FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Children as Young as 10 Years Old Forced to do Labor in Service of Scientology Instead of Receiving Basic Schooling; Isolated from Parents and Endured Verbal Abuse for Minor or Fabricated Transgressions
Plaintiffs Were Compelled to Join the Crew on Scientology’s “Freewinds” Ship, Forced to Work Under Extreme Conditions With No Way Out
TAMPA, FLORIDA – Three individuals who were raised in Scientology and forced to work in its service from childhood today filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against Scientology’s leader, David Miscavige, and five Scientology-affiliated corporations, alleging violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The filing details the horrific mistreatment the plaintiffs endured under the control of Scientology, including forced labor, verbal and physical abuse, intimidation and coercion at Scientology’s primary hub of activity in Clearwater, Florida and for more than a decade on board Scientology’s cruise vessel, the Freewinds.
The plaintiffs allege that, beginning in childhood, they were required to commit to a lifetime of service to Scientology, enduring regular verbal abuse, crowded living conditions and sleep deprivation. Children were repeatedly told that those who attempted to leave Scientology could suffer awful fates, including death.
Beginning as young as 10, the plaintiffs were forced to work in Scientology’s Cadet Org and Sea Org, providing unpaid and extremely low-paid labor, including landscaping, food service and janitorial work. The plaintiffs allege that Scientology employs numerous psychologically devastating tactics to achieve coercive control over members, including lengthy interrogation sessions in which individuals who have been abused are compelled to take full blame for those abuses and agree to make amends to their abusers.
“For years, Scientology has exploited defenseless children and groomed them for a lifetime of servitude. Our clients were subjected to systematic indoctrination and manipulation that normalizes extremely abusive treatment. Throughout their formative years and into adulthood, they were forced to perform labor under unimaginable conditions,” said Neil L. Glazer, an attorney for the plaintiffs and shareholder at the law firm of Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C. “Their lives have been forever altered by this mistreatment.”
“Growing up in Scientology, being separated from my family and subjected to severe verbal and physical abuse has scarred me in ways that I am still working through and uncovering. Sometimes it feels like it will never end. All the while, Scientology continues to abuse and exploit its members, including young children, and does so with virtually unchecked power,” said plaintiff Gawain Baxter. “To this day, there are completely defenseless minors being mistreated by Scientology leadership. Just as I was, they are isolated from family and have no way to protect themselves. Scientology must be held accountable for the human rights abuses and trauma it has inflicted without a shred of remorse.”
Plaintiff Gawain Baxter was required at age six to sign a contract pledging to serve Scientology, and by extension David Miscavige, for one billion years. Beginning at age 10, he alleges he was forced to attend expensive indoctrination sessions, the costs of which he was continually told were recorded as a mounting financial debt he would have to repay if he ever left the Sea Org.
As a teenager, Gawain Baxter was allegedly transported from Clearwater to Curacao and compelled to board the Freewinds, where his identification documents were immediately confiscated. There, he was forced to provide manual labor with few breaks and little sleep. Tasks were often incredibly dangerous, such as when he was ordered to squeeze inside fuel tanks to clean them from the inside, without a respirator to protect him from the fumes. When the Freewinds underwent extensive renovations, he worked more than 18 hours per day and was exposed to blue asbestos and concrete dust. He was not provided any protective equipment and soon became ill, coughing up blood.
“Scientology cannot be allowed to continue exploiting the labor of its members and inflicting emotional and physical abuse without facing justice,” said Ted Leopold, an attorney for the plaintiffs at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. “Our hope is that this lawsuit will assist the plaintiffs in holding Miscavige and Scientology accountable for this egregious mistreatment.”
The second Plaintiff, Laura Baxter, grew up in Scientology in Germany. At age seven, her mother signed her up to take Scientology courses. By 15, she worked as a staff member for Scientology in Stuttgart, which required her to undergo frequent “auditing” and “security checks.” Her mother eventually signed over guardianship to a senior Scientology officer, after which she was transported to the Freewinds. Her identifying documents were also confiscated and she was forced to do labor and endure punishment for minor or fabricated transgressions.
