After $323,307 in federal court sanctions since 2011, lawyer now faces federal ethics investigation

William B. Butler, as a federal judge had requested, is already facing a state legal ethics probe in Minnesota. But in an unusual move the judge in charge of the federal court system in the state has also launched a federal ethics investigation of Butler, reports the Star Tribune. Last…

Jul 11, 2013 11:45 AM CDT

Debt collector agrees to pay record FTC fine of $3.2M, stop calling individuals multiple times daily

The world’s largest debt collection agency has agreed to pay a record $3.2 million civil penalty to the Federal Trade Commission and eliminate abusive and harassing practices such as calling debtors multiple times daily. Expert Global Solutions, which is based in Texas, and its subsidiaries, have over 32,000 employees and…

Jul 10, 2013 2:10 PM CDT

Feds enforcing anti-harassment rules against banks, other creditors, closing debt-collection law gap

For decades, federal law has protected consumers from being harassed by debt collectors, including law firms. But there was one big loophole in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: It doesn’t apply to the actual debtors, such as banks with credit card operations, only the third parties that collect delinquent…

Jul 10, 2013 1:50 PM CDT

Suit claims five New York restaurants are conspiring to add tips to bills, violating antitrust law

A would-be class action lawsuit claims at least five New York City restaurants are violating antitrust and consumer laws by adding tips onto customers’ bills. The suit targets Olive Garden and the Red Lobster in Times Square, the Ruby Tuesday on Seventh Avenue, the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway and…

Jul 1, 2013 11:50 AM CDT

NYC debates reining in costumed characters in Times Square

Jul 1, 2013 9:30 AM CDT

Top regulatory counsel is off controversial case; four ‘reassigned’ lawyers are back on it

Following weeks of controversy over a disagreement between the general counsel for California’s utility regulator and four subordinate lawyers over the handling of an administrative case over a fatal gas explosion and fire in San Bruno, there has been a reversal of fortune. General counsel Frank Lindh, who at one…

Jun 27, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

1st Circuit upholds $675K award against Tenenbaum in long-running RIAA file-sharing case

Still fighting a $675,000 verdict awarded in 2009 in a copyright suit spearheaded by the Recording Industry Association of America, onetime Boston University graduate student Joel Tenenbaum asked a federal appeals court to find that the hefty sum—which amounted, he said, to $22,500 for each illegally downloaded song—violated his due-process…

Jun 26, 2013 8:40 PM CDT

FTC may probe patent trolls

The leader of the Federal Trade Commission is expected to recommend an investigation of patent trolls, the companies that buy patents and sue for infringement. FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez is expected to reveal her recommendation today at an industry conference, the New York Times reports. Approval by the full commission…

Jun 20, 2013 12:36 PM CDT

Controversial eminent domain approach to restructuring underwater mortgages gathers steam

A venture capital firm’s bid to help some struggling homeowners avert foreclosure by using the government’s eminent domain power to purchase their property at actual value is gathering steam. Several cities in California have agreed to pursue the idea, and others, including North Las Vegas, Nev., are pondering the plan,…

Jun 17, 2013 9:45 PM CDT

Is a fee-laden debit card ‘lawful money’ for worker pay purposes? Class action seeks court ruling

A worker at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s who says she was told she would not be paid unless she accepted her money in the form of a debit card that carried hefty charges for virtually every transaction has filed suit against her employers. Natalie Gunshannon, a single mom who was to…

Jun 17, 2013 7:09 PM CDT

ACLU sues Obama administration over NSA phone-records ‘dragnet’

In the first step in a process that could eventually lead to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of a sweeping telephone records review revealed last week by a former National Security Agency contractor, the American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday sued the Obama administration over its “dragnet”…

Jun 11, 2013 9:25 PM CDT

New Mini-Wheats settlement gets preliminary OK; deal value dropped, but not attorney fees

Kellogg’s has agreed to a new settlement in a consumer class action that pays the same attorney fees, despite a lower value than an earlier proposal. U.S. District Judge Irma Gonzalez gave preliminary approval to the deal earlier this month in a suit claiming Kellogg’s made false advertising claims about…

May 31, 2013 11:24 AM CDT

5th Circuit parses runny-egg rule, issues sunny-side-up decision for nursing home

A Texas nursing home sizzling over severe penalties imposed after a state inspection found two residents had been served unpasteurized eggs that were inadequately cooked has presumably simmered down after the latest chapter in the runny-egg saga. Reversing an administrative law judge and the U.S. Department of Health and Human…

May 28, 2013 3:20 PM CDT

Teeth-whitening entrepreneurs challenge dentists-only restriction

The Institute for Justice is challenging yet another licensing regulation, this time in a suit over restrictions on teeth whitening. The complaint (PDF), filed last month on behalf of two teeth-whitening entrepreneurs, challenges an Alabama law that allows only dentists to perform such services, according to the New York Times…

May 28, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

Women should be among lead lawyers in IUD case, federal judge says

There are no women lawyers on the proposed plaintiffs executive committee overseeing the Mirena IUD litigation, and that’s a problem, considering the nature of the case, a federal judge told counsel Friday at an initial status conference. The consolidated, multidistrict matter involves more than 50 lawsuits. All claim that the…

May 20, 2013 7:00 PM CDT