Dwayne Johnson’s energy drink has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Johnson is the co-founder and chief energy officer of ZOA Energy, an energy drink that contains electrolytes, amino acids, vitamin B and C, and natural caffeine. The company generated $100 million in sales in 2022, a 138% year-over-year increase, per Benzinga. Lawsuit Explained In 2023, a lawsuit was brought against the company by class representative Mikhail Gershzon, alleging that its drinks contained chemical preservatives and were not preservative-free as marketed, according to USA Today Settlement Details ZOA Energy denied the allegations but has agreed to a settlement fund of $3 million, per USA Today. “ZOA denies these allegations and maintains that its labeling and marketing are truthful, accurate, and compliant with applicable law. The Court did not rule in favor of either side. The Parties agreed to settle this case to avoid the expense and risk associated with the...

Student loan borrowers in default will soon face wage garnishment and the withholding of federal benefits as the Trump administration moves to resume debt collection after a pause started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education began sending notices to delinquent borrowers outlining plans to restart wage garnishment beginning Jan. 7, 2026, USA Today reports. As previously shared by AFROTECH™ , nearly 1,000 borrowers will receive notice in the first round that their wages will be garnished, with that number expected to grow over time. What Is Wage Garnishment? Wage garnishment is a legal process that allows a creditor or agency to withhold a portion of an employee’s paycheck to repay a debt, typically after obtaining a court judgment, according to USA Today. The amount withheld depends on the type of debt and applicable state and federal laws. Garnishment generally ends once the employee repays their debt, the order is revoked, or the time period specified in...

For those wondering, “What’s happening with Apple’s credit card?” — the tech giant announced on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, that Chase will become its new issuer. The change will replace Goldman Sachs, which has backed Apple Card since its launch in 2019, and will take place over the next two years. “Apple is an iconic brand recognized globally for its innovation, design excellence, and commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences,” Allison Beer, Chase’s CEO of Card & Connected Commerce, said in a statement. She added, “We share a commitment to supporting consumer financial health, and we’re proud to deepen our relationship by welcoming them as the newest partner in our industry-leading co-brand credit card program. We’re excited to innovate together in the future.” Apple Card users can continue to use their cards as usual during the transition. Managing balances, accessing savings accounts , and applying for new cards will remain the same for now. Mastercard will also...

Black woman-led skincare brand Topicals has closed another round of funding, per an exclusive report from The Business of Fashion. Topicals Founded in 2020 by Olamide Ayomikun Olowe, Topicals was born out of her search for a solution for those with hyperpigmentation, eczema, and dark spots. CNBC reports Olowe also struggled with hyperpigmentation and Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB). Per its website, the Topicals product lineup features its faded under eye masks, serum, brightening cleansing bar, and more. She teamed up with Claudia Teng, who previously worked as a dermatology clinical research assistant, to launch the science-backed brand, with both women ultimately ditching their plans to attend medical school. Topicals later secured $14.8 million in funding before Olowe was 26 years old — as AFROTECH™ previously reported — making history as the youngest Black woman to raise $10 million in funding in 2022. Funding Now, WNBA player Angel Reese, which Forbes lists as one of the...

Stripe , a global financial infrastructure platform that enables businesses to accept online and in-person payments, has entered into a partnership with Crypto.com, according to a Jan. 6, 2026, news release. Under the agreement, Crypto.com Pay will become a checkout option for millions of Stripe-powered merchants, while Crypto.com will use Stripe’s payment-acquiring services for card purchases. “Increasing everyday accessibility to and utility of cryptocurrencies for consumers and merchants is central to our vision at Crypto.com,” Joe Anzures, Crypto.com’s general manager for the Americas and EVP of payments, said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Stripe, a recognized leader in digital payments, to collectively catalyze a new era for crypto-enabled commerce.” Crypto.com operates a comprehensive cryptocurrency platform that includes an app, exchange, and wallet for buying, selling, trading, and earning digital assets , serving more than 150 million users in 90...

