Consumer Law

Judge rules Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutionally structured and can’t sue

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Thursday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has no authority to sue a legal funding company because the agency’s structure is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska removed the CFPB as a plaintiff but allowed the suit to continue because the New York attorney…

Jun 22, 2018 12:36 PM CDT

Federal judge approves AT&T-Time Warner merger, warns stay request would be unjust

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has approved AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner after concluding that the U.S. Justice Department did not prove that the $85.4 billion deal would harm consumers.

Jun 12, 2018 4:39 PM CDT

DC ethics board seeks suspension for ex-judge’s ‘manifestly absurd’ claims in $67M lost-pants suit

A stayed suspension is too light a punishment for a former administrative law judge who sued his dry cleaners for $67 million for allegedly losing his pants, according to the District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility.

May 31, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Was law prof part of a lawsuit-plotting ‘cabal’? State ridicules ‘imagined conspiracy’

A cable provider sued by the state of New York for allegedly overpromising internet speeds has notified the judge that it intends to claim the state of New York conspired with a law professor and technology companies to bring the lawsuit.

May 30, 2018 4:12 PM CDT

Law firms hire company to send ads to ER patients’ cellphones; is it a HIPAA violation?

Some personal injury law firms plan to use a technology called “geofencing” to send ads to cellphones of patients in emergency rooms, pain clinics and chiropractor offices.

May 30, 2018 1:37 PM CDT

Federal judge scolds slow-moving BigLaw lawyers, enforces oral agreement to settle class action

A federal judge in New Jersey is requiring Samsung Electronics America to abide by an oral agreement to settle two would-be class actions involving drain pumps in washing machines.

May 23, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Judge tosses suits claiming Poland Spring misleads consumers about water source

A Connecticut federal judge has tossed four consolidated class action lawsuits that claimed Nestle’s Poland Spring bottled water is misleading consumers because its water doesn’t come from a naturally occurring spring. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer ruled Thursday that the plaintiffs’ claims were pre-empted by federal law defining spring…

May 18, 2018 12:18 PM CDT

Judge tosses lawsuit claiming Zillow uses Zestimates to funnel website visitors to advertisers

A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed an amended lawsuit that claims Zillow engages in deceptive and unfair business practices by using its sometimes inaccurate “Zestimates” of property value as a marketing tool. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve tossed the suit in a May 7 decision, the Chicago Tribune…

May 17, 2018 3:48 PM CDT

Uber and Lyft end mandatory arbitration for sexual assault claims

Uber and Lyft have ended forced arbitration for sexual assault cases brought by passengers, drivers and employees.

May 15, 2018 5:19 PM CDT

14 women accusing drivers of sex assault ask Uber board to be released from arbitration

Fourteen women sent a letter to the Uber’s board of directors Thursday requesting to be released from the arbitration provision in their consumer agreement to allow them to pursue a class-action lawsuit alleging Uber’s inadequate driver screening procedures led to the sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment and gender-motivated violence they experienced at the hands of their drivers.

Apr 30, 2018 2:54 PM CDT

Wells Fargo to pay $1B penalty for consumer law violations

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay a $1 billion penalty for alleged violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced the penalty Friday, report the Wall Street Journal, the National Law Journal and Bloomberg News. The…

Apr 20, 2018 9:56 AM CDT

Clients hang up in disbelief when lawyer calls to tell them of $61M verdict over unwanted calls

The West Virginia law firm of Bailey & Glasser wants its class clients to know they are eligible for an award as a result of a $61 million verdict against Dish Network for its marketing calls.

Apr 16, 2018 10:01 AM CDT

Judge tosses suit claiming McDonald’s extra value meals are a bad deal

McDonald’s didn’t violate Illinois consumer law by marketing “extra value meals” that cost more than when the items are purchased a la carte, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo tossed the would-be class action last Friday. Eater links to the decision, while the Associated Press has…

Apr 12, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Coffee must carry cancer warning, California judge rules in tentative decision

A California judge has tentatively ruled that coffee sold in the state must carry a cancer warning label. Judge Elihu Berle based his decision on a state law that requires businesses with at least 10 employees to notify Californians about chemical exposure that can cause cancer and birth defects, report…

Mar 30, 2018 1:32 PM CDT

Judge has a problem with law firm’s ads, but says rival can’t recover damages

A Philadelphia lawyer isn’t done litigating false advertising cases against law firms, though he wasn’t able to persuade a federal judge last month that Larry Pitt & Associates was entitled to damages for a rival Philadelphia firm’s ad claims.

Mar 13, 2018 7:00 AM CDT