#legal

Verizon retaining employees with H-1B visa status versus retaining US citizens. What gives? What is the US employment law statue?

If your employer fails to report layoffs to the WARN system, you may have grounds to take legal action. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to provide 60 days' notice before mass layoffs or plant closures. If they do not comply, affected employees can seek compensation.

Steps to Take

1. Confirm Eligibility

• Ensure your employer has at least 100 full-time employees.
• Verify that the layoffs affect 50 or more employees at a single site within 30 days.

1. Gather Evidence

• Document the details of the layoffs, including dates, number of employees affected, and any communications from your employer.

1. Consult an Attorney

• Seek legal advice from an attorney experienced in employment law. They can help you understand your rights and the potential for a class action lawsuit.

1. File a Class Action Lawsuit

• If multiple employees are affected, you can join together to file a class action lawsuit. This can help share legal costs and strengthen your case.

Potential Compensation

If successful, you may be entitled to:

• Up to 60 days of back pay and benefits.
• Additional damages if the employer's actions were willful.

Reporting Violations

You can also report WARN Act violations to the U.S. Department of Labor. They may investigate and enforce compliance, which can support your case.

Taking these steps can help you navigate the legal process if your employer fails to report layoffs as required by the WARN Act.

I knew they were doing the Global Tech layoffs in EMEA last week, but a friend of mine just got let go here on campus- Legal Privacy office. Any other groups impacted last week?

A recent report has highlighted troubling ethical concerns regarding Verilogue, a medical research firm owned by Publicis Groupe, focused on pharmaceutical marketing research. The report describes how Verilogue incentivized doctors to record real patient conversations, which were then used to optimize marketing strategies for pharmaceutical products, including opi--ds such as OxyContin.

Lawsuits associated with this practice allege that recorded conversations were used to overcome patient concerns and maximize dr-g sales, contributing to the opi--d epidemic and resulting public health crises. While Publicis and Verilogue maintain these recordings were obtained with patient consent and in regulatory compliance, the use of intimate physician-patient dialogue for commercial marketing exploitation raises significant privacy and ethical questions.

This is especially notable given Publicis' previous opi--d-related legal settlements, including a $350 million settlement linked to its broader role in opi--d marketing. The ongoing use of such research methods could further impact Publicis’ reputation and raises calls for ethical reform in medical marketing.

The situation underscores the tension between legal compliance and ethical responsibility in pharmaceutical advertising practices. Users posting here should note the serious implications for patient privacy and public health tied to these practices.

Can anyone please suggest any lawyers already working on a class action lawsuit?

I remember seeing some names of law firms mentioned on here in the past but cannot find them amongst all the posts.

Thanks!

Anyone ever get a DUI in a company car? What will happen, do you have to say anything? She hasn’t been convicted yet. Asking for a coworker.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) resulting from allegations that F5 may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

What is this about: On October 15, 2025, F5 filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, in which F5 had learned in early August that a “highly sophisticated nation-state threat actor had gained unauthorized access to certain [F5] systems.” In addition, F5 stated that “during the course of its investigation, [F5] determined that the threat actor maintained long-term, persistent access to certain F5 systems, including the BIG-IP product development environment and engineering knowledge management platform,” and that “through this access, certain files were exfiltrated, some of which contained certain portions of the [F5]’s BIG-IP source code and information about undisclosed vulnerabilities that it was working on in BIG-IP.”

On this news, F5’s stock price fell $35.40 per share, or 10.7%, to close at $295.35 per share on October 16, 2025.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030870529/en/Rosen-Law-Firm-Encourages-F5-Inc.-Investors-to-Inquire-About-Securities-Class-Action-Investigation-FFIV

Left hand to buy the right hand? Is it legal for Intel to buy a startup (not doing well at all) owned by the same CEO? Is it financial game/scam that Lip-Bu Tan is playing?

Fiserv may make it. The determing factor not being discussed is that class action lawsuit.

Did anyone else get laid off while on maternity leave? Do you know how it’s impacted?