Kevin Hart has just signed a deal to give his brand a stronger global presence. According to a news release, the comedian and serial entrepreneur has entered into a strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group, a leading sports, media, entertainment, and lifestyle intellectual property platform. This will permit Authentic Brands to co-own and manage the Hart brand and expand it into new areas across consumer products, digital channels, and live experiences, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Authentic Brands produces new products and merchandise for its portfolio brands and can license it for digital media, hospitality, and more. Authentic Brands has more than 50 brands in its portfolio, including the rights to names such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Shaquille O’Neal. Additionally, it has a social media reach nearing 1 billion followers and generates $32 billion in annual systemwide retail sales worldwide. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, O’Neal, who...

A new year brings new goals and resolutions — and for many, the question: “When can you file taxes in 2026?” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not yet announced the official start date for 2025 tax returns, but past years suggest that the 2026 filing season will likely begin during the last full week of January. According to The Economic Times, this year’s filing season comes amid heightened financial pressures, including inflation, elevated interest rates, global uncertainty, and tariffs. However, these factors won’t directly affect filing deadlines. Preparation Is Key Regardless of when the filing season begins, taxpayers can get a head start by collecting their documents to avoid delays and errors. The most important documents to collect early are W-2 forms, which employers and financial institutions must send to employees by Jan. 31, 2026, per The Economic Times. Freelancers and independent contractors will need Form 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC, which report various types of...

Marc Metrick has stepped down as CEO of Saks Global, the company announced Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The leadership change comes as the luxury retailer missed an interest payment on its debt Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, an amount that totaled more than $100 million, reports The Wall Street Journal. Now the company is reportedly weighing its options, including bankruptcy, according to The New York Times. Financial Struggles Mount At Saks Global Saks’ financial troubles stem largely from its $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group, which also includes Bergdorf Goodman, in 2024. While the merger intended to create a luxury empire — delivering cost savings, stronger brand leverage, and improved customer experiences through shared loyalty programs — Saks has struggled to boost sales since the deal closed, per The Times. In October 2025, the retailer lowered its full-year guidance and reported that revenue for the quarter ended Aug. 2 fell to $1.6 billion — a more than 13% decrease from...

Following a successful social media campaign, CurlMix is now on track to become self-sustaining once more. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the clean, natural haircare line was founded by Kim and Tim Lewis, who first appeared on “Shark Tank” with their idea in 2019 but went on to raise funds on their own. Kim announced on Nov. 1, 2025, that the company was on the brink of closing if they did not receive 20,000 orders within 60 days. It wouldn’t be the first time the brand has sought community support. They previously raised $3.6 million in a 2021 crowdfunding campaign, and three years later, an additional $5.7 million was raised in a separate campaign. In a follow-up post on the business’s health, Kim admitted the funding campaign was not enough to keep the company in operation. She described 2025 as “the most difficult year in business” in a post shared on Instagram, citing challenges such as taxes, increased tariffs, and ingredient costs, as well as shipping delays. A decrease in...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will not renew DEI-related grants in 2026. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, following a settlement agreement, the Trump administration announced it would review applications that had been frozen as a result of DEI efforts. The NIH had previously cut $783 million in grants for this reason, a move that the Supreme Court approved in August 2025. NIH officials “will complete their consideration of the Applications in the ordinary course of NIH’s scientific review process, without applying the Challenged Directives,” according to News From The States, and this will apply to grant applications that were made up to Sept. 29, 2025. The decision has already led to the approval of more than 100 previously paused grants, STAT reports . However, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said those actions will not reflect the agency’s direction in 2026. In an interview with Journalist Paul Thacker, Bhattacharya stated that the DEI work the NIH has prioritized for...

