A judge has granted class action certification to a lawsuit alleging the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has systematically overcharged Hoosiers for drivers’ licenses since 2007.

Marion Superior Court Judge Heather Welch approved the class status in the case, which was filed in March. The judge’s ruling means she found the single lawsuit, rather than individual cases, a better option for resolving the issue potentially affecting a large number of people. Read more…

Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s on April 26, 2013 said they have settled two long-running lawsuits seeking to hold them responsible for misleading investors about the safety of risky debt vehicles that they had rated.

The lawsuits had accused Moody’s, a unit of Moody’s Corp , and S&P, a unit of McGraw-Hill Co.s, of negligent misrepresentation over their activities regarding the Cheyne and Rhinebridge structured investment vehicles (SIVs). Morgan Stanley, which marketed both SIVs and helped structure the Rhinebridge SIV, also settled. Read more…

Two years ago, Rupert Murdoch and other board members of News Corp. were sued by shareholders for lax oversight and alleged misdeeds within the sprawling media conglomerate.  News Corp. on Monday agreed to settle the case. 

Now here’s the punch line: News Corp. will be the one collecting the $139 million settlement — not the shareholders who brought the suit.

Here’s how that worked out: Insurance companies that represent News Corp.’s board will make the payout on behalf of Murdoch and others on News Corp.’s board. The money will go into News Corp.’s corporate coffers.  A Delaware judge overseeing the case must approve the settlement. Read more…