Author Archives: Weitz and Luxenberg, P.C.

Weitz & Luxenberg to Probe Lenovo Superfish Malware Damage Claims

Toxic Tort

NEW YORK, N.Y., Feb. 24, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- A security expert's discovery last month that certain Lenovo laptop computers were shipped with well-concealed malware giving hackers easy access to users' most confidential information has led Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. to announce an investigation into potential legal claims against the hardware manufacturer and against the malware vendor, Superfish, the law firm today disclosed.

Weitz & Luxenberg said it plans to talk to as many Lenovo users as possible about their legal rights to compensation from both Lenovo and Superfish.

Weitz & Luxenberg said users of certain Lenovo laptops sold in the last five months could be harmed by the malware - a commercial product called VisualDiscovery - via "man-in-the-middle" attacks.

In such an attack, a hacker lurking on the Lenovo user's Wi-Fi network hijacks the laptop's internet browser to steal bank credentials, passwords and any other valuable data that might be stored on the laptop, the firm explained.

Hackers could also potentially use the laptop's own security key to certify imposter HTTPS websites - a practice known as "spoofing" - that masquerade as Bank of America, Google or any other secure destination on the Internet, Weitz & Luxenberg warned.

Superfish Creates Lenovo Super-Vulnerability:

According to a report in The New York Times published this week, Superfish's VisualDiscovery software could enable hackers to monitor and exploit everything a Lenovo user does while online.

"The tragedy is that Lenovo users have been led to believe the data they're storing on their laptops are safe and secure, when those data are anything but safe and secure," said Robin L. Greenwald, who heads Weitz & Luxenberg's Environmental, Toxic Tort & Consumer Protection Unit.

Security experts who have looked into this situation contend that only by fully wiping out the memory of a vulnerable Lenovo laptop and then installing a non-Lenovo version of Windows can a user be assured of closing the security hole created by the Superfish VisualDiscovery software.

Some computer experts said taking such a step may expose users to still more harm since fully erasing a computer's factory-installed memory and replacing it opens the door to potentially unforeseen performance glitches.

In the worst cases, these glitches can destabilize a system to the point that the user can no longer rely on it and may need to replace the entire machine, experts caution.

Slate Magazine called Lenovo's decision to pre-install the Superfish software a betrayal of its customers. Slate quoted one expert as saying he "cannot overstate how evil [Lenovo's action] is."

Weitz & Luxenberg points to other computer experts as saying that when Lenovo added the Superfish product it knew a significant security hole would be created, making the laptops easy prey for hackers.

Nine Lenovo Laptop Models Affected:

Affected are Lenovo G, U, Y, Z, S, Flex, MIIX, YOGA, and E series laptops sold between last September and this month, according to news reports.

Lenovo, the news reports continue, admits to having shipped those models with the Superfish product installed.

Slate asserts that Lenovo should have known about the problem as early as Jan. 21 when a user who discovered the vulnerability reported it to a Lenovo forum.

Greenwald said Lenovo since that time has failed to take appropriate steps to eliminate the problem.

Weitz & Luxenberg said harmed Lenovo users may be able to pursue legal action by claiming the consumer protections offered through various federal and state statutes, plus civil law.

"Consumers who have been harmed have a right to be fully compensated for their injuries," said Greenwald. "We intend to help see that justice is done for them."

About Weitz & Luxenberg:

Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is among the nation's leading and most readily recognized personal injury law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg's numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, consumer protection, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg's more than 25 years of experience handling such cases. You can contact the firm's Client Relations department at 800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com.

More information: http://www.weitzluxenberg.com/ .

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/weitz-luxenberg-to-probe-lenovo-superfish-malware-damage-claims-2015-0224-007.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Weitz and Luxenberg, P.C. :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

Anthem Data Breach Sparks Class Action Lawsuit, Weitz & Luxenberg Announces

class action lawsuit

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 18, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., today announced the filing of a class action lawsuit against the nation's second-largest health insurer, Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc., following disclosure earlier this month that the private information of 80 million Anthem customers was stolen in a massive online data breach.

Over a six-week span beginning in mid-December, hackers siphoned from Anthem's computers a wealth of customer personal information, including names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, employment records and income data, the law firm said.

Security experts believe devastating financial losses may loom for Anthem customers as identity thieves use the ill-gotten information to ransack checking and savings accounts, abscond with tax refunds, and apply for credit cards, mortgages and bank loans in their victims' names, Weitz & Luxenberg said.

"Already, victims of the data breach are being targeted with email phishing scams from criminals sending fake but real-looking official Anthem correspondences," said Robin L. Greenwald, who heads Weitz & Luxenberg's Environmental, Toxic Tort & Consumer Protection Unit.

