Consumer Law

Too Much Praise from a Would-Be Client Alerts BBB Lawyer to Scam

An outside lawyer for the Better Business Bureau in Colorado figured out he was the intended victim of a scam after he received a letter from a client containing too much praise. Zachary Wilson is a Fort Collins lawyer and the general counsel for the Better Business Bureau in Northern…

Feb 9, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Even Reverse Mortgages to Homeowners May End Up on Foreclosure Docket

As foreclosures have surged in Florida and nationwide in recent years, even reverse mortgages that do not require any monthly payment and instead funnel money to the homeowner could soon be added to the litigation list. That’s because the homeowners, who generally are elderly, still have to pay property tax,…

Feb 3, 2011 7:40 PM CST

Chevron Shifts Gears, Files Civil RICO Suit Against Plaintiffs

Corrected: Upping the ante in a hard-fought legal battle over megabillions in environmental damage allegedly caused to a South American rain forest by a predecessor of Chevron Corp., the oil company has filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against the plaintiffs. The suit accuses the plaintiffs, their lawyers and other members…

Feb 3, 2011 5:13 PM CST

$5M Suit Claims President Carter’s 2006 Book Violated Consumer Protection Laws

A $5 million class-action lawsuit claims President Jimmy Carter deceived the public in a 2006 book by holding out as factually accurate his claims of historical events during Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. According to the suit (PDF), the book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid “is filled with demonstrable falsehoods, omissions and knowing misrepresentations…

Feb 3, 2011 3:40 PM CST

Suit Claims Plaintiff Shocked to Learn Nutella Was ‘Next Best Thing to a Candy Bar’

A class-action lawsuit filed by the mother of a 4-year-old child claims she was misled by Nutella’s claims that the hazelnut spread is a “healthy breakfast” and “nutritious.” The suit (PDF filed by Courthouse News Service) claims Nutella “falsely and misleadingly markets Nutella as healthful,” even though it contains 70…

Feb 3, 2011 2:06 PM CST

Landlord Who Rented Room Equipped with Hidden Camera is Hit with $476K Jury Verdict

When a 60-year-old Internal Revenue Service agent advertised a furnished room for rent in his Florida townhome, it turned out to come with some extras. In additional to the DVD/VCR player, the room also contained a hidden camera within the machine. It was pointed at the bed of the young…

Jan 31, 2011 9:53 PM CST

Federal Judge Strikes Health Care Reform Act, Calls Insurance-Purchase Mandate Unconstitutional

Finding that an unconstitutional provision requiring most individuals to purchase insurance is central to the entire Health Care Reform Act championed by the Obama administration, a federal judge in Florida struck down the entire statute today. “Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire act must be…

Jan 31, 2011 8:58 PM CST

Officials Don’t Play; They Say: Remove Grand Piano from Fla. Sandbar! But Salvager Gets There First

A baby grand piano gained fleeting global fame when it suddenly showed up on a sandbar in the midst of Biscayne Bay, off the coast of Florida. It reportedly became the backdrop for at least one fashion shoot, and gained a touch of elegance when someone set a candelabra on…

Jan 28, 2011 10:14 PM CST

After Legal Services Layoffs, Ex-Staffers Form Nonprofit Firm to Offer Sliding-Scale Options

When South Jersey Legal Services had to lay off 30 employees last year due to funding cuts, four former workers there saw an opportunity to “bridge the justice gap.” They have hung out a new shingle as the nonprofit Community Law Offices Inc. It will offer consumer-oriented representation in New…

Jan 27, 2011 2:50 AM CST

Taco Bell Defends Its Beef, Says It Will Take Unspecified ‘Legal Action’

Taco Bell has a beef with the lawyers who filed a class-action suit claiming its “seasoned ground beef” isn’t as meaty as it sounds. The California class action filed by Alabama law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles had claimed meat accounts for less than half of Taco…

Jan 26, 2011 4:54 PM CST

Chicago Fan Wears Packers Tie to Work on Monday and Is Fired

John Stone says it didn’t occur to him that wearing a Green Bay Packers tie to work on Monday could get him fired. The 34-year-old Chicago car salesman wore it in honor of his grandmother, who reportedly died this month and was also a fan of the Wisconsin football team.…

Jan 26, 2011 1:39 AM CST

US Panel Blames Corporate Greed, Fed and SEC, Among Others, For 2008 Financial Meltdown

Corporate greed, excessive risk-taking on Wall Street and a failure by key government regulators to do their jobs were among major factors that led to the financial meltdown of 2008, a congressional panel has found. In a report expected to be released Thursday as a 576-page book, the Financial Crisis…

Jan 25, 2011 11:29 PM CST

Gumshoes are Now Glued to Internet as They Search for Adverse Insurance Information

Yet another reason to be wary about posting on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites: It isn’t just teachers, employers and jealous spouses and significant others who are taking a close look at such pages. They’re a gold mine for insurance companies, too. Private investigators who once were only…

Jan 25, 2011 1:06 AM CST

Law Firms Sue Taco Bell, Ask Court to Determine: Where’s the Beef?

Contending that the purported “seasoned beef” or “seasoned ground beef” in a number of Taco Bell menu items isn’t as meaty as it sounds, consumer law firms have filed a federal suit in California this week asking for a court determination on the issue. Naming Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell Corp.…

Jan 22, 2011 12:43 AM CST

Accused of Peeping Into Tiger Woods’ Medical Records and Fired, Nurse Sues for Defamation

Accused of misusing his employee computer access to peep into Tiger Woods’ medical records without good reason and fired in December 2009, a Florida nurse has filed suit for defamation. David Rothenberg is seeking more than $400,000 in damages and reinstatement to his former job at Health Central. He insists…

Jan 21, 2011 3:00 AM CST