Latest news with #legalaction
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Vodafone CEO asked how she sleeps at night by ex-franchisee amid £120m legal action
The Vodafone chief executive has been asked how she sleeps at night by one of the 62 former store owners involved in a £120m legal action that claims the mobile operator 'unjustly enriched' itself at their expense. Donna Watton, one of the group of 62 franchisees that have taken their claim to the high court, challenged Margherita Della Valle at Vodafone's annual general meeting on Tuesday. 'I have a question for the chief executive,' said Watton, speaking at the sparsely attended meeting at Vodafone's headquarters in Newbury. 'I am a Vodafone ex-franchisee, and I am one of the group of 62 suing this company for £120m for what it did to us, and I want to know: Margherita, how do you sleep at night knowing Vodafone's actions left people suicidal, cost them their homes, and left them drowning in debt?' The legal case was launched in December, claiming Vodafone slashed commissions paid to franchisees operating the mobile phone company's retail outlets. Many have claimed the company's actions made them fear they would lose their livelihoods, homes or life savings after running up personal debts of more than £100,000. Jean-François van Boxmeer, the chair of Vodafone leading the meeting proceedings, stepped in to field the question on behalf of Della Valle. He said that it was right he field the question as 'the master of ceremonies here and also protecting the sleep of Margherita'. 'I understand your question and I am not saying I do not feel the pain that you might [be going] through,' he said. 'You are referring to a case which is a commercial case between Vodafone UK and a group of franchisees in the UK. That case has been through a mediation that has been unfortunately unsuccessful. It is now a matter in the hands of court. You will allow us not to comment on procedures that are in court. I will not in this general assembly make further comments on what is now in the hands of courts.' He said that Vodafone remains open to further mediation, a process that ended without resolution in May. Vodafone, which says the legal claim is worth £85.5m, has consistently said that it refutes the claims made by the franchisees in their legal action. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion One shareholder, who said they had travelled a great distance to attend the Newbury meeting, challenged why Della Valle was too 'shy' to address attendees. 'I don't come for the sandwiches, I come to engage with the board and management,' he said. 'I've gone to a lot of AGMs this year. [At] the other AGMs the chief executives were not so shy that we weren't addressed. I've come a long way, I've probably used a lot of petrol to come here. Surely as one of the seven shareholders that have turned out I deserve some sort of address from the chief executive. Is there nothing good to report, is there nothing bad to report?' Van Boxmeer responded that Della Valle would only offer replies to 'very concrete questions relating to how the business is going'.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Legal Action Over ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' Leaks Begins Soon
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle While Ufotable and others behind the film are celebrating the historic success of the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle movie in Japan, the film has begun leaking all across the internet, prompting a response that relays how serious this is being taken. In a new post on the official 3 million follower Demon Slayer account, a lengthy statement was prepared addressing the issues of piracy and leaks, and how vulnerable accounts that share these leaks are. Here's the statement in full: 'We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone for their incredible excitement and support for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. However, we have recently become aware of unauthorized recordings, uploads, and online distribution of the film. These activities constitute a serious violation of copyright law and other applicable laws and regulations. We will pursue strict legal action, including civil and criminal measures, against such activities such as piracy and illegal uploads. Even those posting anonymously can be identified and will be held liable. Such illegal activities not only harm the experience of our loyal fans who support the film, but also undermine the immense hard work, creativity, and resources we have dedicated to the film. We strongly encourage everyone to experience the film legitimately at movie theaters. We will take appropriate measures to protect our copyrighted work and to ensure that all audiences can enjoy the films as intended. We kindly ask for your continued understanding and cooperation.' Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle There have been countless clips shared of the film, some from pirated copies, some from screen records in Japan. While all movies are pirated to some extent in vast torrent networks and streaming sites, this practice is being amplified by the fact that the film was only released in Japan at its initial premiere, and other regions, including the US, have to wait two months after that in order for the film to reach our shores. Not that this justifies doing anything illegal, but it's likely encouraging this practice. