Latest news with #Caremark
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Powerful photograph taken by Linlithgow veterinary nurse shortlisted in UK-wide competition
Carena Schmid is representing Scotland with a photograph capturing Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies Venice and Jasper receiving their second vaccinations in a setting carefully adapted to their needs. A powerful photograph taken by a Linlithgow veterinary nurse has been shortlisted in a UK-wide competition by leading home care provider Caremark, as part of its 'What is Care?' photography competition. Launched to mark 20 years of Caremark championing home care in communities, the competition asked the public to capture what care means to them in everyday life, from small gestures to big moments. Out of hundreds of entries, one finalist was chosen from each of the UK's 12 regions, following a rigorous judging process carried out by Caremark's head office. Carena Schmid is representing Scotland with a photograph capturing Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies Venice and Jasper receiving their second vaccinations in a setting carefully adapted to their needs. The image shows the pups in their favourite 'paws-up' position, supported by their owners Claire Staines and Tracey Grant at Lothlorien Dog Services in Linlithgow, where the vaccinations took place — making the experience completely stress-free for the animals. The image is now part of a nationwide public vote on social media to determine the overall winner of the competition. The photographer of the winning entry will receive a £1,000 luxury getaway. Carena said: 'This photo shows how working together can result in a calm, positive care experience — not just for animals, but for people too. 'The owners worked with me and the pups ahead of time to make sure their second vaccinations were completely stress-free. They chose the environment, used their favourite position, gave them treats, and practised gentle handling the week before. 'To me, care means compassion, kindness and adapting what you do to suit the individual, whether human or animal. This image is important to me as it shows how the best level of care can be achieved when everyone works together. 'Little things like this can have a such an important and powerful impact in animal welfare. 'I was shocked and surprised to be selected as a finalist — in a good way! I'm very happy that a photo which promotes positive care for dogs is representing Scotland. If I were to win, I'd love to go somewhere rural in Scotland with my husband and our lovely arthritic Border Collie Miss Darcy and spend some proper quality time together.' Voting is open to the public via Caremark's Facebook page and will close at 9am on September 29. The entry with the highest number of public votes will be announced as the winner shortly after voting closes. Emma Scholes, Caremark's Director of Marketing, said: 'We've been genuinely moved by the creativity and thoughtfulness behind so many of the entries. 'With such an incredible standard from across the country, narrowing it down to just 12 finalists was tough because each photograph carried a personal story, so judging them was emotionally challenging. We felt that Carena's photograph stood out as a powerful reflection of what care can mean. 'This competition marks 20 years of Caremark championing care in communities across the UK. It's about shining a light on what care looks like in everyday life, from small gestures to life-changing support, and how differently people experience and express it. 'Each finalist has brought a unique perspective, and it's been inspiring to see care interpreted so personally through their lens. 'We're excited to now share these images with the public, celebrate the value of care in all its forms, and see who the UK public chooses as their overall winner!' For more information about the competition and to view the finalists' photographs, visit:
Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Meta investors, Zuckerberg reach settlement to end $8 billion trial over Facebook privacy violations
Mark Zuckerberg and current and former directors and officers of Meta Platforms agreed on Thursday to settle claims seeking $8 billion for the damage they allegedly caused the company by allowing repeated violations of Facebook users' privacy, a lawyer for the shareholders told a Delaware judge on Thursday. The parties did not disclose details of the settlement and defense lawyers did not address the judge, Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery. McCormick adjourned the trial just as it was to enter its second day and she congratulated the parties. The plaintiffs' lawyer, Sam Closic, said the agreement just came together quickly. Billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, a defendant in the trial and a Meta director, was scheduled to testify on Thursday. Shareholders of Meta sued Zuckerberg, Andreessen and other former company officials including former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg in hopes of holding them liable for billions of dollars in fines and legal costs the company paid in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion in 2019 after finding that it failed to comply with a 2012 agreement with the regulator to protect users' data. The shareholders wanted the 11 defendants to use their personal wealth to reimburse the company. The defendants denied the allegations, which they called 'extreme claims.' Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021. The company was not a defendant and declined to comment. On its website, the company has said it has invested billions of dollars into protecting user privacy since 2019. A lawyer for the defendants declined to comment. 'This settlement may bring relief to the parties involved, but it's a missed opportunity for public accountability,' said Jason Kint, the head of Digital Content Next, a trade group for content providers. Zuckerberg was expected to take the stand on Monday and Sandberg on Wednesday. The trial was scheduled to run through the end of next week. The case was also expected to include testimony from former Facebook board members Peter Thiel, Palantir Technologies co-founder, and Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix. By settling, Zuckerberg and other defendants avoid having to answer probing questions under oath. Sandberg was found during the litigation to have deleted what were likely her most sensitive emails and she was sanctioned, making it harder for her to tell her side of the story in court. The settlement allows plaintiffs to avoid trying a very difficult case. Meta investors alleged that former and current board members completely failed to oversee the company's compliance with the 2012 FTC agreement. The lawsuit also claimed that Zuckerberg and Sandberg knowingly ran Facebook as an illegal data harvesting operation. The oversight allegations are known as Caremark claims, considered the most difficult to prove under Delaware corporate law. It was the first time Caremark claims went to trial, and even if the plaintiffs had gotten a judgment in their favor, the case would have been appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court. That court has reversed major shareholder victories in recent years. The case followed revelations that data from millions of Facebook users was accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct political consulting firm that worked for Donald Trump's successful U.S. presidential campaign in 2016. Those revelations led to the FTC fine, which was a record at the time. On Wednesday, an expert witness for the plaintiffs testified about what he called 'gaps and weaknesses' in Facebook's privacy policies but would not say if the company violated the 2012 agreement that Facebook reached with the FTC. Jeffrey Zients, a former board member, testified on Wednesday that the company did not agree to the FTC fine to spare Zuckerberg legal liability, as shareholders alleged. The defendants' legal team also showed the court notes that Zients had taken when he was on the board that seemed to show he was urging the board to make user privacy a top priority, which would undercut plaintiffs' claims. The trial settlement marks the second time Zuckerberg avoided testifying in the court. In 2017, Facebook abandoned a plan to issue a new class of stock as a way for Zuckerberg to extend his control over the company while selling his shares. The decision came a week before Zuckerberg was expected to testify in the Court of Chancery to defend the stock plan. 'Facebook has successfully remade the 'Cambridge Analytica' scandal about a few bad actors rather than an unraveling of its entire business model of surveillance capitalism and the reciprocal, unbridled sharing of personal data,' Kint said. 'That reckoning is now left unresolved.'
India Today
18-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Meta investors, Zuckerberg settle $8 billion privacy lawsuit over Facebook data violations
The agreement was announced in the Delaware Court of Chancery on Thursday, just before the trial was to resume its second trial, presided over by Judge Kathaleen McCormick, was halted after plaintiffs' lawyer Sam Closic informed the court that a settlement had been reached. Details of the agreement remain confidential, and lawyers for the defence declined to to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed by Meta shareholders who aimed to hold CEO Mark Zuckerberg, venture capitalist and board member Marc Andreessen, former COO Sheryl Sandberg, and others accountable for the company's massive legal costs, primarily the $5 billion fine imposed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019. That fine followed revelations about Facebook's failure to comply with a 2012 agreement to protect user Shareholders alleged that top executives ignored the company's legal obligations and ran Facebook as an illegal data-gathering operation. The case was based on Caremark claims, a rare and difficult-to-prove legal standard in Delaware corporate law related to board oversight and Sandberg were expected to testify next week, along with other prominent former board members such as Peter Thiel and Reed Hastings. Sandberg was previously sanctioned for deleting emails during litigation, complicating her settling, the defendants avoid testifying under oath, while shareholders sidestep the challenge of proving complex corporate law claims. The case followed the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which user data was improperly accessed for political advertising during the 2016 US presidential reported by Reuters, Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, criticised the settlement, saying it denied the public a chance at accountability. 'Facebook has reframed the Cambridge Analytica scandal as a few bad actors, avoiding deeper scrutiny of its surveillance-based business model,' he said. Meta has not commented on the settlement.- EndsTrending Reel
