PROTECT CONSUMER JUSTICE.ORG

Los Angeles Times: A federal panel in Boise will decide where cases will be heard and what judges will hear them, with at least 250 class action suits expected.

Securities class-action lawsuits declined in the first half of 2010 over the prior year, dropping to pre-recession levels as the worst of the nation’s financial collapse seems to have passed.

Four federal class action lawsuits have been filed in California against mortgage companies in a dispute over how customers’ mortgage payments are credited to delinquent accounts – costing cash-strapped customers hundreds of dollars.

New York Law Journal: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. will settle remaining gender bias claims by employees who had alleged they were discriminated against in pay, promotion and in pregnancy policies.

New Jersey Law Journal: STi Prepaid has agreed to pay $8.4 million to settle a class action suit after allegations their prepaid calling cards did not provide the number of minutes advertised.

Several minority and female employees filed a class-action suit against the 24 Hour Fitness chain Tuesday alleging that they have hit glass ceilings due to their race or gender.

Associated Press: The lawsuit says consumers agreed to two-year contracts with AT&T when they purchased their iPhones, but were in effect locked into a five-year relationship with AT&T because of a secret agreement the company had with Apple.