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1, the first film in the series-ending trilogy, demolished its own records from the Mugen Train release with $50 million in receipts in its first 4 days in Japan. That would be a solid performance in the US at almost triple the population. Mugen Train went on to make almost a half a billion dollars globally, and if the trend continues, Infinity Castle will likely make hundreds of millions more than that. Lawsuits seem like they'll be coming soon, and even with anonymous or burner accounts, the company seems determined to unmask these leak-sharers, so I hope you took that into account when posting clips. We'll see what happens next and if there are any further updates about what's going on with the leaks, which will only be amplified in the next few months as other regions slowly get the film. As a reminder, here are the global release dates: Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Federal politics live: Government says it will not be 'bullied' to exempt YouTube from social media ban
The government says it will not be bullied by Google after the tech giant threatens to take legal action if YouTube is included in a social media ban for children under 16. Follow our live blog below.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Wife and ex-partner of ‘controlling and dangerous man' secure protection orders
A man's wife and his ex-partner have been granted protection orders against him within days of each other. The ex-partner, who broke up with him more than three years ago, told the emergency domestic violence court at Dolphin House, Dublin on Friday that the man knows his wife recently contacted her and he had said he was going to ruin their lives. He has contacted his ex-partner via social media and she said she feels unsafe. She made a statement to gardaí after learning that during their relationship, he had recorded a video on his phone of him laughing after her then two-year-old child was hurt when he braked hard in his car after deliberately not putting on the child's seat belt. The man has retained private images of the woman on his phone and a letter from her to her daughter, who is not his child, she said. READ MORE 'It's like an obsession,' the woman told the court. The ex-partner said she had 'healed' after her relatively short relationship with the man, is in another relationship for some time, recently had a baby and wanted nothing to do with him. The man's wife, who obtained a protection order against him days earlier, returned to the court on Friday to support her husband's ex-partner in her application. Judge Shalom Binchy said that while it was 'unusual', she would hear evidence from the wife in the context of the man's ex-partner's application. The wife came into court and said her husband is a 'narcissist' and a 'very controlling and dangerous man'. 'He said he is going to ruin my life and hers [the ex-partner's],' she said. The man had leaked private images of his wife on to social media and she believed he would do the same concerning the other woman. The man had shown his wife the video of his ex-partner's daughter in his car after he deliberately did not put on the child's seat belt, she said. The wife said he referred to the child in a 'very nasty' way and had shown her another video of the child falling off a slide. After her evidence, the wife left court and the judge told his ex-partner she would grant a protection order. In another case, a mother was granted a barring order against her mentally ill son. Aged in his 30s, he was diagnosed with a serious mental illness nine years ago but has no insight and is not compliant with medication or outpatient appointments, she said. He was admitted as an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Acts four times in the past 20 months. Her son is very angry and a recluse with no friends, and his behaviour is getting more difficult and erratic, she said. The woman said he had come into her home with a crowbar and a look in his eyes that 'terrified' her. She always keeps her car keys on her body and fled the house and drove away. On another occasion, he locked her and a friend out of the house overnight by using a rope. He was discharged from a mental health unit a few days ago with no money and no clothes and she does not know where he is, the distressed woman said. He was discharged despite a Garda detective contacting the unit, saying her son is very vulnerable and in potential danger of being 'radicalised'. She keeps hoping someone in a hospital 'will acknowledge he needs long-term support and help'. Granting a 12-month barring order, the judge said: 'It sounds like he has been very much let down by the mental health services, and neither of you should have been left in this situation and have to come to court.' When the woman asked could the court do anything about the mental health issues raised, the judge said she had no power to do so.
Motor 1
4 days ago
- Motor 1
‘I Would Sue Just Because He Lied for Her:' Woman Says Teen Jeep Driver Scraped Her Car in Chick-fil-A Lot. Should She Sue?
