Consumer Law

Lawyer Can Sue Over Criticism of His Probe of City Attorney’s Rumored Affair

A California lawyer was within his rights as a citizen when he hired a private investigator to look into rumors of a possible affair between Morgan Hill’s then-city attorney and the municipality’s city manager, a state appeals court held yesterday. The decision by the California Court of Appeal’s Sixth District…

Sep 22, 2009 10:25 PM CDT

In Unusual Public Probe, Calif. Bar IDs 16 Lawyers in Loan Modification Case

In an unusual naming-of-names prior to any official determination of misconduct, the State Bar of California has publicly identified in a Sept. 18 press release 16 lawyers who are under investigation for alleged misconduct concerning loan modification services. Interim Chief Trial Counsel Russell Weiner said the public identification of the…

Sep 21, 2009 11:54 PM CDT

Mass Tort Case Contends Denture Cream Can Be Dangerous

Complaints by 25 individuals from at least 11 states that their denture cream is unduly dangerous are being consolidated into a mass tort case before a federal judge in Miami. The plaintiffs contend that the zinc-containing false tooth adhesive is defective, that they weren’t adequately warned of the risks that…

Sep 18, 2009 9:40 PM CDT

NYC Officials Seek Smoking Ban for Public Parks and Beaches

When a deal to ban smoking indoors was struck in 2002 between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Council, some were furious. But now, less than a decade later, officials are poised to go further, and even a number of smokers appear resigned, according to the City Room…

Sep 14, 2009 11:54 PM CDT

Sears Ends $10 ‘Spyware’ Program for Getting Customer Computer Info

The Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent decree concerning what Ars Technica terms a “spyware” program maintained by a retailing giant to obtain information from its customers about their computer use. In exchange for a $10 payment, customers and Sears and Kmart, which are owned by the same…

Sep 14, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

Pfizer GC Loses Compliance Chief Role Under $2.3B Drug Marketing Settlement

The general counsel of Pfizer Inc. will no longer oversee the drug manufacter’s compliance program under the terms of a record-breaking $2.3 billion criminal and civil settlement by the company with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that it illegally marketed several drugs. Instead, a corporate integrity agreement (PDF)…

Sep 11, 2009 6:58 PM CDT

Feds Consider Steady Diet of Regs to Fix U.S. Food Safety Network

You could fill a shopping cart with foods recently linked to outbreaks of illness caused by contamination. In June, it was cookie dough. In May, it was alfalfa sprouts. Before that, it was pistachios, peanuts, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and, of course, hamburger. Hardly a month goes by without Americans…

Sep 5, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

There Ought to Be a Law ... Against Body Odor and Being Loaded While Loaded?

Despite a plethora of laws already on the books, there’s still plenty of bad behavior that hasn’t yet been banned. But officials in New York and Hawaii are proposing laws to close two such loopholes. Noting that there is no law making it criminal to carry a loaded weapon while…

Sep 3, 2009 10:24 PM CDT

Credit Card Co. Amends Policy After Telling Vision-Impaired Woman to Fill Out Form

A national credit card company whose workers told a vision-impaired woman that she had to fill out a written form to make a complaint about merchandise she says she was charged for but never received has promised to change its policies. In an agreement announced yesterday by New York Attorney…

Sep 2, 2009 11:25 PM CDT

Hungry for Change

The feds consider a steady diet of stronger regulation to help fix the U.S. food safety network

Sep 2, 2009 4:30 AM CDT

Infomercial King’s ‘Cure’ Not So Easy, But Sanction Troubling, Court Says

TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau’s weight-loss plan was neither easy nor simple, but sanctions imposed against him for violating a consent decree barring misrepresentations were so troubling as to require reconsideration, a federal appeals court has ruled. A federal judge had fined Trudeau $37.6 million and banned him from infomercial appearances…

Aug 28, 2009 6:14 PM CDT

Wells Fargo Used Dubious Appraisals to Cut Home Equity Lines, Suit Says

A new lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Co. over its home equity line practices, adding to a growing list of litigation against the mortgage lender for which class action status is being sought. Homeowner Michael Hickman contends that Wells Fargo is using inaccurate computerized appraisals to obtain…

Aug 19, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

2 Texas Lawyers Conspired to Defraud Client Debtors, Class Action Contends

Two Texas lawyers conspired with others to defraud clients who asked the attorneys to help them deal with credit card and other unsecured debt, contends a federal class action filed earlier this month in San Antonio. Robert Ancel Palmer III and Scott Seideman also allegedly evaded state consumer protection regulations…

Aug 18, 2009 6:15 PM CDT

Hertz to Use Digital Scan to Assess Renters for Car Damage

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. is working on a plan to use high-resolution digital photographs to prove damage to its rental car fleet and assess customers for the cost. “There will be no discussion because the document would clearly show any incremental damage,” Mark Frissora, the company’s chairman and CEO, tells…

Aug 18, 2009 5:14 PM CDT

Paralegal Seeks Damages from Ex-Partner for Death of Chihuahua

Under traditional legal standards, a pet owner entitled to damages over the death of an animal gets only what it would cost to buy another pet from a breeder. But there has been pressure in recent years to recognize that a pet isn’t just property and has a unique emotional…

Aug 17, 2009 9:02 PM CDT