Consumer Law

New York AG Sues 3 Major Banks and MERS, Calls Mass Foreclosure Filings a Fraud on Court

The attorney general of New York today filed suit in state court against three major banks and an electronic mortgage recording operation, contending that they circumvented legal requirements and cost the the state some $2 billion in property recording fees by keeping their own private list of property transfers and…

Feb 4, 2012 12:01 AM CST

Sugar Is So Toxic It Should be Regulated Like Alcohol, Researchers Say

Elevated risks for heart disease, liver failure and obesity are among the claims researchers are making a bid for stricter government regulation of sugar. The toxicity of sugar to the human body and its detriment on society compares to alcohol and tobacco, according to a commentary in the current issue…

Feb 2, 2012 10:58 PM CST

Ex-Lawyer Reconsiders Legal Career After Winning Unusual Small Claims Case Over Honda Hybrid

Updated: Rather than join a class action making many similar claims, a former lawyer who owns a Honda Civic hybrid took her complaints against her car’s manufacturer to small claims court and won. A Torrance Small Claims Court Commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. misled the woman by claiming…

Feb 2, 2012 12:43 PM CST

‘Megaretrieval’ Effort Launched to Help Users Get Access to Files on Website Raided by Feds

Customers and other users who stored personal materials on Megaupload have another two weeks to retrieve their files, under an agreement negotiated by the embattled website and its hosting companies. However, it isn’t clear whether and how individuals can access their property since the raid by the U.S. that shut…

Jan 31, 2012 6:56 PM CST

Suit Claims Tostitos and SunChips Aren’t Really ‘All Natural’

A New York man claims in a lawsuit that Tostitos and SunChips aren’t made with “all-natural ingredients” as touted because some of the corn and oils come from genetically modified plants. The suit, filed in federal court for the Eastern District of New York, seeks class action status, Reuters reports.…

Jan 31, 2012 1:21 PM CST

Those with Legitimate Content on Megaupload Site Raided by Feds Could Lose It in ‘Data Genocide’

There’s bad news for those who may have stored personal and professional materials via the Megaupload.com website recently raided and shut down by the feds as they pursued a criminal online piracy case. Even if material was stored there in full compliance with copyright law, users of the site may…

Jan 30, 2012 10:05 PM CST

EU’s New Draft Rules on Internet Increase Individuals’ Control of Personal Data

After hearing news that Google plans to integrate individual customer data from multiple products into a single cauldron of information, some users clearly aren’t happy. A Washington Post article that gives step-by-step instructions on how to close a Google account is currently the No. 1 article on the newspaper’s most-read…

Jan 25, 2012 11:39 PM CST

Google Plans to Combine User Data for All Products; Individuals Won’t Be Able to Opt Out

In a move likely to invite scrutiny of Google’s practices for potential antitrust and privacy law violations, the search-engine giant today announced that it soon begin combining into a single cauldron for each individual user the data the company compiles concerning users’ activities on all of its platforms. Individuals will…

Jan 24, 2012 11:33 PM CST

Supreme Court Allows Federal Suits for Nuisance Telemarketing

A Florida man who claims he was hounded by a financial services company trying to collect a student loan may sue in federal court, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Marcus Mims of Fort Lauderdale had filed a federal suit for violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which…

Jan 18, 2012 5:52 PM CST

State Bar of Nevada Probes 3 Lawyers Who Helped Righthaven Pursue Copyright Claims

The State Bar of Nevada is investigating the CEO of Righthaven, a company known for its prolific filing of copyright lawsuits against bloggers who allegedly infringed by reposting newspaper content, as well as two lawyers who worked there. CEO Steven Gibson, an attorney, is a subject of the probe along…

Jan 13, 2012 6:30 PM CST

NY Judge Nixes Bank’s Foreclosure Judgment Because Process Server Didn’t Keep Records

Opening a door to a potential defense that apparently has largely or entirely gone unnoticed in mortgage foreclosure cases, a New York judge last month overturned a bank judgment because a process server didn’t keep records required by law. A former police officer working for A&J Process Service admitted to…

Jan 12, 2012 10:02 PM CST

RV Operated by Nonprofit Offers Mobile Legal Advice, Remote Court Access

A 40-foot RV is bringing justice to low-income individuals in New York. The van is New York’s first legal services office on wheels, according to a press release (PDF). Lawyers from the New York Legal Assistance Group will be visiting at least seven sites each week in the RV to…

Jan 11, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Supreme Court Upholds Arbitration Provision in Credit Card Contract

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that consumers who received the Aspire Visa credit card are bound by a mandatory arbitration provision in their applications. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion (PDF) in the case, CompuCredit Corp. v. Greenwood. The decision overturns a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th…

Jan 10, 2012 4:29 PM CST

How Long of a Recess Is Needed for a Recess Appointment? Obama Action Raises Constitutional Question

President Obama made four recess appointments on Wednesday in a move that raises constitutional issues and sets up a possible Supreme Court case. Obama appointed former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency and named three appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, report…

Jan 5, 2012 3:04 PM CST

Ex-Lawyer Opts Out of Class Action over Hybrid Mileage, Goes to Small Claims Court

A former lawyer is going to small claims court today in an attempt to win damages in a suit that claims her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid didn’t deliver on promised mileage. The suit by Heather Peters says she never did get 50 miles per gallon as promised, and now that…

Jan 3, 2012 12:48 PM CST