For vacationers encountering trouble on cruise ships, U.S. laws may provide little help

Nov 1, 2013 9:20 AM CDT

Food truck vendors dig in for a piece of street turf against brick-and-mortar restaurants

Nov 1, 2013 8:00 AM CDT

NYC agrees to ban tobacco sales to those under 21

A planned New York City ban on supersize sugary drinks was nixed by the judicial branch. However, the city council on Wednesday passed what was described as life-saving legislation to ban sales of tobacco products to those under 21. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said he will sign the bill,…

Oct 31, 2013 8:15 PM CDT

The Department of Homeland Stupidity? Vendor sues for right to sell DHS and NSA parody items

A vendor is asking a federal court to rule that he can sell items parodying the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security without violating the government’s right to control agency names and seals. The plaintiff, Dan McCall, filed suit in Maryland federal court on Wednesday, report the…

Oct 31, 2013 12:43 PM CDT

Civil rights probe launched against Barneys and Macy’s by state attorney general

The state attorney general has launched a civil rights probe of Barneys New York and Macy’s Inc. following claims by several black customers that they were stopped by New York City police after making expensive purchases. In letters sent to top executives for both stores, Kristen Clarke, the chief of…

Oct 29, 2013 3:40 PM CDT

Another famed NY retailer faces ‘shop and frisk’ allegations in suit by black actor

It isn’t just after shopping at Barneys New York that black customers claim to have been detained by city police due to legally making expensive purchases. Treme actor Robert Brown, who is a 2008 graduate of Amherst College, says in a lawsuit against Macy’s that he was handcuffed and “paraded”…

Oct 28, 2013 4:50 PM CDT

Barneys hires civil rights expert, CEO says no customer of store should be accosted by cops

The chief executive of Barneys New York has apologized following claims by two black customers that they were detained by police after making purchases and retained a civil rights expert to review the upscale department store’s policies and procedures. CEO Mark Lee said a member of the U.S. Commission on…

Oct 25, 2013 6:40 PM CDT

RESPA wrongdoing? Consumer agency claims law firm paid kickbacks through joint-venture title firms

A Kentucky law firm is in the crosshairs of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for its operation of nine title insurance companies. The bureau sued the six-lawyer Louisville firm, Borders & Borders, on Thursday, claiming the title companies were used to pay kickbacks for work referrals, report the Wall Street…

Oct 25, 2013 12:45 PM CDT

2nd black shopper plans Barneys suit, says she was stopped by cops after buying a $2,500 purse

A second black shopper is planning to file suit against New York City and Barneys, claiming that she, like a black engineering student who filed suit earlier this week, was targeted for police inquiry after making an expensive purchase at the upscale retailer. Nursing student Kayla Phillips, 21, used a…

Oct 24, 2013 10:05 PM CDT

Black student says he was detained for buying a $349 belt at upscale store, files civil rights suit

Updated: A black engineering student who says he was handcuffed and taken in for questioning by police after purchasing a $349 belt at a well-known New York City store has filed a civil rights suit. Trayon Christian, now 19, contends in the Manhattan Supreme Court suit that he was targeted…

Oct 22, 2013 11:14 PM CDT

Pitchman Kevin Trudeau jailed until he reveals assets to pay $37M fine in FTC matter

Especially for someone who claims to have no assets with which to pay a penny of a $37 million civil judgment, diet book author and infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau is living high on the hog, the feds say. They cite the $12,500 Patek Philippe cufflinks (he says they belong to…

Oct 22, 2013 5:50 PM CDT

Hospital wins court ruling to boot ‘belligerent’ patient, but battle continues over free in-home bed

A Connecticut hospital won a court ruling requiring a “belligerent” patient to comply with a discharge order and vacate her acute-care bed. And patient Margo Smith was, in fact, transported home, a day after the court OK’d injunctive relief for St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and 23 days after…

Oct 22, 2013 3:35 PM CDT

Hospital sues to boot ‘belligerent’ patient from acute-care bed

A Connecticut hospital has filed a state-court lawsuit against a “belligerent” patient, contending that she refuses to comply with a discharge order and continues to occupy her acute-care bed at the facility. Margo Smith has been examined by the St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s psychiatry department and “deemed to…

Oct 18, 2013 7:10 PM CDT

5th Circuit tosses deceptive trade practice claim in suit against Match.com

A federal appeals court has tossed a deceptive trade practices claim in a would-be class action against Match.com that alleged subscribers were misled about the number of active users on the website. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the plaintiffs had failed to state an unconscionability…

Oct 11, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

Suit says those with most United frequent flier miles pay more for redeemed hotels and flights

Those with the most frequent flier miles in their United Airlines accounts are charged higher redemption rates for hotels and flights, contends a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in New Jersey. Seeking class action status, plaintiffs Robert Gordon and Melissa Chan said they found out about the double-standard when…

Oct 10, 2013 6:45 PM CDT