Got a Facebook Email you Don’t Want? Here’s How to Fix your FB Email…

June 26th, 2012. By AbiK

Facebook’s gotten an little cocky—inching up to those internet privacy boundaries. It seems to think I need—and WANT—an “@facebook” email domain (I do not). And, it’s worse than that—Mark Zuckerberg et al apparently think I want that “@facebook” email to be the one most folks see on my profile—even though I never access such an email account and don’t ever intend to.

Thanks, but no thanks, Facebook—I’ll choose whatever damn email I want.

If you’ve noticed that your email on your “About” section of your timeline has changed, unannounced, to something like this:

[your.name].10@facebook.com

and you’re not happy, here’s what to do to…

Fix Your Facebook Email Address

1. Go to your Profile page on Facebook. (That’s the one you get when you click your name and tiny thumbnail image in the upper right corner of your screen).

2. Go to the “About” section of your Profile page. (The “About” link should be just under your profile pic on the left, midway down your screen).

3. Go to the “Contact Info” section on that page, and click the “Edit” box. You’ll see 2 emails (at least)–the one you wanted, and the one Facebook wants you to have. Hover  your mouse over the drop down arrow that’s all the way over to the right. It’ll look like this:

 

4. Adjust the Email Setting to “Hidden from Timeline“, and adjust your real email to “Shown on Timeline”.

5. Optional, though not a bad idea, slightly to the left on the “Friends” drop down menu, select “Only Me” for the Facebook email address–that way you won’t risk anyone but yourself seeing that Facebook email address.

6. Click “Save” at the bottom of the edit screen.

Asbestos News Roundup: 6.21.12 – Railway Workers & Asbestos Exposure

June 21st, 2012. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of reported asbestos hot spots in the US from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Railway Workers and Asbestos Risk

Many retired railway men are finding that the years they spent working in railway yards and on trains has caused them to become ill with asbestos-related illnesses. And their illnesses could have been prevented if they had been made aware of the dangers and provided with proper protective gear.

Asbestos was used to insulate steam and diesel locomotives, boxcars, cabooses and pipes. It was also used in brakes and floor tiles of passenger cars. When workers were tasked with removing the asbestos, and were not wearing protective clothing, the airborne asbestos fibers became lodged in their clothes and worse, in their lungs. As this practice went on over time – years in many cases– the accumulation of the asbestos fibers in their lungs led to fatal asbestos mesothelioma. Such is the case of the five former BNSF railway workers who are now suing the company.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Fort Worth, TX: Five railway workers have filed an asbestos lawsuit against their former employer, BNSF Railway, alleging their diagnoses of lung diseases was caused by exposure to asbestos and other hazardous materials while working for the railway.

Donald Polson, Harvey Bass, Robert Brabbin, Joe Gilliam and William King, who live in Fort Worth, Arlington and Cleburne respectively, claim BNSF managers knew that prolonged exposure to asbestos could cause illness, but that they failed to warn the employees of those dangers.

According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs worked for the railroad for more than 30 years; Polson worked there 44 years, until 2001.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs worked in and around engines, boilers, railroad tracks and other areas where they were exposed to asbestos and other substances without protection. As a result of their exposure to dust, fumes and vapors, the men contracted lung diseases that diminished their quality of life and reduced their life expectancy – they have been diagnosed with asbestosis and silicosis, according to their lawyer.

“At all times relevant, the plaintiffs were unaware of the dangerous propensities of the harmful/hazardous materials with which they were required to work with and around,” the lawsuit states. They were not aware of the hazards associated with exposure to asbestos and other substances until less than three years before filing the suit, it states. The lawsuit also states that although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration banned asbestos in construction in the 1970s, railroads continued using it although the companies were aware of the health risks.

The lawsuit also accuses BNSF of violating the Federal Employment Liability Act and the Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act. (star-telegram.com)

Charleston, WV: James M. Lawrentz and his wife, Sandra Lawrentz claim have filed an asbesto lawsuit naming 54 companies they allege are responsible for Mr. Lawrentz’s lung cancer diagnosis.

On April 5 Mr. Lawrentz was diagnosed with lung cancer, which, the couple claims resulted from his exposure to asbestos during his career as a millwright and laborer.

The defendants are being sued based on theories of negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentation and post-sale duty to warn, according to the lawsuit.

The 54 companies named as defendants in the suit are: 3M Company; A.W. Chesterton Company; Aurora Pump Company; Borg-Warner Corporation; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Caterpillar, Inc.; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Crane Co.; Duavo Corporation; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Ford Motor Company; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Gardner Denver, Inc.; Genuine Parts Company; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Grinnell Corporation; Hercules, Inc.; Honeywell International; Howden Buffalo, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Inductotherm Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; Joy Technologies, Inc.; McJunkin Corporation; Morgan Engineering Systems; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; P&H Mining Equipment, Inc.; Pettibone/Traverse Lift, LLC; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Reading Crane and Engineering Company; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Rust International, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; State Electric Supply Company; Sterling Fluid Systems, LLC; Sunbeam Products, Inc.; Surface Combustion, Inc.; Swindell Dressler International Company; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; The Alliance Machine Company; The Gage Company; UB West Virginia, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group International; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; West Virginia Electric Supply; and Yarway Corporation. (wvrecord.com)

Asbestos Law

Riverside, NJ: Frank J. Rizzo, 53; Michael Kouvaras, 59; and Deuteron Capital LLC, have been indicted by a state grand jury on a dozen charges related to the removal of asbestos from the former Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital.

Deuteron Capital LLC, which was doing business as South Street Fill-it Recycling of Riverside, removed asbestos from the site in an unlawful manner, without a license, and employed workers who were not trained or equipped to properly do the job, according to New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa.