In 2004, a prominent Scientologist celebrated their birthday aboard the Freewinds. At the celebration, the plaintiff was allegedly falsely accused of monopolizing their attention and, as punishment, was confined to the hot engine room for three days and was only allowed to leave for a few minutes at a time for meals and a few hours of sleep in her room. During her time on the Freewinds she continued to endure further abuse, such as being forced to confess to alleged crimes against Scientology, having her meager pay withheld, being confined and under constant surveillance.
Gawain and Laura Baxter met aboard the Freewinds and ultimately married. Eager to escape the Sea Org, they made the decision to become pregnant, which would give them the opportunity to leave due to a policy change following unfavorable news coverage of the Sea Org’s forced abortion policy. When Laura became pregnant, the two were offered a choice to terminate the pregnancy or leave the Sea Org. When they declined to terminate the pregnancy, they were isolated from the ship’s staff, put under full-time surveillance and required to undergo ethics handlings and security checks as punishment. Gawain was also interrogated and berated for not forcing Laura to terminate her pregnancy. After weeks of punishments and isolation when it became clear that they were not going to comply, Gawain and Laura were permitted to leave the ship.
To this day, they are traumatized as a result of what they endured since childhood. They regularly receive intimidating phone calls from Scientologists as a reminder that they continue to be monitored.
The third plaintiff, Valeska Paris, was subjected to Scientology indoctrination beginning when she was just four years old. During this training, which continued throughout her childhood and adolescence, she was regularly interrogated by adults who asked graphic questions about sexual acts for hours at a time. When she was six years old, Valeska’s parents deposited her with the Cadet Org in England, where she was provided minimal schooling and was forced to work for hours every day.
When she was 14 years old, Valeska was pressured into going to work in the Sea Org at Scientology’s “Flag Base” in Clearwater, Florida. There, among other things, she was punished for reporting having been sexually assaulted by a senior Scientology officer. After several years of mistreatment, Scientology’s leader, David Miscavige ordered her to be put to work on the Freewinds, where she toiled under extreme conditions for many years.
“Because of the horrors I experienced at the hands of Scientology from childhood and throughout my adolescence, I still have nightmares. Scientology is a system that is designed to perpetuate fear, and I continue to struggle with the trauma. No person – child or adult – should have to go through the daily abuse and manipulation I faced. Though bringing this lawsuit is a great personal risk, I could not stand by while countless children continue to be trained for a lifetime of slavery and abuse,” said plaintiff Valeska Paris.
TVPRA is a 2008 law that strengthened the federal trafficking laws established in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000.
The lawsuit also names Church of Scientology International Religious Technology Center (RTC), International Association of Scientologists Administrations (IASA), Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., and Church of Scientology Flag Ship Service Organization, Inc. as defendants.
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the three plaintiffs, who are represented by Neil L. Glazer of Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C., Ted Leopold of national plaintiff firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, Gregory Hansel of Preti Flaherty, and Warren A. Zimmerman.
Media Contact: Berlin Rosen / cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com
About Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is recognized as one of the premier law firms in the country, handling complex plaintiff-side litigation. With more than 100 attorneys, Cohen Milstein has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa. and Raleigh, N.C. For additional information, call 202.408.4600.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Engineering Firms Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam and Veolia Allegedly Failed to Identify Corroding Pipes as Thousands of Children and Families Grew Sicker
Environmental Protection Agency Failed to Notify Residents of Significant Lead Poisoning Risk
FLINT, MI – On the eighth anniversary of the water supply tragedy that resulted in the deadly Flint Water Crisis, attorneys representing more than 5,000 Flint residents in their class action lawsuit against Veolia North America (Veolia) and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN), as well as a parallel lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demanded a full measure of justice.
“The residents of Flint have endured unimaginable pain, loss and illness as a result of the reckless negligence of the EPA and the two engineering firms that advised the City of Flint, Veolia and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam,” said Ted Leopold, court-appointed co-lead counsel and partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll. “Though we have made important progress toward holding accountable the bad actors that enabled this public health disaster, our fight to win full justice for the thousands of children and families whose lives have been irreparably damaged continues.”
“We believe a Michigan Jury will find that the evidence proves that the two engineering companies acted negligently and the EPA acted recklessly, thus endangering the lives of the children and adults of Flint,” said Michael Pitt, court-appointed co-lead counsel and founding partner at Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers. “Our work will not end until these responsible parties are brought to justice and made to pay for the harm they caused.”
