New York Paralegal Blog

WASHINGTON – An executive of a Taiwan manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights was arrested on July 12, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport and indicted today for participating in a global conspiracy to fix the prices of aftermarket auto lights, the Department of Justice announced today. Aftermarket auto lights are incorporated into an automobile after its original sale, often as repairs following a collision or as accessories and upgrades.

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced the takedown of an extensive automobile theft and resale ring alleged to have stolen hundreds of cars worth more than $10 million. In a series of late night and early morning raids, 19 individuals were arrested for their participation in the criminal network; 16 will be charged with enterprise corruption, a class B felony that carries mandatory prison time. The takedown was the latest development in Operation Car Wars, the joint investigation between the Attorney General’s Office and the New York City Police Department. “Through the diligent work of the Attorney General’s Office and NYPD, we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated criminal network,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “This joint investigation provided our law enforcement offices with the added resources and man-power needed to take down the ring and hold all of its members accountable. The l...

PHOENIX – A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco has affirmed a $65,000 jury verdict against AutoZone, Inc., the Memphis-based national auto parts retail giant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today. The EEOC had sued AutoZone (EEOC v. AutoZone, Inc., CIV 06-926-PHX-SMM, U.S. Dist. Court for the Dist. of Ariz.) for creating a sexually hostile work environment for Stacy Wing, an employee at an AutoZone store in Mesa, Ariz. Wing reported the sexual harassment to AutoZone management, the EEOC said, but AutoZone failed to take immediate and appropriate action to stop it. The evidence at the resulting jury trial showed that Wing was subjected to egregious sexual harassment by AutoZone’s store manager, including repeatedly forcing Wing’s face down to his genitals and making crude sexual remarks to her. At least one such incident was captured and recorded on the store’s video camera system but AutoZone claime...

ALBANY, NY (August 10, 2009) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that his office has issued cease-and-desist letters to nearly 40 auto dealers across New York state whose advertisements for the new federal Car Allowance Rebate System (“CARS” or “Cash for Clunkers”) were misleading and deceptive. The Attorney General’s Office took the action after reviewing a number of advertisements from various car dealerships that omitted significant requirements that had to be met in order for a consumer to be eligible to get the rebate. These ads mislead consumers into believing that their trade-in vehicle qualifies for the program when it does not or that they are eligible for a several-thousand-dollar rebate, when they are not. The letters order all dealerships to immediately modify promotions and advertisements to clearly explain how the program works. The “Cash for Clunkers” program provides funds with which auto dealerships may credit consumers $3,500 or $4,500 for trade-ins...