Food Blogger Sues, Says NC License Requirement Chills His 1st Amendment Rights

Steve Cooksey enjoyed giving advice as a nutrition blogger, until the state of North Carolina got into the picture. By telling others what to eat on his Diabetes Warrior blog, he was breaking a criminal law that requires providers of “nutrition care services” to be licensed, he was told by…

Aug 7, 2012 2:51 PM CDT

Resolution Urges US Agencies to Pursue Regulatory Cooperation with Foreign Counterparts

A resolution passed by the ABA House of Delegates on Tuesday urges federal agencies to pursue regulatory cooperation with relevant foreign authorities. The House passed Resolution 109B, which says the agencies should cooperate where appropriate and “consistent with their legal authority, statutory mandates, and regulatory missions.” The resolution states that…

Aug 7, 2012 2:35 PM CDT

Kansas City Police Say 7M License Plate Shots Showing Date, Time and Location Are a Public Record

In the wake of an American Civil Liberties Union campaign launched this week to determine how much information from automatic vehicle license plate readers is being stored by law enforcement agencies nationally and how the database is being used, police statistics are starting to hit the headlines. In Kansas City,…

Aug 2, 2012 4:32 PM CDT

Family Sues Over Disbanded Girl Scout Troop, Says Federal Law Mandates Interpreter for Deaf Member

The family of a suburban Chicago 12-year-old who has been deaf since birth is suing Megan Runnion’s former Girl Scout troop, contending that officials disbanded it rather than pay for the cost of an interpreter she needs to fully participate in its activities. Although the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago…

Aug 2, 2012 3:45 PM CDT

Court Order Makes It Easier to Appeal Parking Tickets, But Philadelphia Calls Compliance Impractical

There’s a potential legal battle brewing in Philadelphia, where a state-court judge, as a Philadelphia Daily News columnist puts it, recently issued an unusual order that “injects unprecedented fairness into the unfair process of appealing a parking ticket.” The order by Common Pleas Judge Leon Tucker requires ticket writers to…

Aug 2, 2012 10:59 AM CDT

Wanna Buy Some Boots? Online Counterfeiters Get the Message—Don’t Mess with These Brands

Aug 1, 2012 8:50 AM CDT

Law Firm Is Target of First Civil Enforcement Action Filed by New Consumer Agency

A Los Angeles law firm is being targeted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its first civil enforcement action filed in federal court. The Gordon Law Firm is accused of charging homeowners upfront fees for loan modifications and then doing little or nothing to assist the clients, according to…

Jul 31, 2012 3:40 PM CDT

In-Hospital Debt Collector Agrees to $2.5M Payment, 2-Year Ban in Pact with Minn. AG

Without admitting any wrongdoing, Accretive Health Inc. has agreed in a settlement with the Minnesota attorney general to pay $2.5 million and stop doing business in the state for two years, reports the Chicago Tribune. As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, an investigation by the AG had suggested that…

Jul 30, 2012 10:33 PM CDT

In Unusual Move, Consumer Agency Sues to Bar Sales of Buckyballs

The maker of Buckyballs and Buckycubes is firing back after the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed an unusual administrative complaint last Wednesday seeking to stop sales of the small magnets. The CPSC claims the product poses a swallowing hazard to younger children, report the Washington Post and USA Today. In…

Jul 30, 2012 10:29 AM CDT

Chicago-Based Consumer Law Firm to Wind Down in 38 States After $2.1M Settlement with Illinois AG

A Chicago-based consumer law firm described by the Illinois attorney general as a “front” for collecting hefty fees rather than a provider of actual assistance to struggling individuals is winding down its operations in some 38 states after agreeing to pay a $2.1 million refund to its customers in the…

Jul 27, 2012 5:27 PM CDT

Law Enforcement Pays Wireless Carriers Millions to Obtain Customer Cellphone Data

Wireless carriers say they don’t market their services to law enforcement or seek to make a profit from providing customer cellphone data to the police. But they are nonetheless paid millions to do so at a rate that is intended to at least compensate carriers for the cost of providing…

Jul 19, 2012 10:14 PM CDT

New Consumer Agency Announces First Enforcement Action, Accuses Capital One of Deceptive Marketing

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken its first public enforcement action days before its one-year anniversary. The CFPB accused Capital One Bank of using deceptive tactics in its marketing of credit cards, report the New York Times DealBook blog, the Huffington Post and the Hill’s On the Money Blog.…

Jul 18, 2012 3:10 PM CDT

9th Circuit Refuses to Bite on Mini-Wheats Settlement and a Provision to Feed the Needy

A federal appeals court has refused to approve a settlement involving charitable donations in a class-action suit that alleged Kellogg Co. made false advertising claims about Frosted Mini-Wheats. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the deal because of high attorney fees and cy pres provisions calling…

Jul 17, 2012 2:08 PM CDT

Trade Group Rejects $7.25B Deal that Allows Retailers to Charge More for Credit Card Purchases

A trade group that represents convenience stores is rejecting a price-fixing settlement with the credit card industry that is valued at $7.25 billion. The settlement announced Friday affects Visa, MasterCard and several major banks, report the New York Times, the Washington Post, Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal. Merchants…

Jul 16, 2012 3:19 PM CDT

Wells Fargo to Pay at Least $175M to Settle Lending Bias Claims

The U.S. Justice Department has announced that Wells Fargo will pay at least $175 million to resolve claims of bias against minority mortgage borrowers in the second largest fair-lending settlement in DOJ history. According to the Justice Department’s complaint (PDF), Wells Fargo discriminated against 34,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers in…

Jul 12, 2012 4:47 PM CDT