In 2014, the City of Flint hired LAN and Veolia to advise on the City’s decision to switch its water supply from the highly contaminated Flint River. As citizens began raising concerns about the water’s smell, color and taste, and even after a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, the engineering companies failed to take even basic steps required of professional engineers, and failed to identify corroding pipes as the root cause.
Instead, both companies recommended that the City double the water system’s dose of ferric chloride, a highly acidic chemical, which only compounded the water pipes’ corrosion issues. These negligent actions cause irreparable damage to residents’ health, including and especially to young children who must forever live with the damage of lead poisoning. Additionally, pipes in homes throughout Flint have been permanently corroded, making it nearly impossible for families to leverage or sell their homes.
The EPA, which was aware of these dangerous issues and their long-term impacts on health, never warned Flint residents, even as the public health crisis quickly escalated.
In 2020, plaintiffs in the Flint class action lawsuit won a landmark $626.25 million settlement against multiple government defendants, including the State of Michigan, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and former Governor Rick Snyder.
Media Contact: Berlin Rosen / cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com
About Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is recognized as one of the premier law firms in the country, handling complex plaintiff-side litigation. With more than 100 attorneys, Cohen Milstein has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa. and Raleigh, N.C. For additional information, visit www.cohenmilstein.com or call 202.408.4600.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
RALEIGH – Jay Chaudhuri has been selected for the Core Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, joining a bipartisan cohort of 24 state and local-level elected officials from across the United States. In addition, he has been selected for the E Pluribus Unum Fellowship, joining a cohort of 10 Southern state legislators.
The Rodel fellowship defines its purpose as to “examine new leadership approaches, deepen self-criticism and self-awareness, and learn how to work together across party lines to identify shared values and find solutions to common problems.” The program exists within the Rodel Leadership Institute, an independent nonprofit with the mission to strengthen democracy and public leadership in the United States.
The Unum fellowship will focus on advancing racial and economic equity in the South through sustainable change and collaboration. The fellowship is hosted by E Pluribus Unum, a nonprofit founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
“I am honored to be selected for both fellowships,” said Chaudhuri. “I’m excited to work together with other state and local leaders to focus on the issues of race and democracy – two important issues that we must address together as a country.”
For more information about the E Pluribus Unum Fellowship, visit Unum Fund.
Appointment recognizes nationally renowned class and collective action civil rights and employment litigator and industry thought leader
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, a leading U.S. plaintiffs’ law firm, has appointed Christine E. Webber co-chair of the firm’s nationally recognized Civil Rights & Employment practice.
A civil rights and employment class and collective action law dynamo, Ms. Webber is a partner at Cohen Milstein and has played a principal role in managing the Civil Rights & Employment practice alongside founder and Co-Chair Joseph M. Sellers since the two joined the firm in 1997 from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, an organization providing pro bono representation in civil rights cases.
Ms. Webber is also the co-chair of the National Employment Lawyers’ Association’s Class Action Committee, the nation’s pre-eminent employee-side legal association, a position she has held since 1999, and a member of Law360’s Employment Editorial Advisory Board since 2020.
“I am honored to help lead this team of incredible attorneys who have distinguished themselves as some of the most innovative advocates for civil rights and workers’ rights in the country,” said Christine Webber, co-chair of the Civil Rights & Employment practice at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll. “I am so proud to work with this team to represent our brave clients who fight to ensure equal rights and end workplace injustices, seeking a more inclusive future and end to invidious discrimination based on gender, race, age, or other personal characteristics. Their cause and an unwavering belief in the justice system are cornerstones of our Civil Rights & Employment practice. I look forward to building upon these foundations and expanding the firm’s role in advancing justice.”
Ms. Webber is one of the country’s leading voices in addressing novel artificial intelligence (AI)-related discrimination claims under federal fair housing and other civil rights and employment laws. She is currently lead trial lawyer in CFHC, et al. v. CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions (D. Conn.), a cutting-edge civil rights case challenging CoreLogic’s algorithmic background check which allegedly discriminates against African-American and Latinos seeking rental housing in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Trial is currently scheduled for March 2022. Because of the novel AI-related discrimination claims, the case has been identified by Law360as one of “3 Real Estate Cases to Watch in 2022.”
