Consumer Law

Suit filed over ‘unreasonably dangerous’ lily after pet cat munches leaves and ends up at the vet

A Portland, Ore., lawyer has sued a local supermarket and its floral supplier over the lily he bought for his wife while grocery shopping. The “Love Story Lily” was “unreasonably dangerous,” Charley Gee contends in the Multnomah County Circuit Court complaint he filed last week, because it even though it…

Aug 28, 2013 5:15 PM CDT

Jury awards longtime smoker $12.5M in case against Philip Morris

John Rizzuto could have tried harder to quit, rather than continuing to smoke for four decades, as evidence mounted about the health risks of cigarettes, lawyers for manufacturers argued. But a Florida jury apparently disagreed, awarding the 66-year-old retired mail carrier $12.5 million on Friday, against defendants Philip Morris USA…

Aug 26, 2013 10:03 PM CDT

Fortune-teller accused of bilking $17M from best-selling romance novelist

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the criminal trial of a claimed psychic who is facing a 35-count indictment over fortune-telling activities that allegedly fleeced a best-selling romance novelist of $17 million over a 20-year period. While fortune-telling, in and of itself, is not illegal, federal prosecutors contend…

Aug 26, 2013 4:12 PM CDT

Donald Trump faces $40M suit by New York AG, who says students got lesson in bait-and-switch

Donald Trump and the former Trump University are facing a $40 million suit that claims students hoping to learn real-estate techniques paid for pricey courses that didn’t live up to promises. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the suit on Saturday, report the New York Times, the Associated Press…

Aug 26, 2013 3:49 PM CDT

State high court asked: Can use of forms be unauthorized practice?

The Legal Profession Blog noted an interesting case argued in Ohio this week that poses the question: Is the use of forms unauthorized practice of law? On Wednesday, the Ohio Board on the Unauthorized Practice of Law recommended that the state supreme court find that Thomas Jones, Jr., a nonlawyer…

Aug 22, 2013 5:40 PM CDT

Law firm held liable for trying to evict elderly tenant based on incorrect client records

A Manhattan law firm has agreed to pay $22,000 to an elderly tenant and $108,000 in legal fees after a federal judge ruled the firm was liable for moving to evict the man on the basis of a mistake. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield said Kucker & Bruh “blindly” relied…

Aug 22, 2013 11:35 AM CDT

Brazilians consider privacy laws in wake of NSA surveillance revelations

Online U.S. and global businesses selling to Brazil-based consumers may have new privacy laws to contend with in the wake of concerns over revelations about National Security Agency surveillance activities. The federal government in Brazil has proposed legislation that would force companies to store personal data collected about Brazilians on…

Aug 21, 2013 2:59 PM CDT

For-profit school strikes $10M settlement deal over charges it inflated job-placement rates

The for-profit Career Education Corp. agreed on Monday to a $10 million settlement, with $9.25 million to go to former students and $1 million in fees to settle charges it inflated job-placement rates. The New York attorney general’s office announced the settlement with the Illinois-based company, according to a NY…

Aug 19, 2013 9:41 PM CDT

Suit claims Campbell’s soup misleads with ‘Heart-Check Mark’

A class action lawsuit claims some of Campbell’s Healthy Request soups don’t live up to the American Heart Association’s nutritional guidelines, though they carry the AHA’s “Heart-Check Mark.” The soups contained more sodium than recommended by the AHA’s noncommercial nutritional guidelines, according to the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Camden,…

Aug 16, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Facebook settlement that awarded zilch to class members is challenged in cert petition

A cert petition before the U.S. Supreme Court seeks to overturn a settlement agreement in which Facebook agreed to pay about $6.5 million to establish a new foundation to protect privacy rights. The cy pres settlement is being challenged by objectors who include Ted Frank of the Center for Class…

Aug 14, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

Federal judge nixes investor suit against SEC for not warning SIPC of $7B fraud by Allen Stanford

After initially giving the green light to a lawsuit that said securities regulators for years failed to warn investors of what they believed to be a massive fraud by former billionaire R. Allen Stanford, a federal judge in Florida has dismissed the case. U.S. District Judge Robert Scola said plaintiffs…

Aug 13, 2013 5:24 PM CDT

Are those eggs really cruelty free? Food labeling scams open up opportunities for litigation

Concerned about whether you’re getting what you’re paying for with animal products advertised as natural and treated with “care”? You can change the world through your purchasing by demanding foods produced by humanely treated animals, says Carter Dillard, director of litigation for the Animal Legal Defense Fund in California. But to…

Aug 10, 2013 8:54 PM CDT

FCC agrees to limit charges for prison phone calls

The Federal Communications Commission voted to restrict phone rates for calls made by prison inmates. The measure, which comes after nearly a decade of petitioning by families and friends of inmates, will limit phone charges to 21 cents a minute for debit or prepaid calls and 25 cents a minute…

Aug 9, 2013 7:42 PM CDT

City moves forward with controversial mortgage rescue plan, backed by eminent domain power

A city in the San Francisco Bay area is the first in California to move ahead with a controversial approach to the problem of struggling homeowners having trouble paying mortgages on their upside-down homes. Richmond has asked the holders of more than 620 underwater mortgages—mortages in which the principal balance…

Aug 7, 2013 8:10 PM CDT