The Corporate Scumbags' Latest Scam...

[Szuchow]

Disney with their own atrocity!

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-hou...rcna166618

Not many people read all (or any) of the fine print when they sign up for a Disney+ account (or any account, for that matter). Perhaps even fewer people would think that such a routine action would block their subsequent wrongful death lawsuit on their spouse’s behalf from being heard in court.


Yet that’s essentially what Walt Disney Parks and Resorts lawyers have argued in their push to force such a case into arbitration. They raised the claim in response to the wrongful death suit in Florida state court from Jeffrey Piccolo, who said that his wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, died from an allergic reaction after eating at a restaurant in Disney Springs.

Disney’s lawyers argued that the matter should go to arbitration, citing terms they said Piccolo agreed to in creating a Disney+ account and in using a Disney website to purchase tickets to Epcot.

Ever heard of Dungeons and Dragons? There is a race of devils there who are about most dickish rules lawyers ever conceived in fiction (in my experience at least). Even this fictional creation would be astonished at this level of scumbaggery.

[Minimalist]

I love it, Szu!

[Minimalist]

Speaking of corporate scumbags....THIS dropped today.

https://www.rawstory.com/big-pharma-push...rice-cuts/

Major pharmaceutical companies lashed out following a landmark deal unveiled Thursday to cut the costs of 10 key medicines, with some saying the price-setting process was not transparent.


Their statements came after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced a deal to lower costs of the first 10 drugs picked for Medicare price talks.
The agreement with drugmakers -- who said they came on board with negotiations as they had no choice -- is set to save seniors in the United States $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs.
It is the result of months of negotiations and is anticipated to save Medicare $6 billion in the first year alone, said Biden, referring to the federal health insurance for seniors.
While the announcement is a likely boon for Democratic presidential candidate Harris as she works on her economic messaging ahead of November's election, pharmaceutical companies have long resisted the cuts.

Novartis, whose heart failure treatment Entresto is among the 10 selected medicines, pushed back against the price-setting process as "not objective or transparent."


"Novartis believes the price-setting provisions in the IRA are unconstitutional and will have long-lasting and devastating consequences," the company added in a statement.

It said it agreed to a "maximum fair price" only to "avoid other untenable options including catastrophic fines or the removal of all our products from both Medicare and Medicaid."

Go fuck yourselves,  you greedy cocksuckers.

https://www.pharmacychecker.com/entresto/#prices

Lowest U.S. Pharmacy Coupon Price: $11.00 per tablet

I was going to suggest that this thread be stickied but it does not seem necessary.  With a little diligence there are enough stories about greedy American corporate bastards to keep it right near the top.

[pattylt]

Question for anyone that knows…

When a drug price gets capped and let’s use insulin as an example, I agree it saves many consumers a lot of money. Doesn’t it also save insurance companies big bucks, too? My granddaughters insulin was already $25/month (I think) and insurance paid the difference because she has insurance.

I know I get a Prolia injection twice a year. My cost is $500.00 and my insurance pays about $1000 with another $700 written off (assume it’s a negotiated discount). Let’s say some day Prolia gets capped at $500. I’m sure I’ll still pay the same but my insurance would be left paying nothing and nothing to be negotiated.

Is that how it works? I’m a little more familiar with hospital billing but drug costs are way beyond my experience.

[Minimalist]

I don't know how much this will help you, Patty, in that it explains what will happen next... not what used to happen.

Anyway....I'd forgotten about the $2,000/year cap.  That's good news as I'm on Eliquis and really tired of being ripped off by those motherfuckers.


https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room...americans/

For far too long, Americans have paid more for their prescription drugs than any developed nation. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and save money for Americans. That’s because Medicare has the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time in history thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Because Medicare is now able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors and people with disabilities, American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2026 alone. President Biden and Vice President Harris took on Big Pharma and won, and now millions of seniors and others on Medicare will soon see their drug costs go down on some of the most common and expensive prescription drugs that treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, blood clots, and more.

Many seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare who take these drugs will also benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending, which will be fully in effect in 2025, saving 19 million beneficiaries an average of $400 per year, in addition to these savings from the negotiated drug prices.

[SYZ]

We have a grocery seller scenario similar to the US's Kroger
and Albertons price gouging duopoly.  

Our two major Australian grocery chains, Woolworths and
Coles hold an 80+ percent market share in the industry,
and obviously collude with their prices behind closed doors.
A litre of milk, a loaf of bread, a pumpkin,or a dozen eggs
are priced exactly, to the cent, at each supermarket.