Ms. Webber frequently speaks on AI-related discrimination issues, including most recently to Fortune, “A New Law Governing the Use of A.I. in Hiring May Trigger Lawsuits,” (December 2021) and at Yale Law School’s ISP/WIII AI Governance Symposium (November 2021).
Ms. Webber is also recognized by the legal industry for her work. In 2022, The Best Lawyers in America named Ms. Webber the “Lawyer of the Year” in the Washington, D.C. metro area in the category of “Employment Law – Individuals.” In 2019, Ms. Webber was the recipient of the “Roderic V.O. Boggs Award” for her “sustained commitment” to the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs’ values and clients. Annually, she is recognized by Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers.
With the appointment of Ms. Webber, nine out of the ten practice groups at Cohen Milstein are now led or co-led by women.
“Having worked with Christine for nearly 30 years, I am thrilled that she agreed to serve as co-chair of the practice group with me,” said Joseph M. Sellers, Co-Chair of the Civil Rights & Employment practice at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll. “She is an exceptional litigator and a tremendously collaborative and creative leader who is as dedicated to our clients as she is to the growth and wellbeing of our practice. She will be an invaluable asset to the future of our practice.”
Cohen Milstein’s Civil Rights & Employment practice includes civil rights and employment law visionaries and innovators who have litigated and tried several landmark civil rights discrimination class actions, including Keepseagle v. Vilsack (D.D.C.), resulting in a historic settlement of $760 million for Native American farmers and ranchers; and Department of Homeland Security, et al. v. Regents of the University of California, et al. (U.S. Supreme Court), blocking the Trump Administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and preserving immigration protections for approximately 650,000 current DACA recipients. The Court’s 5-4 ruling upheld the partial summary judgment in Cohen Milstein’s case: NAACP, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, as President of the United States, et al. (D.D.C.) – one of three cases consolidated before the Supreme Court; as well as National Association of the Deaf v. Harvard & MIT (D. Mass.), which resulted in two landmark settlements on behalf of deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. The ruling required two of the most lauded academic research institutions in the world to include closed captioning in all online content, establishing a precedent for academia and business worldwide.
Alongside the NAACP, the firm is currently litigating Thompson, et al. v. Trump, et al. (D.D.C.), brought under the “Ku Klux Klan Act” of 1871 against Donald J. Trump, in his personal capacity, and others for conspiring to prevent members of Congress from discharging their official duties to approve the counted results of the Electoral College in order to elect the next President and Vice President of the United States on January 6, 2021.
In 2021, Cohen Milstein’s Civil Rights & Employment practice was named Law360’s “Practice Group of the Year – Employment.” Similarly, the practice and team members are ranked among the top in the industry nationwide by Lawdragon, The National Law Journal, and Legal 500 among others. In the area of employment law, the team continues to focus on litigating novel, cutting-edge cases involving the FLSA, Title VII, Equal Pay Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Family and Medical Leave Act; procedural issues related to class certification and class arbitration; and novel joint employer liability issues.
About Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is recognized as one of the premier law firms in the country handling major, complex plaintiff-side litigation. With more than 100 attorneys, Cohen Milstein has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa. and Raleigh, N.C. For additional information, visit https://www.cohenmilstein.com or call 202.408.4600.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flint Residents Will Start to Receive Financial Relief from the $626 Million Settlement
FLINT, MI. – Interim Co-lead Class Counsel in the Flint water crisis litigation announced today that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has granted final approval for the landmark $626 million partial settlement resulting from the class action and individual lawsuits brought on behalf of Flint residents. The ruling means that Flint residents can now begin to receive financial relief from the settlement. 80 percent of the funds will go to those who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crisis, with a large majority of that amount to be paid for claims of children aged 6 and younger. The remaining funds will go to special education services in Genesee County, adults, business owners and property owners for property damage.
“This is a historic and momentous day for the residents of Flint, who will finally begin to see justice served. None of this would have been possible without the tireless advocacy from residents, who never gave up the fight. Though we can never undo what has occurred, this settlement makes clear that those who egregiously violate the law and harm their communities will be held accountable,” Ted Leopold, court-appointed co-lead counsel and Partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll.