HR was no help in getting clarity before I lost access to my email, etc. on Tuesday. I’ve only been on leave for 3 weeks, so not sure if there are legal obligations for Target to fulfill my full approved leave or if it can just end.

Curious if others in a similar situation have heard more on it.

A former executive at a company that sells zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits to the United States and its allies pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to selling trade secrets worth at least $1.3 million to a buyer in Russia, according to US prosecutors.

Peter Williams, a 39-year-old Australia native who resides in the US, faced two charges related to the theft of trade secrets. As part of the plea agreement, Williams faces between 87 and 108 months in prison and fines of up to $300,000. He must also pay restitution of $1.3 million.

Williams will be sentenced early next year. Until then, he will remain on house arrest at his apartment, must undergo electronic monitoring, and is permitted to leave his home for one hour each day, according to the plea agreement.

Williams worked for less than a year as a director at L3 Harris Trenchant—a subsidiary of the US-based defense contractor L3Harris Technologies—when he resigned in mid-August from the company for unspecified reasons, according to UK corporate records. Prior to his time at Trenchant, Williams reportedly worked for the Australian Signals Directorate, during the 2010s. The ASD is equivalent to the US National Security Agency and is responsible for the cyber defense of Australian government systems as well as the collection of foreign signals intelligence. As part of its signals intelligence work, the ASD has authority to conduct hacking operations using the kinds of tools that Trenchant and other companies sell.

This month the Justice Department accused Williams of stealing seven trade secrets from two companies and selling them to a buyer in Russia between April 2022 and June 2025, a time period that coincides in part with Williams’ employment at L3 Trenchant.

The document does not name the two companies, nor does it say whether the buyer, described by prosecutors as a software-based Russian broker, was connected to the Russian government. (L3 Trenchant faces no criminal liability.)

According to the US attorney overseeing the case, Tejpal S. Chawla, the FBI alerted L3 Trenchant sometime in 2024 that some of its software had leaked. As TechCrunch reported last week, Trenchant was investigating an alleged leak of its hacking tools by employees—an investigation that Williams, then general manager of the firm, oversaw, prosecutors said during Wednesday’s hearing.

Williams was voluntarily interviewed by the FBI multiple times this summer, including once on July 2. The same month, prosecutors say, Williams signed a contract with the unnamed Russian company worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, using the alias John Taylor and an email address with the same name. This deal followed a separate contract that prosecutors say Williams signed in June. The FBI again interviewed Williams in August and confronted him about the sale of company secrets, prosecutors said. The prosecution said Williams admitted to the sales at that time.

Prosecutors assert that Williams made at least $1.3 million from the sale of the trade secrets and have moved to seize his assets, including a home in DC, funds held in several banking and crypto accounts, and a list of luxury items that includes nearly two dozen high-end and replica watches and other designer goods.

Trenchant, known formally as L3 Harris Trenchant, develops hacking tools for the US government and its allies. L3 Trenchant was formed after L3 Technologies purchased Azimuth Security and Linchpin Labs in 2018 and combined the two companies. L3 Technologies later merged with a military communications equipment provider to form L3Harris.

Azimuth was a developer of zero-day exploits based in Australia, and Linchpin Labs was a software firm founded by former intelligence officials from Five Eyes countries. (Five Eyes is a surveillance partnership formed by the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.) Trenchant develops various forms of hacking tools for browsers such as Chrome, as well as Apple’s iOS, Android, and desktop and network computing systems.

If we're laid off as fully remote, what if the WARN Act isn't added into our severance? Is there anything that can be done? I've heard about the class action lawsuit last year from a remote worker laid off last year who was working in CA but managers/work location were in NY and they didn't get WARN Act pay applied to them because they were remote. I think I'll only be getting 4 weeks severance if that's the case.

Are remote workers who don't live near LA/NY office just sc--wed because of some loophole for being remote?

I am 99% certain I will be cut. Can getting an attorney help with anything or I just have to sign? If yes, please recommend someone, I live close to the lot.