Aldi holds a mere 10 percent of the market, with a handful
of so-called independents making up the rest.  And prices
at Aldi are always cheaper, but their stores are thin on the
ground here.   Sadly.

[Minimalist]

[Minimalist]

Follow up to Post #25


Apparently Disney does not like the bad publicity.  They hate it when Mickey Mouse is portrayed as a greedy bastard.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/20...rgy-death/

[color=var(--wpds-colors-gray20)]Disney yields, won’t try to block wrongful-death suit over fine print[/color]

Disney backtracked after arguing that a man signing its online terms of service barred him from suing the company over his wife’s death.

[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]Disney has changed its legal approach to a wrongful-death suit over a woman who died of an allergic food reaction on park property after its controversial strategy drew national attention.
[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]Disney’s lawyers had argued the woman’s husband signed away his right to a public trial when he agreed to the company’s online terms of service while registering for a streaming platform. The entertainment giant is dropping that effort and allowing the case to go forward, it said in a statement sent to The Washington Post on Monday.[/color][/color]


[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]“At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro wrote in a prepared statement. “With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss. As such, we’ve decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.”[/color]

Translated into English - that means "we got caught and can't afford that."

All credit to WaPo for exposing the motherfuckers.

[Rhythmcs]

Peak Mouse...they've "waived" some right they totally have and absolutely did not pull from their asses.

[Szuchow]

Follow up to Post #25


Apparently Disney does not like the bad publicity.  They hate it when Mickey Mouse is portrayed as a greedy bastard.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/20...rgy-death/

[color=var(--wpds-colors-gray20)]Disney yields, won’t try to block wrongful-death suit over fine print[/color]

Disney backtracked after arguing that a man signing its online terms of service barred him from suing the company over his wife’s death.

[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]Disney has changed its legal approach to a wrongful-death suit over a woman who died of an allergic food reaction on park property after its controversial strategy drew national attention.
[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]Disney’s lawyers had argued the woman’s husband signed away his right to a public trial when he agreed to the company’s online terms of service while registering for a streaming platform. The entertainment giant is dropping that effort and allowing the case to go forward, it said in a statement sent to The Washington Post on Monday.[/color][/color]


[color=var(--wpds-colors-onBackground)]“At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro wrote in a prepared statement. “With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss. As such, we’ve decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.”[/color]

Translated into English - that means "we got caught and can't afford that."

All credit to WaPo for exposing the motherfuckers.

How generous of them to waive something to which they had no right. Also if they're pulling such crap when striving to put humanity above all other considerations I wouldn't want to see them dropping said "humanity".

[Fireball]

Their shysters will run a full court press during trial and there will be moneys paid out. I despise  the Disney cartel.

[Minimalist]

They'll settle out of court.

With a non-disclosure agreement so Disney can maintain its Mickey Mouse air of purity.

Fucks.

[SYZ]

I have to ask the question... a woman with a potentially and
virtually instantaneous mortality risk from ingesting a nut and/or
dairy allergy, voluntarily chooses a meal for which she has no
knowledge of its contents, and accepts at face value the mere
assurances of a serving person that the meal doesn't have any
dairy or nut products in it?

Seriously?

Did she ask the actual chef preparing the food?  Did she inspect
the kitchen?  Did she specifically ask anyone at the restaurant
what the ingredients were before consuming it?  Did she often
eat out at random restaurants and accept waitperson's assurances
the food was allergen free?

I see at least 10% culpability by the woman in this case.  Being
self-aware of one's health condition (as she was apparently?) should
put some of the onus on self preservation of one's life on that person.
If you're prepared to knowingly take the risk, any risk, then you have
to share any blame for its negative consequences as well.

And, most importantly, where was her EpiPen?  Was she carrying one?

[mordant]

I have to ask the question... a woman with a potentially and
virtually instantaneous mortality risk from ingesting a nut and/or
dairy allergy, voluntarily chooses a meal for which she has no
knowledge of its contents, and accepts at face value the mere
assurances of a serving person that the meal doesn't have any
dairy or nut products in it?

Seriously?

Did she ask the actual chef preparing the food?  Did she inspect
the kitchen?  Did she specifically ask anyone at the restaurant
what the ingredients were before consuming it?  Did she often
eat out at random restaurants and accept waitperson's assurances
the food was allergen free?

I see at least 10% culpability by the woman in this case.  Being
self-aware of one's health condition (as she was apparently?) should
put some of the onus on self preservation of one's life on that person.
If you're prepared to knowingly take the risk, any risk, then you have
to share any blame for its negative consequences as well.

And, most importantly, where was her EpiPen?  Was she carrying one?