In August, the court entered an order granting Class Certification on liability claims in the ongoing litigation against private engineering firms Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) and Veolia, LLC; Veolia, Inc, and Veolia Water (VNA). Each allegedly failed to give appropriate professional advice, greatly adding to the widespread lead contamination of the water that flowed into class members homes and businesses. Separate litigation against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will also continue.
The parties to the settlement include the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) all individual governmental defendants including former Governor Rick Snyder, the City of Flint, McLaren Regional Medical Center and Rowe Professional Services Co.
Claimants presenting the same profile of injuries will receive the same awards without regard to whether they are represented by an attorney or law firm. The Special Master and Plaintiffs’ lawyers will help supervise this part of the process.
About Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is recognized as one of the premier law firms in the country handling major, complex plaintiff-side litigation. With more than 100 attorneys, Cohen Milstein has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa. and Raleigh, N.C.
About Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers
Located in Royal Oak, Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers PC is Michigan’s largest law firm specializing in civil rights litigation exclusively on behalf of the victims of governmental, corporate and workplace abuse Its. attorneys represent clients in a broad range of actions, including sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, whistleblower issues and discrimination based on age, gender, disability, race, religion and national origin.
Park 7 tenants have experienced prolonged racial and economic mistreatment
from the building owners and property management company
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON – The Superior Court of the District of Columbia has approved a first-of-its kind tenant right to organize consent agreement between Park 7 Tenant Union and tenants of Park 7 Apartments, an affordable housing apartment building located in D.C.’s Ward 7 comprised mainly of Black residents, and the property’s owner, Park 7 Residential LP, and its management company, 3801 Management LP. The agreement applies the District’s Tenants’ Right to Organize Law and solidifies Park 7 tenants’ unhindered right to organize in order to address the conditions of the property that have been unsafe and unsanitary for years. In addition, the agreement provides procedural steps that require management to respond to and participate in meetings to address and resolve Park 7 Tenant Union concerns.
The original suit claims Defendants have waged a years-long obstruction campaign against tenants who have actively organized to protest the deteriorating conditions in the Park 7 Apartment building. Since opening in 2014, Park 7 has lapsed into deterioration, including hallways piled with garbage, chronic leaks and water damage, pervasive mold, security hazards, inoperable appliances, and widespread pest infestations.
The right of tenants to organize and collectively address problems in their buildings is particularly acute as the District of Columbia faces the multiple crises of expiring eviction moratoria, increasing displacement, and patterns of gentrification that are exacerbating racial segregation in housing. It is one of many important tools to protect the power of tenants to live in safe, decent and affordable housing of choice.
“This agreement will help tenants stand on more even footing with the management and allow us to negotiate for better living conditions without interference or fear of retaliation,” said Tara Maxwell, President of the Park 7 Tenant Union.
“This court-enforceable consent agreement will cement the right of Park 7 tenants to collectively organize to push the owner and property manager to address unsafe and unsanitary conditions tenants have been living with for years. The agreement protects tenants’ right to meet without landlord interference, as well as requires the owner and property manager to confer with and respond to tenant representatives’ concerns on a regular basis. This consent decree is the first court order applying and enforcing the DC Tenants’ Right to Organize statute,” said Brook Hill, counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
“Tenant rights laws in Washington, D.C. are clear: residents have a right to freely organize,” said Brian Corman, the Cohen Milstein attorney handling the case. “We are pleased the court agrees and approved this groundbreaking consent agreement that ensures Park 7 tenants can safely organize, meet, and distribute literature in order to advocate for improved building conditions and hold management accountable. This consent decree will serve as a model for other tenants in the District of Columbia and provide a pathway for advocacy and organizing without the threat of retaliation.”
The plaintiffs are represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC.
See the consent agreement.
See the original filed complaint.
###
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE: Founded in 1968, The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic and social equity through litigation, client and public education and public policy advocacy. While we fight discrimination against all people, we recognize the central role that current and historic race discrimination plays in sustaining inequity and recognize the critical importance of identifying, exposing, combatting and dismantling the systems that sustain racial oppression. For more information, call 202.319.1000. Follow us on Twitter at @WashLaw4CR.