Uncle Nearest’s founders have filed a civil lawsuit against the company’s former chief financial officer, according to The Lynchburg Times. The whiskey brand has been under a receivership as a result of a July 2025 lawsuit filed by Uncle Nearest’s lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The lender claims the company had defaulted on loans of more than $108 million. U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. appointed Tennessee attorney Phillip G. Young Jr. as receiver, so Young now manages assets such as Uncle Nearest’s distillery in Shelbyville, TN, and “real estate holdings, intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and related entities,” according to Moore County Observer. Uncle Nearest, which was the fastest-growing in America, according to Forbes’ 2024 estimates, was launched in 2017 by Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith, and upholds the legacy of Nathan “Nearest” Green, a formerly enslaved man credited with teaching Jack Daniel how to make whiskey....

DoorDash has banned a delivery driver for allegedly using an AI-generated image in a suspected hack to fake a legitimate delivery. According to Nexstar, the on-demand delivery platform confirmed the deletion of the Dasher’s account following an incident where the driver allegedly used an AI-generated photo to convince a customer that their order had been delivered. The customer, Byrne Hobart of Austin, TX, first shared details of the incident, including the photo he allegedly received, in a post on X on Dec. 26, 2025. “Amazing. DoorDash driver accepted the drive, immediately marked it as delivered, and submitted an AI-generated image of a DoorDash order … at our front door,” Hobart wrote. Hobart later said he does not believe the DoorDash driver was ever at his home, but instead used several tactics to deceive both him and the company, Nexstar reports. He thinks the person behind the phony delivery was a scammer who hacked an actual driver’s account, changed their information, and...

Shaquille O’Neal is making more money with his fast-food chicken chain than he did while in the NBA. NBA Career The center was drafted to the league in the first round as the first overall pick in 1992. He started out playing for the Orlando Magic and spent the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading to three consecutive national championship rings. In total, he won four, per StatMuse. He retired in 2011 with $286.3 million in career earnings, with $30 million earned annually at his peak, according to Entrepreneur. Business Moves After The League O’Neal’s earnings have only soared after his exit from the league through a slew of strategic decisions that have paid off, including serving as the second-largest shareholder of Authentic Brand Group; having his own investment portfolio, which includes Google; accumulating endorsement deals such as with The General and The Hershey Co.; and a business empire with an affordable shoe line that has sold more than 470...

Drake has been named in a class-action lawsuit tied to the betting industry. Lawsuit Explained As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Canadian-born rapper, born Aubrey Drake Graham, has bet more than $1 billion on Stake.us, a casino and poker website, since 2021. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Virginia by LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines — and representing other residents in the state who lost at least one wager through Stake Cash within the last three years — it claims that they were “influenced to participate” and engage in its “predatorial gambling environment,” through Drake’s promotion of the platform, which includes live-streamed gambling sessions and giveaways, according to Rolling Stone. View this post on Instagram The lawsuit also mentions as defendants Adin Ross, a popular streamer on Kick, and an Australian national named George Nguyen, who allegedly acted as a “broker and operational facilitator” and receive cryptocurrency through Stake channels. Their efforts...

Dame Dash ‘s film company, Poppington LLC, sold for $100.50 at a public auction on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, as part of efforts to satisfy nearly $1 million in judgments against him. According to The New York Post, Mike Muntaser, CEO of Muddy Water Motion Pictures (MWP), submitted the winning bid. Muntaser, who holds a $973,000 claim against Dash stemming from civil defamation lawsuits, described the purchase as a “jab” at Dash, accusing him of prolonging years of litigation rather than resolving their disputes amicably. He and filmmaker Josh Webber have successfully sued Dash twice for defamation. Additionally, as of last week, they have a third lawsuit in the works. “He’s just a problem,” Muntaser told The Post. “He has an ego. I think he’s just bitter [coming] from where he was to where he is, and he just blames everybody else and doesn’t look at himself in the mirror.” “For him being on a big stage with like Jay-Z and [Ye],” Muntaser added, “why are your peers doing good, [being]...