Federal Judge Blocks DOJ’s Attempt to Unseal Epstein Case Grand Jury Transcripts, Citing Victim Privacy Concerns

NEW YORK — A federal judge has blocked the Department of Justice’s attempt to unseal grand jury transcripts linked to the sex trafficking case of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman made the ruling in Manhattan on Wednesday, echoing a previous decision regarding documents from Ghislaine Maxwell’s case that had also been denied. Maxwell, a British socialite and long-time associate of Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted for her role in facilitating Epstein’s sexual exploitation of minors and young women. Epstein, who was facing federal charges … Read more

Google Faces $29 Billion Class Action Over Alleged Data Collection Misconduct as Privacy Trials Heat Up

San Francisco, California — A federal jury was presented with a request for $29 billion in damages from Google LLC users in a class action lawsuit that alleges the tech giant continued collecting personal data despite users disabling a privacy setting. The case, which commenced Tuesday, claims that almost 100 million users were misled by Google regarding the control they had over their data privacy. During the opening arguments in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, class attorney David Boies outlined the basis of the staggering damages claim. He noted that … Read more

Google Faces $29 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit over Alleged Data Privacy Violations

San Francisco — A federal jury is being asked to consider a staggering $29 billion in damages in a class-action lawsuit against Google LLC, as users allege the tech giant continued to gather personal information even after they disabled privacy settings. This demand was made during the opening statements of the trial, which commenced on Tuesday in San Francisco. The requested compensation far surpasses previous settlements involving Google, notably a $1.4 billion agreement earlier this year over privacy violations in Texas. The lawsuit is particularly significant, involving nearly 100 million Google users. The legal claim … Read more

Federal Court Blocks DHS Access to Medicaid Data, Safeguarding Patient Privacy Amid Immigration Enforcement Concerns

SEATTLE — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security from utilizing Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement activities. This decision also restricts the Department of Health and Human Services from sharing Medicaid information with DHS. The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit initiated by a coalition led by Washington and California on July 1. The suit claims that the transfer of Medicaid data violates legal protections and seeks to halt any further use of this information for immigration purposes. Washington … Read more