ABOUT COHEN MILSTEIN SELLERS & TOLL PLLC: Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is a national leader in plaintiff class action lawsuits and civil rights-related litigation. As one of the premier plaintiffs in the United States, Cohen Milstein has more than 100 attorneys in offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Raleigh, NC. For more information call 202.408.4600.
PRESS CONTACT:
Gregg Kelley, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Gregg_Kelley@washlaw.org, 202-319-1070
Representatives of Nutrition & Education International Met with Pentagon Officials to Discuss the U.S. Drone Strike that Killed Their Employee Zemari Ahmadi and Nine of His Family Members in Kabul
NEW YORK — Nutrition & Education International (NEI) had a meeting with the U.S. Department of Defense yesterday to discuss what the government can do to make amends after a U.S. drone strike killed aid worker Zemari Ahmadi and nine members of his family in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2021. Mr. Ahmadi was one of NEI’s first six Afghan employees, a key leader on its staff, and held the position of technical engineer with NEI. The American Civil Liberties Union and Cohen Milstein are now representing NEI.
“Zemari was like a son to me, and I join his family in grieving his loss, the deaths of his three sons, and six other family members,” said Dr. Steven Kwon, President & CEO of Nutrition & Education International. “When Zemari started with NEI in 2006, he was a handyman who had never attended school. But he was extraordinarily smart, a gifted engineer, and he became an essential part of our operations and successes. Nothing can bring Zemari or these other precious people back, but we appreciate the opportunity to discuss these devastating losses in detail with senior Defense Department officials. We hope they will act urgently to get surviving family members and impacted NEI employees to safety and to help them to rebuild their lives.”
NEI’s primary concern is for the safety and welfare of Mr. Ahmadi’s remaining relatives, as well as for NEI’s Afghan colleagues. NEI is asking the Department of Defense to urgently evacuate and resettle Ahmadi family members and NEI’s employees at risk, compensate survivors, and conduct a meaningful investigation into the strike.
“It is a privilege for us to support NEI and the Ahmadi family members in this traumatic time,” said Hina Shamsi, Director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “The U.S. wrongly killed their loved ones, and what makes this tragedy different from so many others during the war in Afghanistan is that because of public attention, top Pentagon officials met with NEI and explicitly promised to help. We also hope that the investigation into the strike provides NEI and the Ahmadi family meaningful transparency and accountability.”
++++++++++++++++++++++
ACLU Press Contact:
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
United States
(212) 549-2666
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / October 4, 2021 / Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is investigating Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE:SPPI) (“Spectrum Pharmaceuticals” or the “Company”) following the filing of class action lawsuits alleging violations of federal securities law.
If you purchased Spectrum Pharmaceuticals shares between December 27, 2018 and August 5, 2021 (the “Class Period”) and suffered an economic loss, you may wish to contact Cohen Milstein Partner Steven J. Toll at (202) 408-4600 or stoll@cohenmilstein.com to discuss your legal rights and options.
To serve as lead plaintiff, you must file a motion with the court by November 1, 2021. You are not required to file a lead plaintiff motion to take part in the litigation as an absent class member.
A lawsuit alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and certain of the Company’s officers and directors was filed August 31, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and hematology drug products including ROLONTIS, developed to treat chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and for which the Company filed a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”).
The complaint alleges that the Company made misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that (1) the facility used to manufacture ROLONTIS maintained deficient controls and/or procedures; (2) the foregoing deficiencies decreased the likelihood that the FDA would approve the BLA in its current form; and (3) the Company had therefore materially overstated the prospects that the FDA would approve the Company’s BLA.
The Class Period begins on December 27, 2018 when Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced its submission of a BLA for ROLONTIS. The Company subsequently assured investors that the plant it used to manufacture the drug in South Korea “is an experienced biopharmaceutical manufacturer with a world-class facility.”
On August 6, 2021, however, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced receipt of a Complete Response Letter (“CRL”) from the FDA on ROLONTIS citing “deficiencies related to manufacturing” and indicating a reinspection of the Company’s manufacturing facility would be necessary. On this news, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals’ stock fell more than 21%, from $3.25 on August 5, 2021 to $2.55 on August 6, 2021.
Cohen Milstein encourages investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Spectrum Pharmaceuticals’ shares or options from December 27, 2018 through August 5, 2021 or former employees with information about this matter to contact us prior to the November 1, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.
