Consumer Law

Exec cites free speech in spat over parking-spot-sale app, but seems to comply with takedown demand

One day before a Friday deadline set by the San Francisco city attorney, it appears that the operator of what he says is an illegal iPhone app concerning public parking has taken it down. MonkeyParking, which makes it easy for individuals to sell a vacated public parking spot to another…

Jul 11, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Prove GM fraud on court, if you can, bankruptcy judge tells lawyers in ignition-switch cases

Plaintiffs lawyers in dozens of cases filed against General Motors Co. over the diminished value of vehicles because of ignition-switch recalls have been arguing that a bankruptcy-court bar to such liability prior to 2009 should not apply. That’s because GM allegedly knew about the defect and didn’t disclose it to…

Jul 3, 2014 5:50 PM CDT

Judge erred by jailing man over $508.27 debt, observers contend

A 73-year-old Massachusetts man who says he and his wife have struggled financially in recent years was jailed earlier this month because he couldn’t pay a $508.27 debt. Finding that Iheanyi Okoroafor could have afforded to do so, because he receives a state pension of $2,000 per month, a Belchertown…

Jul 2, 2014 5:15 PM CDT

Plaintiffs’ lawyers identify problems with GM compensation plan for ignition-switch accidents

Plaintiffs’ lawyers are criticizing General Motors’ compensation plan for victims of accidents arising from ignition-switch defects. Lawyer Kenneth Feinberg on Monday revealed details of the compensation plan (PDF) he will oversee on behalf of GM, report Corporate Counsel and the New York Times. Though there is no overall cap on…

Jul 1, 2014 2:16 PM CDT

Tour-guide exam requirement is struck down by DC Circuit

A federal appeals court has struck down licensing requirements for tour guides in Washington, D.C., as a violation of the First Amendment. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned regulations that required tour guides to pass a 100-question, multiple-choice exam covering 14 categories, report Legal…

Jun 30, 2014 1:05 PM CDT

2 men who say they discarded $1M winning Powerball ticket sue lottery commission

Two New York men say they purchased a Powerball ticket in New Jersey that matched five of six numbers in the March 23, 2013 lottery drawing. But they didn’t realize their good fortune—the ticket was worth $1 million—until the next day, after discarding it, the New York Daily News reports.…

Jun 26, 2014 10:00 PM CDT

Exploding courthouse toilet is blamed on recalled product

A deputy county treasurer in Montana narrowly avoided injury on Tuesday when a courthouse toilet exploded. The county official, Norma Brewer, said the explosion occurred at the Stillwater County courthouse just after she left the toilet stall and closed the door, the Billings Gazette reports. “That saved me,” she told…

Jun 26, 2014 6:54 PM CDT

Top state court says NYC can’t ban businesses from selling supersize sugary drinks to customers

Consuming large amounts of soda and other sugary drinks may not be good for you. But New York City doesn’t have authority to order businesses such as restaurants and movie theaters not to sell beverages to customers in big cups, a divided New York Court of Appeals held on Thursday.…

Jun 26, 2014 2:50 PM CDT

Dentist sues for booking mistake that sent him to Grenada, not Granada

St. George’s, Grenada. Image: Shutterstock. Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Image: Shutterstock. A dentist from Maryland alleges in a lawsuit that British Airways booked a flight for him to Grenada, the Caribbean island, rather than Granada, Spain. Edward Gamson says he made it absolutely clear to the booking agent that…

Jun 24, 2014 3:34 PM CDT

Illegal app helps drivers get highest bid to vacate public parking spots, city attorney says

Desperate for scarce public parking spaces, some city drivers may be ready to pay strangers who are about to pull their vehicles away from the curb to reserve the spots. And those who have managed to snag a space could earn up to $150 a month by selling the spot…

Jun 23, 2014 5:54 PM CDT

Suit says Chobani Greek Yogurt isn’t made in Greece and has more sugar than an ice cream bar

A deceptive-practices lawsuit (PDF) filed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court says Chobani Greek Yogurt is deceptively marketed as a healthy product, though it typically contains more sugar than a Nestle fudge ice cream bar. The yogurt lists “evaporated cane juice” as an ingredient, the suit says, even though the juice…

Jun 20, 2014 2:35 PM CDT

State AG sues Experian, says credit-report Goliath stonewalls consumers about known errors

A state attorney general has sued Experian Information Solutions, contending that the major credit-reporting agency has knowingly left errors in its files on consumers and makes it difficult or impossible for individuals to correct them. Filed without fanfare in state court in Biloxi last month, the suit by Mississippi Attorney…

Jun 16, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

Food manufacturing associations challenge Vermont’s GMO labeling law

Four major manufacturing associations are seeking to invalidate Vermont’s law requiring manufacturers to disclose on labels when their products have genetically modified organisms. The Burlington Free Press reported that the groups filed a lawsuit late Thursday in Vermont federal district court. The Grocery Manufacturers Association the Snack Food Association, the…

Jun 13, 2014 7:46 PM CDT

Did ‘corporate speak’ and PowerPoint lead to complacency at GM?

General Motors employees were taught to be careful when writing about safety issues. A 2008 Power Point presentation had some helpful suggestions, according to a report by Jenner & Block chairman Anton Valukas on the automaker’s failure to respond to defective ignition switches. A “problem” should be described as an…

Jun 11, 2014 12:22 PM CDT

2nd Circuit OKs searchable book database, calls copying entire volumes for this purpose fair use

Copying entire books in order to create a searchable database of millions of volumes is a “quintessentially transformative use,” a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Siding with a group of universities sued by authors alleging infringement, the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the full-text database…

Jun 10, 2014 10:25 PM CDT