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta investors, Zuckerberg reach settlement to end $8 billion trial over Facebook privacy violations
By Tom Hals WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -Mark Zuckerberg and current and former directors and officers of Meta Platforms agreed on Thursday to settle claims seeking $8 billion for the damage they allegedly caused the company by allowing repeated violations of Facebook users' privacy, a lawyer for the shareholders told a Delaware judge on Thursday. The parties did not disclose details of the settlement and defense lawyers did not address the judge, Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery. McCormick adjourned the trial just as it was to enter its second day and she congratulated the parties. The plaintiffs' lawyer, Sam Closic, said the agreement just came together quickly. Billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, a defendant in the trial and a Meta director, was scheduled to testify on Thursday. Shareholders of Meta sued Zuckerberg, Andreessen and other former company officials including former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg in hopes of holding them liable for billions of dollars in fines and legal costs the company paid in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion in 2019 after finding that it failed to comply with a 2012 agreement with the regulator to protect users' data. The shareholders wanted the 11 defendants to use their personal wealth to reimburse the company. The defendants denied the allegations, which they called "extreme claims." Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021. The company was not a defendant and declined to comment. On its website, the company has said it has invested billions of dollars into protecting user privacy since 2019. A lawyer for the defendants declined to comment. 'This settlement may bring relief to the parties involved, but it's a missed opportunity for public accountability," said Jason Kint, the head of Digital Content Next, a trade group for content providers. Zuckerberg was expected to take the stand on Monday and Sandberg on Wednesday. The trial was scheduled to run through the end of next week. The case was also expected to include testimony from former Facebook board members Peter Thiel, Palantir Technologies co-founder, and Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix. By settling, Zuckerberg and other defendants avoid having to answer probing questions under oath. Sandberg was found during the litigation to have deleted what were likely her most sensitive emails and she was sanctioned, making it harder for her to tell her side of the story in court. The settlement allows plaintiffs to avoid trying a very difficult case. Meta investors alleged that former and current board members completely failed to oversee the company's compliance with the 2012 FTC agreement. The lawsuit also claimed that Zuckerberg and Sandberg knowingly ran Facebook as an illegal data harvesting operation. The oversight allegations are known as Caremark claims, considered the most difficult to prove under Delaware corporate law. It was the first time Caremark claims went to trial, and even if the plaintiffs had gotten a judgment in their favor, the case would have been appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court. That court has reversed major shareholder victories in recent years. The case followed revelations that data from millions of Facebook users was accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct political consulting firm that worked for Donald Trump's successful U.S. presidential campaign in 2016. Those revelations led to the FTC fine, which was a record at the time. On Wednesday, an expert witness for the plaintiffs testified about what he called "gaps and weaknesses" in Facebook's privacy policies but would not say if the company violated the 2012 agreement that Facebook reached with the FTC. Jeffrey Zients, a former board member, testified on Wednesday that the company did not agree to the FTC fine to spare Zuckerberg legal liability, as shareholders alleged. The defendants' legal team also showed the court notes that Zients had taken when he was on the board that seemed to show he was urging the board to make user privacy a top priority, which would undercut plaintiffs' claims. The trial settlement marks the second time Zuckerberg avoided testifying in the court. In 2017, Facebook abandoned a plan to issue a new class of stock as a way for Zuckerberg to extend his control over the company while selling his shares. The decision came a week before Zuckerberg was expected to testify in the Court of Chancery to defend the stock plan. "Facebook has successfully remade the 'Cambridge Analytica' scandal about a few bad actors rather than an unraveling of its entire business model of surveillance capitalism and the reciprocal, unbridled sharing of personal data," Kint said. "That reckoning is now left unresolved."
Wall Street Journal
16-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
CVS Beats Out UnitedHealth for Calpers Pharmacy Benefits Deal
CVS Health's CVS -0.65%decrease; red down pointing triangle Caremark business signed a new pharmacy benefits contract with the California Public Employees' Retirement System, known as Calpers. The five-year contract provides outpatient drug benefits for about 587,000 Calpers members, which represents roughly 40% of its clients that receive healthcare benefits. CVS will begin providing benefits starting on Jan. 1.