A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your share in any recovery will not be enhanced or diminished by whether you decide to serve as a lead plaintiff. Any member of the proposed class may retain Cohen Milstein or other attorneys to serve as your counsel in this action or may do nothing and remain an absent class member.
Cohen Milstein has significant experience representing investors in securities class actions, having acted as lead counsel in hundreds of cases and recovered billions of dollars for plaintiffs since 1969. With more than 100 attorneys in offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C., the firm is active in major litigation pending in federal and state courts throughout the nation. For more information visit www.cohenmilstein.com.
If you have any questions about this notice, the action, or your rights, please contact either of the following:
Steven J. Toll, Esq.
Josh Kluger
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
1100 New York Avenue, N.W.
Fifth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Telephone: (888) 240-0775 or (202) 408-4600
Email: stoll@cohenmilstein.com
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This may be considered Attorney Advertising.
# # #
Complaints allege that the meal delivery companies deceived consumers and shortchanged restaurants already reeling from the pandemic shutdown
CHICAGO – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, Acting Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Commissioner Kenneth Meyer, and Corporation Counsel Celia Meza today announced that the City of Chicago has filed two lawsuits against meal delivery giants Grubhub and DoorDash. These lawsuits are the result of a collaborative investigation led by BACP and the City’s Law Department. They are the first comprehensive law enforcement actions against meal delivery companies in the United States.
The lawsuits assert claims under the Chicago Municipal Code for engaging in deceptive and unfair business practices that harm restaurants and mislead consumers. They seek injunctive relief in the form of greater transparency and other key conduct modifications, restitution for restaurants and consumers hurt by these predatory tactics, and civil penalties for violations of the law.
“As we stared down a global pandemic that shuttered businesses and drove people indoors, the defendants’ meal delivery service apps became a primary way for people to feed themselves and their families, as well as support local restaurants,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “It is deeply concerning and unfortunate that these companies broke the law during these incredibly difficult times, using unfair and deceptive tactics to take advantage of restaurants and consumers who were struggling to stay afloat.”
The complaints allege that DoorDash and Grubhub’s misconduct has been ongoing for years and continues to this day. Specifically, both DoorDash and Grubhub:
- Advertise order and delivery services from unaffiliated restaurants without their consent, leaving restaurants to repair reputational damage and resolve consumer complaints caused by Defendants.
- Lure consumers into a bait-and-switch with deceptively small delivery fees upfront, only to charge misleading fees at the end of the transaction. This increases the total cost of delivery by as much as six times the amount initially advertised.
- Hide that menu prices on their platforms are often significantly higher than the prices available if ordering directly from the restaurant.
Other misconduct is specific to each company. Grubhub’s exploitative tactics have included:
- Publishing deceptive “routing” telephone numbers that Grubhub represented as the restaurant’s direct number, and regularly charging commissions even when calls to these numbers did not result in an order.
- Creating and maintaining “impostor websites” for restaurants, which look like the restaurant’s actual website but route unsuspecting consumers to Grubhub.
- Launching deceptive, promotional campaigns to “save restaurants” during the pandemic, while forcing participating restaurants to extend their contracts, cover the cost of the promotions, and pay Grubhub its full commission on all orders.
- Violating the City’s emergency cap of 15% on restaurant commissions.
DoorDash’s specific misconduct has included:
- Misleading consumers to believe they were tipping drivers directly, when in fact the customer “tip” was used to subsidize DoorDash’s own payment to its drivers.
- Imposing a misleading “Chicago Fee” of $1.50 on every order in the City, deceptively implying the fee was required by, or paid to, Chicago—when in fact DoorDash was the sole beneficiary.
At the height of the 2020 lockdown, approximately half of Chicago’s 7,500 restaurants had closed either temporarily or permanently. The Federal Reserve estimated that approximately 44,000 restaurant workers in the Chicago area lost their jobs in 2020. Meanwhile, sales for meal delivery service platforms have soared since pandemic-related health restrictions forced restaurants to close or severely limit indoor dining. From 2019-2020, year-over-year total orders placed with meal delivery service platforms have more than tripled nationally – from 263 million to 816 million. As Defendants’ business surged, their predatory practices persisted.