Filed and announced Wednesday, the four-count indictment includes second-degree charges of conspiracy, unlawfully causing the release of a toxic pollutant, and abandonment of toxic pollutants, and a third-degree charge of violation of the Asbestos Control and Licensing Act, for all three defendants. The violation stems from the allegation that the men and their company knowingly had asbestos removal work performed without a license from the state.

The second-degree crimes carry sentences of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The third-degree offense carries a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. (phillyburbs.com)

Abercrombie & Glitch? Model Sues A&F Over Masturbation Request on Shoot

June 21st, 2012. By AbiK

If Abercrombie & Fitch doesn’t use sex—straight, gay, whatever—to sell clothes, I don’t know who does. But it’s their thing…and they’re doing what they wanna do—clearly with some success as measured (non-scientifically) by the number of American teen bedroom walls plastered with Abercrombie ad swipe and posters.

Using sex to sell clothes, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. It means hiring hot models and shooting casually suggestive poses—all while promoting the Abercrombie line. And shooting a casually suggestive shot can have a few glitches. Like, what if the model is having an off day and the photographer can’t quite elicit that relaxed, euphoric, post-sex look from the model?

Well, according to the $1 million sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former A&F employee and wannabe A&F model, Benjamine Bowers, getting the right look can apparently require some manual intervention. Bowers alleges that his modeling agent told him to take his clothes off and masturbate in front of the camera so that his euphoric look could be captured right as it was happening. (Who knows, maybe his agent’s been studying method acting…)

According to an article on Reuters, Bowers complied with the directive. While that could beg the question: ‘why he didn’t just say “no” and high-tail it out of there?’, visions of possibly becoming the next Abercrombie guy with a billboard splattered across Times Square apparently kept him there.

Regardless, the lawsuit goes on to allege that the modeling agent then showed his stuff (trying to keep it clean here) and was making comparisons between their equipment. Which, Bowers allegedly took as a bit of a come-on. Really?

Bowers lawsuit names Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister Co. California, AIG Model & Talent Management, A&F and Hollister affiliates, and two individuals, the modeling agent and Abercrombie’s casting director, as defendants. And, according to a report at Courthouse News, Bowers is seeking more than $1 million in damages for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraud in the inducement, rescission due to fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, deceit, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and negligent hiring and supervision.

LinkedIn Password Class Action Lawsuit (You knew it was coming…)

June 19th, 2012. By AbiK

You knew it was coming. Close to 6.5 million passwords get leaked and you know no one’s gonna sit quietly and think “all’s well that end’s well”. Uh-uh.

And so it is for LinkedIn. (Hey—perfect place for gratuitous LawyersandSettlements.com LinkedIn plug: follow us!)

Remember that security breach they announced on June 6th? The one where over six million passwords were “leaked” to a hash cracking website? The one where LinkedIn started deactivating accounts and sending out security advisory emails to its members? That one.

Well, there’s been a class action lawsuit filed against LinkedIn. Needless to say, it’s an internet privacy lawsuit.

According to the filing with the U.S. District Court – Northern California, LinkedIn failed to “properly safeguard its users’ digitally stored personally identifiable information, including e-mail addresses, passwords, and login credentials”. The lawsuit was filed by Katie Szpyrka, a Chicago-based senior associate at a real estate firm, who’s been a LinkedIn member since 2010 and who’s forked over the extra cash to become a “premium” LinkedIn member.

Since the LinkedIn password leak, there haven’t been any reports of any LinkedIn accounts being accessed without authorization, so no outright injury so to speak. But still, there was a security breach and, therefore, the lawsuit also seeks an injunction against LinkedIn, to ensure the social networking site does a better job of protecting members’ privacy.

Given the economy, and the latest jobless numbers, I’m betting the LinkedIn security breach won’t really affect their membership numbers—none of my contacts have been leaving in droves; in fact, they’re networking away. But we’ll see what happens as the LinkedIn class action lawsuit moves along…

Oy Vey: Hebrew National Hot Dogs Class Action Alleges Kosher Fraud

June 19th, 2012. By AbiK

Whoever heard of such a thing? Hebrew National hot dogs not kosher? Who knew?

Well, those are the allegations in the recently filed class action lawsuit against Hebrew National hot dog maker, ConAgra Foods Inc. that alleges negligence and violations of state consumer fraud laws.

Yes, that Hebrew National—as in the brand mostly responsible for bringing Orthodox Jewish dietary law to the grocery shopping masses with the tagline “we answer to a higher authority”. And, unlike matzo at Passover, those Hebrew National franks stayed in the refrigerated section all year long!

Seems a group of consumers don’t think Hebrew National should be overstaying their welcome on store shelves if they’re not going to be kosher law-abiding citizens.

The group of eleven plaintiffs allege that Hebrew National shouldn’t be labeling their hot dogs and other products as “kosher” (indicated by the “triangle K” symbol) because, according to the lawsuit, ConAgra’s meat processing service—provided by AER Services, Inc.— does not have meat processing services that meet the standards necessary for a product to be labeled “kosher”.

Kosher products can often times sell at premium prices—the video above gives an idea on what’s involved in making meat kosher—and that’s part of the plaintiffs’ beef in this class action as well. By labeling the Hebrew National hot dogs as “kosher”, ConAgra was allegedly able to charge a premium, thereby misleading consumers into paying more for their franks.

According to a report from Reuters, the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and an injunction against further mislabeling. They’re also seeking class action status for the lawsuit in which the Class would include U.S. purchasers of Hebrew National products over the last four years.

More to come…