.  Read more

Analog Insulin Drug Makers’ Kickbacks to PBMs RICO Class Action

This class action alleges that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are taking kickbacks from drug manufacturers in ways that raise the prices of prescription drugs. The drugs at issue in this case are analog insulin drugs, and the case has been brought by a drug wholesaler, which claims that it must pay more for drugs because  Read more

Cigna, Viant Conspiracy to Negotiate Insurance Payments Class Action

Behavioral health problems, such as drug or alcohol addiction, can be difficult and expensive to treat. In this class action, the complaint alleges that Cigna Behavioral Health, Inc. and Viant, Inc. have “systematically undervalued and underpaid” claims, requiring insureds to pay excessive out-of-pocket charges.  Read more

Herbalife Circle of Success Fraudulent Statements RICO Class Action

Herbalife International of America, Inc. involves a multilevel marketing (MLM) company that maintains its distributors’ enthusiasm through a series of events the complaint for this class action identifies as the “Circle of Success.” The complaint claims, however, that the statements made in these events are fraudulent, and that distributors have little to no chance of  Read more

Security Benefit Life Insurance EIA Annuities False Illustrations RICO Class Action

This class action is about certain equity-indexed deferred annuities (EIAs) sold by Security Benefit Life Insurance Company. The complaint alleges that Secure Benefit provided deliberate misinformation on the annuities’ potential performance while rigging the rules for them so that they provided little or no return. The complaint alleges violations of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt  Read more

Juul Labs E-Cigarettes and Costs to Counties Class Action

Many class actions have been filed against Juul Labs, Inc. and its related companies because of the addictive effects of vaping or its apparently youth-oriented marketing. This one is different in that the plaintiff is not a person who became addicted to vaping but Kings County in the state of Washington, which complains of the  Read more

Southwest Airlines, Boeing 737 MAX 8 Nose-Down Problems Class Action

The relationship between Southwest Airlines Co. and the Boeing Company was special, according to the complaint for this class action. And when Boeing brought out the flawed 737 MAX 8, the complaint alleges, Southwest helped cover up the plane’s fatal deficiencies.   Read more