Currently on FMLA leave, am I safe? I have major issues with panic attacs, cannot drive or socialize - this does not help at all. I wish you all good luck. Love yourself no matter what.

Newer people to the corporate world might not know this, but often times a company will ask you to sign a document to get any sort of severance that releases the company from any liability, blah blah blah. Has anyone laid off been asked to do this?

If so, it likely makes sense to at least run it through an LLM first, and post it here. Knowledge is power, and sharing it with others can only help everyone.

These things often force employees to agree to non-disparagement, maybe even a non-compete, or other legal waivers of things like suing the company for (for example) age discrimination.

T has been touting their new commercial attacking t-mobile even on insider. But what they aren't saying is that they received a cease and desist order to stop playing it from the source they quoted saying they didn't have authorization to use the materials. And apparently ATT is ignoring it like the honorable corporation they claim to be.

AT&T’s violation of its agreement under the Procedures and its misuse of NAD’s decisions for promotional purposes undermines NAD’s mission to promote truth and accuracy of advertising claims and foster consumer trust in the marketplace.

Also omitted their history of deceptive advertising.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/att-ad-congratulating-itself-for-its-ethics-violated-an-ad-industry-rule/

I see 9am blocked off on a L7 and L8 I think, not sure though 😢 Everyone is in my prayers!!

Anyone laid off in Florida since Sept received their separation agreement? If previously laid off in Florida, when did you receive the agreement?

Note for Target legal: I am not leaking anything, just republishing a public document from, the source is below:

Transition Agreement

• Key Terms:
  Amy Tu leaves her role as Target’s Chief Legal & Compliance Officer on May 21, 2025, with her job officially ending June 1, 2025. She’ll receive her regular pay until then, plus 24 months of income continuation (~$3M) and up to $30K in job placement support.

• Pros for Employee:

  • Guaranteed two years of paid income after leaving.
  • Outplacement services to help find a new job.
  • Keeps rights to certain long-term incentive plans and benefits.

• Cons for Employee:

  • Must follow strict non-compete, confidentiality, and non-disparagement rules for up to two years.
  • Loses eligibility for 2025 bonus and must cooperate with Target post-departure.

• Business Impact (for Target):

  • Ensures a smooth leadership transition and protection of company secrets.
  • Prevents a top executive from joining or helping competitors soon after leaving.

• Source: https://contracts.justia.com/companies/target-1261/contract/1339058/

Will those that are let go have to sign a non compete?

The Department of Justice filed charges against Peter Williams, an Australian national who served as general manager of Trenchant, a specialized cybersecurity division within L3Harris.

Federal prosecutors have accused a former executive at L3Harris Technologies’ cyber division of stealing trade secrets and selling them to an undisclosed buyer in Russia, according to court documents obtained by CyberScoop.

The Department of Justice filed charges against Peter Williams, an Australian national who served as general manager of Trenchant, a specialized cybersecurity division within L3Harris, which provides hacking and surveillance tools to Western intelligence agencies. The DOJ alleges Williams misappropriated eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies between April 2022 and August 2025, charging that he earned $1.3 million in connection with the sales.

While the filings do not specify the nature of the stolen trade secrets nor do they identify the Russian buyer, they allege Williams systematically transferred confidential proprietary data over a period spanning more than three years. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of Williams’ assets, including his residence, luxury watches, jewelry, and funds in seven bank and cryptocurrency accounts, claiming these were derived from the criminal activity.

Neither Trenchant nor its parent, L3Harris, is accused of any wrongdoing in the federal complaint. An arraignment and possible plea agreement are scheduled for Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C.

Trenchant, formed in 2018 following L3Harris’s acquisition of Azimuth Security and Linchpin Labs — Australian startups that developed zero-day exploits — caters to governments in the intelligence-sharing Five Eyes alliance. These technologies, based on undisclosed vulnerabilities, are considered valuable assets in intelligence and defense circles, sometimes commanding prices in the millions, and are tightly held given their national security implications.