A woman went viral on TikTok after sharing her thought process behind not pursuing legal action against a teen who scraped her car during an accident. Edi (@ said she was out of town for work and driving a rental when she stopped at Chick-fil-A for food. While sitting in the car, she suddenly felt it move. 'All of a sudden, the car starts shaking,' Edi said. She added that it also made an odd noise. Next to her was a teenage girl—later revealed to be just 16—who had scraped Edi's rental while pulling up in a Jeep. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the damage seemed to be limited to Edi's car. Still, she said she wasn't sure how to handle the situation. The teen had been driving alone with just a learner's permit and no adult in the car. Edi said she began to consider her options. She didn't want to overreact, but she also didn't know what consequences the teen might face. 'I don't know the repercussions for her driving by herself,' she said. What Happened at Chick-fil-A? Edi had backed into a parking spot when the teen tried pulling into the one beside her. That's when the accident happened. 'I couldn't do anything but laugh,' Edi said. The girl, however, was clearly shaken. Edi described her as fidgety and on the verge of tears. While Edi called the police to file a report, the teen phoned her dad. When law enforcement arrived, Edi said the father was helpful at first, telling her 'accidents happen,' but then lied to officers, claiming he'd been in the car with his daughter at the time of the crash. Edi said she kept quiet after what she heard. She says that in the following days, she started receiving calls from anonymous numbers asking if she was injured and urging her to sue. Edi, however, said she decided against it. 'She's only 16 years old,' she said. As of Wednesday, Edi's video explaining her predicament with the teen had amassed more than 267,600 views. Can Teenagers With a Permit Drive Without an Adult? Driving alone with only a learner's permit is a serious violation in most places, and it can come with steep consequences. After all, a permit isn't a full license. It's a conditional pass to get behind the wheel, and only with a licensed adult in the car. If you're caught driving solo, you can be hit with fines , depending on the state, or be charged with driving without a license. What's worse, your permit can be suspended or revoked, and your path to getting a full license could be delayed by months or even years. The specifics vary by state, and consequences tend to get harsher with repeat offenses. Regardless of the legal fallout, though, the bigger issue is safety. A learner's permit exists so new drivers can gain experience with supervision. Driving alone skips that step—and puts everyone on the road at risk. Should She Sue? Whether to sue depends on the details of the accident and what you're hoping to get out of it. In Edi's case, she made it clear she didn't want to take legal action. No one was hurt, and she didn't see the point in potentially wrecking a teenager's life over a minor crash. Even if you're not injured, though, you can still have legal grounds to file a claim. You might be entitled to compensation for property damage—like repairs to your car—or other costs, including rental fees or even lost wages if the accident kept you from working. Viewers Encourage the Affected Driver to Reconsider Many viewers encouraged Edi to think twice about letting the incident slide, especially after the girl's father lied to the responding officer. 'SUE cuz she would've sued you,' one woman said. 'I would sue just because he lied for her,' another added. 'If roles were reversed, they wouldn't hesitate,' a third person wrote. 'But if you don't want free money.' Some argued that suing wouldn't necessarily punish the teen. If she were on her parents' insurance, any legal action would likely be directed at the insurance company, not the girl herself. 'You'd be suing their insurance, not them,' one commenter pointed out. 'They'll think twice about letting their kid drive a huge car by themselves next time.' 'SUE. IDC. SUE,' another wrote. 'You are suing the insurance, not her specifically.' 'You're not actually suing her,' a third said. 'The lawyer would be getting you money from the insurance company, not her. She should have (at minimum) liability insurance, and that's what will cover her from the suit.' Still, in a follow-up video , Edi made it clear she was standing by her choice. 'I'm not going to sue her,' she said. 'I pretty much told everyone I didn't get hurt … I'm on record saying I'm good.' Motor1 has reached out to Edi via a TikTok direct message. Now Trending 'They Would Exchange Stories Like it Was Vietnam:' Man Says Enterprise Was the 'Worst Job' He Ever Had. Here's Why 'I'm So Sorry For Wasting Y'all's Time:' Woman Notices a 'Burning' Smell in Her New Car. The Mechanic Says Something Unexpected Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
