NATION

NATION

Legal shadow remains over Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO — A criminal probe of Apple Inc.’s co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs over stock options tampering is over, but the potential legal shadow over him and the company isn’t going away just yet.

Although Jobs is not being indicted for his role in Apple’s backdating of stock options grants, he will likely be called to the stand in at least two other cases. And there could be trouble over stock options at Pixar Animation Studios Inc., where Jobs was also chief executive before its buyout by Walt Disney Co.

The biggest options-related issue still looming over Apple is a shareholder lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose accusing the company and Jobs of defrauding investors with the company’s backdating practices. Apple could be forced to cough up millions in penalties if a jury finds it liable.

Layoffs at Newell Rubbermaid

CHICAGO — The increasing cost of plastic ingredients is forcing Newell Rubbermaid Inc. to lay off workers, scrap some of its basic home and office products and raise prices on other items by as much as 22 percent.

The announcement Tuesday, along with a lower projection for full-year earnings, sent shares of the maker of Rubbermaid storage gear to an all-time low before they rebounded.

CEO Mark Ketchum said the company hasn’t yet determined how many of its 22,500 employees will lose their jobs.

Associated Press