The allegations against Williams arrive in the wake of an internal investigation at Trenchant earlier this year, reportedly prompted by a leak of hacking tools. According to multiple former employees interviewed by TechCrunch, one former exploit developer was wrongly accused by company officials of leaking the tools, particularly exploits targeting products like Google Chrome.

Whether the Justice Department’s action is tied directly to this internal leak investigation remains unclear. Court filings do not explicitly connect the sale of secrets to the incident or elaborate on overlaps between the two events.

L3Harris, headquartered in Melbourne, Fla., declined to comment. Williams’ attorney did not reply to CyberScoop requests for comment.

https://cyberscoop.com/ex-l3harris-executive-accused-of-selling-trade-secrets-to-russia/

Payoffs this month in legal and strategy dept aka “SEAL” this month after their new CLSO is slashing jobs left and right. Horrible morale for those who stayed. The way the layoffs are handled is stone cold and heartless.

Looks like Discovery is over according to the court docs. Any idea when the case goes to settlement or trial? Has factset disclosed the case yet or do they still think it‘s immaterial.

I'm going to post this for a 2nd time and see if it get's removed again. LMAO. I think I said the naughty words "Consent Order canceled" last time. lol.

https://asbarez.com/trump-administration-cancels-citibank-settlement-for-discrimination-against-armenians
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-cfpb-scraps-citibank-discrimination-case-three-years-early-2025-10-16

Hi folks.

Is it possible to share learning from discussions with lawyers in an open platform like this? The reason I am asking is that it is too expensive to consult everything with lawyers, and not all of them are good anyways.

Kindly share your findings.

I was rif last year - no complaints about my package - about the only thing that went smooth (I talked to an hr contact based in the U.S. - they exist!)

Contacted out of the blue by a legal group regarding discrimination in i.t., but no clue how they got my information. Has anybody else been contacted?

I heard 6-10 attorneys were fired or laid off Friday

Amon got the insider information to sell the shares?
Is more storm coming?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/qualcomm-incorporated-qcom-sued-over-144828731.html

https://straussborrelli.com/2025/05/13/national-oilwell-varco-warn-act-investigation/

The CRO is hiring all his buddies from his former company and firing or pushing out the tenured RVPs and AEs. The GC mysteriously decides to retire. The weird announcement about MM. Should we all be concerned?? What's the story with TG leaving after 9 years at Appian. Who is taking over the west?

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988

There's nothing noted on the WARN Act tracker about Stifel layoffs. www(dot)warntracker(dot)com.

Does anyone know how they got around this?

Here are some examples of how courts have ruled on severance (reasonable notice) for long-service professionals, especially in Alberta’s oil & gas industry. Use these as reference points when estimating your own range.
• O’Reilly v. Imperial Oil (2000) – 20-year professional employee, management-level role, awarded over 20 months due to long service and limited comparable opportunities.
• Leduc v. Canadian Natural Resources (2016) – 16-year senior technical employee, age 57, awarded 22 months, court noted downturn in oil & gas job market.
• Lukacs v. Shell Canada (1998) – 23-year senior engineer, awarded 20 months, long service in specialized technical position.
• Stevenson v. Suncor Energy (2017) – 18 years of service, management role, mid-50s, settled for around 20 months pay.
• Bishop v. Galleon Energy (2013) – 11 years of service, VP-level, awarded 18 months notice based on seniority and leadership responsibility.
• Shaw v. Acurex Corp. (2003) – 14 years of service, professional-level employee, age 48, awarded 18 months reasonable notice.
• Elliott v. Imperial Oil (1996) – 23-year supervisory employee, awarded 22 months; Imperial Oil case confirming upper-end notice for long-service roles.
• McKinley v. BC Tel (2001, Supreme Court) – key ruling establishing that employees dismissed without cause are entitled to reasonable notice under common law.
• Recent Alberta energy-sector settlements (2022–2024) – professionals with 10–20 years’ service commonly receive 18–24 months pay depending on seniority, age, and job market.
• Typical trend: Alberta professionals with long tenure (10–20 years) and senior roles receive between 18 and 24 months’ pay, sometimes higher if relocation or constructive dismissal applies.