Details of the Anthem Data Breach Lawsuit:

Weitz & Luxenberg's class action alleges Anthem was negligent and in violation of California consumer protection laws.

"We intend to hold Anthem responsible for neglecting to do what was reasonable and prudent to safeguard its customers' personal information," said Greenwald.

The complaint asks the court for an order forcing Anthem to take all necessary steps to prevent future data breaches and for an unspecified amount of monetary compensation to make up for the financial losses members of the class suffer as a result of the data breach.

The class action was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit names a Santa Clarita, California, mother of two as its representative plaintiff. She has been an Anthem customer for 10 years.

According to the filing, data thieves pilfered personal information on all 37 million of Anthem's current policy holders as well as the private data on some 43 million former customers - a total of 80 million consumers.

"This theft is the result of Anthem's failure to implement cyber security measures commensurate with the duties it undertook by storing vast quantities of sensitive customer data," said Greenwald.

"Every business that collects and stores sensitive information about its customers has a duty to safeguard that information and ensure it is secure and remains private," Greenwald added.

"The data collected and stored by health insurance companies are among the most highly sensitive personally identifiable information," she continued. "Health insurance companies, in turn, bear the crucial responsibility to protect this data from compromise and theft."

Anthem Data Breach Exposed Social Security Numbers:

The theft of Social Security numbers is profoundly worrisome because they may be used by identity thieves to engage in a wide range of financial transactions in the name of unsuspecting others, Greenwald explained.

Worse, unlike the process of canceling and replacing a stolen credit card, blocking the use of a stolen Social Security number by an identity thief is no simple matter, she said.

On the list of crimes that may be committed with a stolen Social Security number is tax fraud.

This possibility prompted the head of one state's tax-collection agency to recommend that Anthem customers not postpone filing their taxes for 2014, lest fraudsters beat them to it and snatch away their refunds, said Greenwald.

Anthem insurance plans are sold under various banners. They are Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Amerigroup, Caremore, Unicare, Healthlink and DeCare.

Individuals who now are or once were holders of one of these brands' policies are urged to contact Weitz & Luxenberg for information about how to participate in the class action lawsuit against Anthem.

About Weitz & Luxenberg:

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., is among the nation's leading and most readily recognized personal injury law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg's numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, consumer protection, accidents, personal injury and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg's more than 25 years of experience handling such cases. You can contact the firm's Client Relations department at 800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com.

More information: http://www.weitzluxenberg.com/.

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/anthem-data-breach-sparks-class-action-lawsuit-weitz-luxenberg-announces-2015-0218-007.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Weitz and Luxenberg, P.C. :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

Weitz & Luxenberg’s Relkin Appointed to Xarelto MDL Leadership Team

mass-tort litigations

NEW YORK, N.Y., Feb. 11, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Ellen Relkin, of counsel attorney with Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., has been named to the plaintiffs' steering committee created by judicial order to facilitate lawsuits against the makers of the anticoagulant drug Xarelto, the personal injury and mass tort law firm today announced.

The Hon. Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana selected Ms. Relkin along with 11 other attorneys to serve on the committee. They are tasked with helping ensure that the many Xarelto lawsuits heard by Judge Fallon proceed with optimum efficiency, Weitz & Luxenberg said.

Those lawsuits were already on track to receive efficient handling - late last year they were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation, the firm noted.

The litigation since then has been officially known as In Re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products, MDL No. 2592. Ms. Relkin will serve on the plaintiffs' steering committee for at least a one-year term, according to the judicial order.

Ms. Relkin was chosen to serve on the committee in part because of her past proven strong leadership skills; in other mass-tort litigations she has served or continues to serve on plaintiffs' steering committees or in the role of liaison counsel, Weitz & Luxenberg indicated.

Xarelto Side Effects:

Xarelto became the subject of a large number of lawsuits because some patients who take it suffer potentially dangerous side effects, such as the risk of unstoppable bleeding, the firm said.

Anticoagulant Xarelto may be prescribed to reduce the risk of deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, especially following knee or hip replacement surgery. Xarelto may also be prescribed to prevent strokes and other clotting events related to atrial fibrillation, Weitz & Luxenberg explained.

Ms. Relkin has been at the forefront of the firm's actions against the makers of Xarelto, which positions her to understand the many intricacies of these cases, the firm said.

As a member of the MDL plaintiffs' steering committee, Ms. Relkin will help conduct all pretrial discovery, coordinate trial team selection, explore all settlement options, and keep the plaintiffs' attorneys who are not on the steering committee apprised of developments in the MDL, the judicial order specified.

