In The Courtroom

Regulators $300 Million Penalty Against Hyundai and Kia for Misrepresenting Fuel Economy Does Not Compensate Aggrieved Consumers

November 2, 2014  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumers who purchased Hyundai and Kia cars based on the companies’ misrepresentations about the fuel economy of several of their 2011, 2012 and 2013 model year vehicles will not receive any money from the government consent decree with the auto makers announced today, said advocates at Consumer Watchdog, the non-profit advocacy group that first requested the EPA investigate mileage complaints in November, 2011. That will have to come from the settlement of class action lawsuits now pending before a federal court in Los Angeles. Consumer Watchdog attorneys have disputed several terms of the proposed settlement.

Consumer Advocates Make Headway in Push to Improve Hyundai/Kia MPG Class Action Settlement

July 24, 2014  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog attorneys representing consumers dissatisfied with the proposed nationwide settlement of a class action against Hyundai and Kia over misrepresenting the fuel economy of their vehicles are continuing their advocacy this morning in federal court in Los Angeles, seeking additional improvements in the settlement.

Santa Susana Toxic Cleanup Effort Is A Mess

June 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Any way you cut it, the situation at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site outside Simi Valley is a mess.</p> <p>The 2,850-acre former rocket engine test center is contaminated by <a href="http://www.etec.energy.gov/char_cleanup/cleanup_index.html">a vast menu of radioactive isotopes and toxic chemicals</a>. The condition of its soil, groundwater and structures makes it one of the most challenging cleanup jobs in the state, possibly the country.</p>

Boeing Accused Of Derailing Toxic Cleanup

June 13, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group, is accusing Boeing Co. of hindering efforts to properly clean up its portion of the <span class="pt_location_term">Santa Susana</span> Field Laboratory in <span class="pt_location_term">Simi Valley</span>.</p> <p>Boeing owns about 80 percent of the former field lab, including a portion known as Area IV that experienced a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959. The rest of the site belongs to the federal government.</p>

How Boeing Blocked a Nuclear and Chemical Cleanup in LA’s Backyard

June 5, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>In 1979, a nuclear power reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania suffered a partial meltdown. There was widespread anxiety nationwide. As a reporter at KNBC, Channel 4, I reported that a similar accident, a much smaller research reactor in the Santa Suzanna Mountains, had occurred 20 years earlier — near Los Angeles. Now, all these years later — after decades of studies, reports and regulatory hearings by state and federal agencies, the radioactive residue from that accident has not been completely cleaned up.

Group Says Boeing Influenced State To Weaken Field Lab Cleanup

June 5, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A consumer group charged Thursday that Boeing lobbyists persuaded the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to abandon a planned full cleanup of Boeing’s portion of the Santa Susana Field Lab, site of a 1959 partial nuclear meltdown.<br /> <br />

Report: Ex-Calif. Regulators Helped Boeing Derail Santa Susana Cleanup

June 5, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com)</strong> — Former state regulators allegedly helped officials with Boeing derail the cleanup of a partial nuclear meltdown site in Simi Valley, according to a new report.</p>

New Report Exposes Boeing Influence Peddling That Derailed Cleanup of a Partial Nuclear Meltdown Site Near L.A.

June 5, 2014  ·  Liza Tucker

A new report released by Consumer Watchdog today documents how Boeing and its influential fixers derailed the cleanup of a partial nuclear meltdown site in greater Los Angeles with help from their regulators at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).

Inside Job: How Boeing Fixers Captured Regulators And Derailed A Nuclear And Chemical Cleanup in LA’s Backyard

June 4, 2014  ·  Liza Tucker

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has been a historically troubled agency, far too often failing to effectively fulfill its mission of protecting...

Consumer Advocates Urge Court to Reject Proposed Hyundai/Kia MPG Settlement

June 4, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

A class action settlement negotiated by Hyundai and Kia following the companies’ 2012 admission that they low-balled fuel economy numbers for over a dozen 2011–2013...

Kia, Hyundai Customers Object To Fuel-Economy Settlement

June 3, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Law360, New York (June 02, 2014, 2:11 PM ET) -- Dissident class members on Friday attacked a settlement resolving accusations that Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America overstated the fuel efficiency of more than 900,000 vehicles, saying the deal’s claims-made structure will unjustly curtail customer payouts.</p>

Consumer Advocates Urge Court to Reject Proposed Hyundai/Kia MPG Class Action Settlement

June 3, 2014  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

A class action settlement negotiated by Hyundai and Kia following the companies’ 2012 admission that they lowballed fuel economy numbers for over a dozen 2011–2013 vehicles is structured to prevent consumers from collecting the money they are owed and should be rejected, consumer advocates told a federal court.