Administrative Law

NY State Suit: Lender-Appraiser Scheme Inflated Home Values

In violation of federal lending regulations, a major real estate appraisal company and two of the nation’s biggest savings and loans participated in a scheme to inflate the value of homes throughout the country, contends a lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. It accuses eAppraiseIT, a division of First…

Nov 1, 2007 5:25 PM CDT

FTC to Create ‘Do Not Track’ List?

In a suggestion that should send a shiver down the spines of Web-based companies throughout the world, some are asking the Federal Trade Commission to develop an Internet version of its popular Do Not Call list. The fledgling idea apparently would involve a ban on companies using cookies and other…

Oct 31, 2007 11:27 PM CDT

Broad Opposition to Proposed Patent Bill

A broad array of IP industries and groups are gearing up to protest proposed patent reform legislation. More than 400 companies and organizations representing 25 industries have written to the Senate to criticize pending legislation known as the Patent Reform Act of 2007, or S 1145, reports Managing Intellectual Property…

Oct 29, 2007 6:25 PM CDT

New Vows for Dozens in PA Marriage Mess

A first-of-a-kind case in Pennsylvania has called the validity of an untold number of marriages into question, prompting many committed couples to resolve the issue by simply re-taking their vows even though it hasn’t yet been upheld on appeal. Those who don’t redo their original ceremony face troubling questions about…

Oct 10, 2007 11:15 PM CDT

Cabbies Sue, Say GPS Risks Trade Secrets

Fearful of an invasion of privacy that could allow others to take advantage of a valuable trade secret—the best driving routes to find fares—New York cabdrivers have filed suit to block new rules requiring the installation of GPS and other new technology. While not all taxi drivers and cab owners…

Sep 20, 2007 1:25 AM CDT

August Foreclosures Soar

In more bad news about the state of the nation’s housing market that can be expected to strengthen calls for regulatory reform and legislation, the latest data shows that mortgage foreclosures soared in August. The number of mortgage foreclosure filings more than doubled last month, compared to August 2006, and…

Sep 18, 2007 6:03 PM CDT

New Bush Policies Help Homeowners

Updated: Several federal agencies will make major changes in housing-related rules, offering significant help to homeowners struggling with subprime mortgages, President Bush has promised. News reports say his announcement today–and adoption of programs that Democrats say they suggested–signals an expected Congressional reform of Federal Housing Administration programs and perhaps other…

Aug 31, 2007 5:58 PM CDT

Same-Sex Iowa Couples Can Marry

The judge’s ruling was so recent that one man was listed as the groom and the other was listed as the bride on their Polk County, Iowa, marriage license application. But what was important to Gary Allen Seronko, 51, and David Curtis Rethmeier, 29, was that the license application was…

Aug 30, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

CA’s AG: ‘Police’ Badge Banned ... Uh-Oh

Oops. Providing police badges to people who aren’t police officers is illegal. But apparently nobody at the California Attorney General’s office realized that until folks in Riverside County asked for an opinion on the issue. The AG’s office dutifully provided one–and then began collecting from its own attorneys some 1,200…

Aug 30, 2007 9:39 PM CDT

New Legal Strategy for Star Student in Deportation Case

With a lot of help from his friends and well-wishers, a star Miami student facing deportation with his family for overstaying their visitor visa has developed a new legal strategy. Juan Gomez, 18, his 19-year-old brother and their parents may have a good chance of successfully reopening their asylum petition,…

Aug 23, 2007 5:12 PM CDT

Gov’t Atty to Put ‘White Hat’ on Targets

A soon-to-be-former New York government regulator plans to switch sides and serve as a consultant helping those targeted by such probes to don a “white hat” and work cooperatively with the federal, state and/or local agency involved. David M. Grandeau, a lawyer known as an aggressive state lobbying regulator, will…

Aug 15, 2007 10:28 PM CDT

FL Fights for Internal State Farm Docs

A battle between Florida regulators and the state’s biggest property insurer is capturing the attention of lawyers there and elsewhere, because of what’s really at issue. Property insurance rate-setting is the official topic. But attorneys on both sides are waiting to see whether State Farm, a Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer, has…

Aug 15, 2007 5:26 PM CDT

Tale of 2 Cities: Tampa Porn Dorm Legal, But Miami’s Isn’t

A so-called porn dorm in Tampa, in which women live and participate in sexual activities that are videotaped and publicized over the Internet, is apparently legal. But that doesn’t mean that a comparable business—featuring buffed-up young men who are paid $1,200 plus room and board to live in a house…

Aug 15, 2007 4:34 PM CDT

Home-Demolition Derby in New Orleans

Chanel Debose has spent $90,000 to fix up her New Orleans home since Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. But it is now reportedly on the list of homes to be demolished as the city rushes to meet a deadline for qualifying for federal aid to do so. At least she knows about…

Aug 9, 2007 8:19 PM CDT

Somewhat Illegal Substance: Raw Milk

It isn’t completely banned in Boston—or in New York City, for that matter. But the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk is restricted in both Massachusetts and New York, as well as 24 other states, and it is completely illegal in another 15. This is encouraging an unlikely band of law-breakers,…

Aug 8, 2007 9:32 PM CDT