Angie’s List may seek help, sale

Angie’s List may be seeking a partner or a buyer after sales slid for more than a year.

Though third-quarter results released Tuesday were disappointing, shares surged 7 percent in early trading on the possibility of a sale. The stock closed Tuesday down 13 cents at $7.57, putting it down 19 percent in the year to date.

The Indianapolis company is working with Allen & Co. LLC and BofA Merrill Lynch to explore “strategic alternatives.”

Last year, Angie’s List rejected a $512 million takeover offer from internet company IAC/InterActiveCorp. It said the per-share offer of $8.75 was too low. Shares had fallen to around $6.30 by July.

McDonald’s to pay settlement

McDonald’s has agreed to pay $3.75 million to settle a federal lawsuit that sought to hold the company liable on allegations that a franchise owner in the San Francisco Bay Area cheated hundreds of workers out of wages and overtime.

The settlement announced Friday requires approval by a judge to take effect.

The lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco is among several in recent years that have sought a court order designating McDonald’s as the joint employer of workers at its franchise restaurants.

Joint employer status would hold the company and not just franchise holders responsible for restaurant working conditions.

— From wire reports