• Blog Post

    THE SHAREHOLDER LAWSUIT AGAINST PYXUS INTERNATIONAL: A VIEW OF CLASS ACTION CASES

    A class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court with the Eastern District of North Carolina against Pyxus International, Inc. (“Pyxus”).  The lawsuit focuses on those persons who acquired shares in Pyxus between June 7, 2018 and November 8, 2018, a period which coincides with steep drops in the company’s share price.  Class action lawsuits are common shareholder litigation, but what exactly is a class action lawsuit?   State or Federal Court?   Class action lawsuits are available in state court – including North Carolina state court – as well as in federal court.  Since its effective date, the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (the “Act”)…

  • Blog Post

    What Business Owners Should Know About Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

      With increasing frequency, dog owners are claiming their pets are service animals, even when they are not. Unlike the United Kingdom, the United States does not have a requirement that service dogs be certified, but they do have to meet certain criteria under the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) and an increasing number of states are making it illegal to misrepresent your pet as a service animal.   According to the ADA, service dogs are defined as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” This means the person must have either a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or…

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    Legal Standing: As Illustrated by an Indonesian Monkey Named Naruto

              To bring a lawsuit in the United States, one must have “standing.”  This legal principle essentially requires the person or company filing a lawsuit have an interest in a dispute.  That interest could involve a piece of property subject to an easement, a Constitutional right, or an injury suffered at the fault of another.  In an ongoing U.S. Court of Appeals case nicknamed the “monkey selfie” case, defense attorney Andrew Dhuey argues a monkey cannot satisfy the requirement of standing, saying, “monkey see, monkey sue is not good law – at least not in the Ninth Circuit.”  Despite the fact that the case was dubbed…