“We discovered that Grubhub and DoorDash have been engaging in deceptive and misleading business practices that harm consumers and exploit restaurants. These practices continued unabated during the pandemic when restaurants were struggling to survive,” said Acting BACP Commissioner Kenneth Meyer. “We heard from the hospitality industry and Chicago’s consumers about these unfair practices and this action demonstrates we will hold non-complying businesses accountable.”
The City is represented in these lawsuits by in-house counsel from the Affirmative Litigation Division in its Department of Law and by the law firm of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC.
The Grubhub complaint and DoorDash complaint were filed today. If any Chicago restaurant or consumer wishes to inform the City about their experience with meal delivery companies, they can do so by emailing mealdelivery@cityofchicago.org.
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mayor’s Press Office
312.744.3334
Tenants have experienced prolonged racial and economic mistreatment from the building owners and property management company
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON – Today, the Park 7 Tenant Union and tenants of Park 7 Apartments, an affordable housing apartment building located at 4020 Minnesota Ave. in Northeast D.C. comprised mainly of Black residents, filed suit in a right to organize case against the property’s owner, Park 7 Residential LP, and its management company, 3801 Management LP, which are owned and operated by Christopher Donatelli (“Defendants”). The suit claims Defendants have waged a years-long obstruction campaign against tenants who have actively organized to protest the deteriorating conditions in the Park 7 Apartment building. Since opening in 2014, Park 7 has lapsed into deterioration, including hallways piled with garbage, chronic leaks and water damage, pervasive mold, security hazards, inoperable appliances, and widespread pest infestations. Also, D.C’s Office of Attorney General investigated several Park 7 tenant complaints regarding the landlord’s water billing practices in violation of the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which resulted in a refund of $450,000 to Park 7 tenants in 2019.
As a result of these building conditions and the property management’s harassing tactics, the tenants organized the Park 7 Tenant Union in order to assert their tenant rights to ensure Defendants provide them with a safe habitable living environment in exchange for rent.
DC law protects tenants’ right to organize and advocate on their collective behalf, and neither a landlord nor a property manager may obstruct or retaliate against any tenant engaging in protected activities. Since at least 2017, Park 7 tenants have made efforts to organize to address safety and sanitation issues at the building. Residents have experienced retaliation from Defendants, including targeted harassment, unnecessary calls to the Metropolitan Police Department, unwarranted claims in landlord tenant court, and threats of eviction. The property is comprised nearly entirely of Black residents who utilize housing subsidies, and fear that they are being targeted for those reasons. Some tenants faced harassment so severe that they were eventually pushed out.
“I believe housing to be a human right, tenants should not fear the housing provider because they have the expectation of living in a well maintained, decent, clean and safe community.” Said Tara Maxwell, President of the Park 7 Tenant Union.
“The tenants of Park 7 have experienced unsafe and unsanitary conditions for many years, and their ability to organize as a group to make demands for improvements to their community is a right that is guaranteed under law in the District of Columbia. The bullying tactics by the owner and management company are rooted in racial and economic discrimination, and come straight from the playbook of unscrupulous property owners,” said Brook Hill, counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
“This is a clear-cut case of a prominent landlord with a long history of mismanagement and abuse taking advantage of a historically disadvantaged group of tenants,” said Brian Corman, the Cohen Milstein attorney handling the case. “This is why tenant organizing is so important and why D.C. protects courageous groups like the Park 7 Tenant Union – to assert their rights under the law and fight back at abusive owners.”
The plaintiffs are represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC.
See the filed complaint.
CONTACT: Gregg Kelley, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Gregg_Kelley@washlaw.org, 202-319-1070
###
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE: Founded in 1968, The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic and social equity through litigation, client and public education and public policy advocacy. While we fight discrimination against all people, we recognize the central role that current and historic race discrimination plays in sustaining inequity and recognize the critical importance of identifying, exposing, combatting and dismantling the systems that sustain racial oppression.
ABOUT COHEN MILSTEIN SELLERS & TOLL PLLC: Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is a national leader in plaintiff class action lawsuits and civil rights-related litigation. As one of the premier plaintiffs in the United States, Cohen Milstein has more than 100 attorneys in offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Raleigh, NC.