Summary:
Energy-sector professionals with long continuous service, strong performance, and senior roles consistently fall in the 18–24 month common-law range, often translating to $400K–$550K+ total when benefits, pension contributions, and bonuses are included.

Know that should they offer you a lesser role (lower level of responsibility, Supervisor to IC, etc) in Edmonton than you have today that could be deemed a demotion and also subject to constructive dismissal, and severance.

Do not accept a demotion. Consult a lawyer before your accept a job.

i noticed somehow they rigged it so you can't print out the legal document or forward the email. Nice. I would love to know how they set that up. So if one wants to have a lawyer
look at it (probably futile). its Shakey, this packet has changes from the original one. they must be making it up as they go.

sigh.
You guys being here really does help. thank you

Wonder if severance packages will have considerations against "total compensation". Thats what we've been told for years as why we are paid less overall. Wonder if there is some legal angle that leverages this.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/money/companies/2025/09/30/humana-ordered-by-federal-court-to-pay-32-million-in-fees-heres-why/86435535007/

Legal Risks That Arise From Allstate’s Corporate Culture

A Review Based on Employee Reports from TheLayoff.com

Overview of Allstate’s reputation and employee concerns

Toxic Workplace Allegations
Reports of fear-based management and favoritism

Potential legal exposure: hostile work environment claims, preferential treatment based on race

Retaliation Culture
Employees fear speaking out due to retaliation

Legal risk: whistleblower protection violations

Harassment Incidents
Allegations of s-xual harassment by senior staff

Legal risk: Title VII violations and liability for negligent supervision
Discriminatory Layoffs
Claims of targeting older or higher-paid employees

Legal risk: age discrimination under ADEA

AI-Driven Terminations
Pressure to adopt AI or face termination

Legal risk: wrongful termination and ADA violations if accommodations are ignored

Surveillance and Monitoring
Reports of excessive employee monitoring

Legal risk: invasion of privacy and potential labor law violations

Inconsistent Leadership
Frequent strategic pivots and unclear direction

Legal risk: constructive dismissal claims due to unstable work conditions

Morale and Mental Health
Culture described as demoralizing and chaotic

Legal risk: failure to provide a psychologically safe workplace

Lack of Transparency
Employees report being misled about job security

Legal risk: breach of implied contract or promissory estoppel

Unfair Performance Metrics
Unrealistic expectations and punitive evaluations

Legal risk: discrimination if metrics disproportionately affect protected groups

Agency Closures
Threats to close agencies for missing quotas

Legal risk: breach of franchise or employment agreements

Nepotism and Favoritism
Reports of promotions based on favoritism

Legal risk: discrimination and unfair labor practices

Misuse of Funds
Lavish spending on events amid layoffs

Legal risk: shareholder lawsuits for mismanagement

Slide 16: Lack of Due Process
Sudden terminations with little explanation

Legal risk: wrongful termination and lack of procedural fairness

Reskilling Deception
Employees retrained for roles that don’t exist

Legal risk: fraud or misrepresentation claims

CHRO Cost-Cutting Strategy
$4B savings plan linked to aggressive layoffs

Legal risk: class action suits for discriminatory downsizing

Cultural Breakdown
Engaged employees leaving first; apathy remains

Legal risk: systemic failure to retain talent and meet fiduciary duties

Conclusion and Recommendations
Summary of risks

Recommendations: culture audit, legal review, ethics training, and leadership accountability

Humana told to pay whistleblower attorney's $32m fee
Actuary also gets more than $25m for whistleblowing on giant health insurer

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/life-insurance/humana-told-to-pay-whistleblower-attorneys-32m-fee-550983.aspx

Managers joke about how customers will never leave SAP because of how difficult it is. Now I joke about how SAP is being investigated for it. Hahahhahahahahhahah

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/eu-opens-probe-into-possible-anticompetitive-practices-by-sap-2025-09-25/