Experienced Litigator:

Ms. Relkin began the practice of law in 1984, following completion of legal studies at Rutgers University Law School. She is admitted to practice law in four jurisdictions: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. In New Jersey, Ms. Relkin holds state Supreme Court-issued certification as a Civil Trial Attorney, the firm reported.

Weitz & Luxenberg said the focus of Ms. Relkin's practice is pharmaceutical/medical-device product liability and environmental toxic torts. Ms. Relkin has amassed many honors over the years, including designation as both a New Jersey and New York "Super Lawyer."

Ms. Relkin, the firm said, is a member of many prestigious organizations for attorneys and serves in leadership positions within several of them. Most notably, she holds a post on the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association for Justice.

Ms. Relkin also is a coveted speaker at professional gatherings of attorneys. She has authored and co-authored a number of law journal articles and treatise chapters, Weitz & Luxenberg said.

About Weitz & Luxenberg:

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., is among the nation's leading and most readily recognized personal injury law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg's numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, consumer protection, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg's more than 25 years of experience handling such cases. You can contact the firm's Client Relations department at 800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com.

More information: http://www.weitzluxenberg.com/.

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/weitz-luxenberg-relkin-appointed-to-xarelto-mdl-leadership-team-2015-0211-002.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Weitz and Luxenberg, P.C. :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

National Law Journal Names Weitz and Luxenberg to ‘Elite Trial Lawyers’ List, Reveals 2 Keys to Firm’s $9-Billion Actos Verdict

NY trial lawyers

NEW YORK, N.Y., Oct. 1, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Two keys that earlier this year led to a $9-billion courtroom victory by Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., against the maker of the diabetes drug Actos, were revealed Monday when National Law Journal named the New York City-based personal injury firm to its debut list of "America's Elite Trial Lawyers."

Key Number One - a massive investment of time devoted to pre-trial preparation in order to anticipate and thwart attempts by the defendant's legal team to spring surprises on the Weitz & Luxenberg lawyers.

Key Number Two - at all times being truthful and honest with the jury.

National Law Journal divulged these success keys in a Sept. 29 article introducing its inaugural list of the nation's Top 50 plaintiffs' law firms.

The list of "America's Elite Trial Lawyers" was compiled by the journal in cooperation with the legal-focused news website Law.com.

Merely to be considered for this list, a law firm needed to show at least one recent big verdict or settlement arising from a high-stakes case.

In addition, list hopefuls needed a legacy of impressive victories over the span of the last five years.

Comments obtained by National Law Journal from Weitz & Luxenberg client Terrence Allen, plaintiff in the Actos case, are illustrative.

"Day after day [the Weitz & Luxenberg lawyers] were there, always prepared, always ready," Allen was quoted by the journal as saying.

"Not once were the lawyers on the defense able to do something that caught [my lawyers] by surprise. I often wonder how many exhausting hours of preparation [were] done to be that good."

Delving deeper into the law firm's success secrets, the publication learned that Weitz & Luxenberg fills its attorney ranks with former government prosecutors and other lawyers who know what it takes to bring wrongdoers to justice.

"[Attorneys we recruit] have a lot of trial experience when they come to us," co-founding member Perry Weitz told National Law Journal.

The periodical noted that Weitz & Luxenberg employs dozens of such heavy-hitters.

Among those it mentioned by name were Paul Pennock, who manages Weitz & Luxenberg's Drug & Medical Device Litigation group, and associate attorney Jonathan Sedgh.

Pennock is a lead lawyer in the firm. He, Mark Lanier and Richard Arsenault served as lead lawyers in the case against Actos.

National Law Journal also observed that Weitz & Luxenberg exerts a national presence, thanks to offices in Manhattan, Los Angeles and just outside Philadelphia in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

National Law Journal and Law.com decided to create the "America's Elite Trial Lawyers" roster in order to identify and lionize the 50 plaintiffs' law firms responsible for the combined total of $10 billion in recoveries won at trial during 2013 alone.

The two organizations contend that the work of firms like Weitz & Luxenberg will likely yield 2014 recoveries surpassing those of the previous year.

About Weitz & Luxenberg:

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., is among the nation's leading and most readily recognized personal injury law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg's numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg's more than 25 years of experience handling such cases. You can contact the firm's Client Relations department at 800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com.

More information: http://www.weitzluxenberg.com/ .

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/national-law-journal-names-weitz-and-luxenberg-elite-trial-lawyers-list-reveals-2-keys-firms-9-billion-actos-verdict-2014-10-1001-001.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Weitz and Luxenberg, P.C. :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2014 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.