In brief: Wal-Mart fights wage gap lawsuit
WASHINGTON – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has asked the Supreme Court to throw out a massive class action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination over pay for female workers.
Wal-Mart is the world’s largest private employer and could face billions of dollars in legal damages if the lawsuit is heard and it loses.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that Wal-Mart should face charges in court that it pays women less than men for the same jobs.
The lawsuit was first filed by six women in federal court in 2001. They also allege that female employees receive fewer promotions and have to wait longer for those promotions.
Associated Press
Garmin recalls Nuvi GPS models
NEW YORK – Garmin Ltd. said Wednesday it is recalling roughly 1.3 million Nuvi GPS devices worldwide because their batteries have the potential to overheat and create a fire hazard.
About 796,000 of the GPS units were sold in the U.S.
Garmin said that certain batteries provided by a separate company have overheated in some Nuvi models. The company said it has identified fewer than 10 cases of overheating, none of which produced any property damage or injury.
Garmin said the battery supplier has agreed to share the cost of replacing the battery packs.
It said owners should not attempt to remove or service the battery on their own.
Associated Press
Dell to counter HP bid for 3Par
SEATTLE – Dell, outbid by Hewlett-Packard on Monday, is planning a second offer for data storage maker 3Par, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Dell offered $1.13 billion for 3Par on Aug. 16. Dell’s offer is likely to be more than the $1.5 billion HP offered, the person said.
Both companies are beefing up “cloud computing” operations – running massive data centers to deliver software and services over the Internet.
Associated Press
Facebook sues over ‘-book’ suffix
CHICAGO – Social networking giant Facebook has sued a Northbrook, Ill.-based Web company for using “book” in its name.
Teachbook.com LLC is a free Web community for teachers that provides tools to manage their classrooms, communicate with parents and share lesson plans and other resources. The site isn’t officially active yet, but managing director Greg Shrader said he’s planning to launch it soon after Labor Day and believes Facebook’s claims of trademark infringement are “wrong on their merits.”
“We’ve been sitting here scratching our heads for the last couple of days,” Shrader told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re trying to understand how Facebook, a multibillion dollar company, feels this small enterprise in Chicago is any type of threat.”
McClatchy Tribune