People get away with being sloppy / careless until they don't. It creates an expectation that they should continue to be exempt from the laws of causality. I would be unsurprised to find that this is catalyzed by the magical thinking and entitlement encouraged by many flavors of religion. But it is, at base, a feature of human nature. I don't want to exercise this level of care and worry and lack of carefreeness, therefore, let's see if I really have to ... no ?? got away with it?? got away with it 10 times in a row ?? well alright then, ms. waitress, no peanuts, right? Because I left my EpiPen at home. No? OK then ... gaaak!!!

There's a version of this going on with Covid and I'm guessing many in this forum are doing the same thing. The variation is that it starts out deadly, gradually becomes less deadly, but we also aren't testing or really tracking it anymore and people's personal precautions are basically now absent. We know we are in a summer Covid surge here in the US, twice as big as last summer's, with a new variant, and people's vaccinations (assuming they're even up to date) wearing off, new ones not in drugstores for about 2 or 3 more weeks ... it's now the 10th leading cause of death instead of #2 or #3, but it's still a fact that every time you catch it you increase your very nonzero chance of getting some form of Long Covid ... but ... even I have gotten sloppy with masking, have gotten away with it, am still a Novid ... I have to force myself to start masking again and forego public indoor gatherings until I can get my next booster and give it time to kick in, and even then I continue to monitor the national testing figures to see when the surge passes and the next one begins, etc.

My brother in law & family went on a Hawaii vacation and spent the entire vacation sick in bed with Covid. Fuck around and find out.

My fundagelical brother caught it for the 3rd time last week and he professes it's "no big deal", he's had worse flus ... yet he's 83, is still recovering from quadruple bypass surgery ... he should be way more careful than almost anybody ... but, he will fuck around until he finds out.

Taking reasonable care is a great big PITA and cramps your style, basically ...

[Minimalist]

Now, SYZ, perhaps some of those points will be brought out at the TRIAL.... now that there is going to be one, as opposed to the original Disney sense of "justice."

[Minimalist]

If that paywall bypass site is working for you guys, fire it up.  You need it HERE:

https://www.rawstory.com/people-need-to-...des-to-bo/

'People need to go to jail': Video allegedly shows meat industry colluding to price gouge

A former grocery executive told a progressive media outlet in a video released Tuesday that "people f------ need to go to jail" over a long-running scheme in which dominant U.S. meat industry players have used information provided by a little-known data analytics company to increase prices and pad their bottom lines.
"This is probably one of the top five food scandals of the 21st Century, and we can't underplay it," said Errol Schweizer, the former vice president of Whole Foods' grocery division. "People need to go to jail for this s---."
Schweizer's comments come at the start of a nine-minute video produced by More Perfect Union, which tells the story of how Indiana-based Agri Stats, the seemingly bland data firm, "built a network used by the nation's largest meat companies," including Tyson Foods, Hormel, and Cargill.
"Inside that network, America's meat barons share secret data," says More Perfect Union's Eric Gardner, the video's narrator. "It's alleged that Agri Stats organizes and then launders that information across the industry. Companies weaponize it, restricting output, manipulating the market, ultimately raising your prices."
Watch the full video:

[Rhythmcs]

There's a suicide hotline for every type of livestock producer - because these guys don't just fuck the end customer, they fuck the guy who makes their products too.

[Minimalist]

[Minimalist]

No surprise....


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...ify%20wall

Kroger Egg Pricing Turns Merger Trial Into Inflation Fight

• Price increases on consumer items in spotlight at FTC hearing
  
  
• Agency challenging proposed deal between Kroger, Albertsons
  

Kroger Co. hiked prices on milk and eggs more than needed to account for inflation, the company’s top pricing executive testified during a court hearing on the US government’s bid to block the grocery chain’s purchase of rival Albertsons Cos.
In a March email to his bosses, Andy Groff, Kroger’s senior director for pricing, acknowledged that the company had raised its prices more than required to adjust for higher costs.
“On milk and eggs, retail inflation has been significantly higher than cost inflation,” Groff wrote.
Groff testified about his email as part of an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and a group of states aimed at blocking Kroger from buying the Albertsons chain. US District Judge Adrienne Nelson in Portland, Oregon, is expected to rule on whether to stop the $24.6 billion acquisition from moving forward.
Higher Inflation
Kroger and other grocers have benefited from periods of higher inflation as they passed down price increases to consumers. Supermarket operators raised retail prices instead of absorbing all increases, and higher food prices led to jumps in sales until shoppers pulled back on their spending.

[Minimalist]

[Minimalist]