Consumer Law

Antitrust Suit Alleges Dairy Groups Killed 500,000 Cows to Drive Up the Price of Dairy Products

A price-fixing lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco contends that a so-called dairy cow retirement program in California was actually intended to drive up the price of milk and other dairy products by killing healthy animals, reports KOMO. Over 500,000 dairy cows were slaughtered before their time,…

Sep 28, 2011 1:41 AM CDT

2nd Circuit Revives Suit Against Leeds Morelli, Says Clients Couldn’t OK ‘Enormous’ Nextel Conflict

Saying that an “enormous conflict” inherent in a law firm’s agreement with an opposing party couldn’t be waived by a law firm’s clients, a federal appeals court has reinstated a malpractice suit against Leeds Morelli & Brown. Filed by a group of clients the New York law firm represented in…

Sep 26, 2011 11:25 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Suit Against Chipotle Claims He Was Falsely Told Pinto Beans Were Vegetarian

A California lawyer has filed a lawsuit against Chipotle Mexican Grill that alleges employees falsely told him the restaurant’s pinto beans were not made with pork. The suit by lawyer Kevin Shenkman seeks class action status on behalf of California consumers with dietary concerns who bought the beans. Shenkman is…

Sep 21, 2011 12:16 PM CDT

Urging Others to Be Wary of ATM Skimming, US Attorney Says She Was a Victim Herself

Law enforcement agencies are working to try to cut down on prolific internet fraud, including the so-called computerized and photographic skimming of bank customers’ account information as they use their cards at automated teller machines and key in personal identification numbers. One sign that authorities aren’t yet on top of…

Sep 20, 2011 9:06 PM CDT

Burger Lover Files Suit Against White Castle, Says Too-Small Booths Violate ADA

A longtime fan of White Castle burgers who weighs 290 pounds has filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan over the size of the booths in the fast-food chain’s restaurants. Martin Kessman, who works as a stockbroker and says he has been eating White Castle burgers in the Bronx since 1959,…

Sep 14, 2011 1:24 AM CDT

Joke May Be on Toyota re Online Prank: Lack of Consent Voids Arbitration Pact, Appeals Court Says

It looks like the joke could be on Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., concerning an unusual Internet advertising campaign the automaker developed with Saatchi & Saatchi North America Inc. to market its Matrix automobile. The campaign, which was targeted at young men, encouraged them to provide Toyota with the name…

Sep 12, 2011 11:19 PM CDT

Federal Judge Sides with NJ Solo, Strikes NY Law Requiring In-State Office for Out-of-State Lawyers

A federal judge in Albany has agreed with a New Jersey solo practitioner that a New York law is unconstitutional. It requires out-of-state attorneys licensed to practice in New York to maintain an in-state office if they want to represent clients there. The state argued that the New York office…

Sep 9, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

New Shopping Center Stores Must Allow All Customers to Enter Through Front Doors, Fed’l Judge Rules

Rejecting a shopping mall store’s arguments that a porch-like front doorway with two steps was in compliance with disability laws because handicapped-accessible doors were right at hand, too, a federal judge in Colorado today held that Hollister Co. had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Chief U.S. District Judge Wiley…

Sep 1, 2011 1:32 AM CDT

Disbarred Lawyer Accused of Duping Inmates with Phony Nonprofit

A disbarred lawyer and a paralegal in New Jersey are accused in a state lawsuit of duping inmates with a phony nonprofit promising legal aid and consulting services. The suit, filed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs, claims disbarred lawyer Mark Bendet and paralegal Bruce Buccolo…

Aug 31, 2011 1:15 PM CDT

Cal. AG’s Raid on Golden State Lawyers re Bank ‘Mass Joinder’ Suits Doesn’t Faze Fla. Colleague

Last week, authorities in California raided several attorneys and law firms there, shutting down at least one, to combat what was described by the state attorney general’s office as a fraud on struggling homeowners. They were allegedly persuaded to front thousands of dollars to pay for litigation unlikely to save…

Aug 24, 2011 1:25 AM CDT

LegalZoom Can Continue to Offer Documents in Missouri Under Proposed Settlement

LegalZoom has reached a proposed settlement in a Missouri class action that claimed the legal document company was not licensed to offer legal services in the state. The agreement in principle allows LegalZoom to continue operating in Missouri, as long as it makes certain business modifications, according to a press…

Aug 23, 2011 12:32 PM CDT

Law Firm Seized; 3 Firms, 4 Lawyers, 14 Others Sued re Claimed Client Fraud in Bank Litigation

A California law firm has been raided and shut down and four attorneys are among 18 individual defendants sued in civil litigation over a fraud allegedly perpetrated on thousands of struggling homeowners nationwide under the guise of legal representation. The defendants are accused of working, in a combination of law…

Aug 18, 2011 10:31 PM CDT

After Supreme Court Win Forcing Customers to Arbitrate, AT&T Now Sues to Stop the Arbitration

Victorious a few months ago before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that held customers were required by their phone contracts to arbitrate claims rather than sue, AT&T is now trying to put the genie back in the bottle. The telecommunications giant has filed suit in eight federal courts…

Aug 17, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

Lobster Salad Gets a New Name After Industry Group Questions Labeling

A well-known New York grocery has changed the name of its lobster salad after a Times-Picayune reporter recognized that lobster wasn’t listed as an ingredient. Reporter Doug MacCash bought the lobster salad at Zabar’s while on vacation last month, but inspected the label more closely when he realized he wasn’t…

Aug 12, 2011 3:19 PM CDT

After Burn Injuries, Deaths, Lawsuits and a Recall, Some Push for Gel Fuel Ban

A seemingly ordinary product sold by home-supply retailers to keep patio lights burning can act like napalm, splashing into the air and onto people when spilled, fueling flash fires that are difficult to douse and causing injuries and deaths. Serious burn injuries and even deaths have been reported throughout the…

Aug 11, 2011 6:23 PM CDT