Consumer Law

Indiana AG Sues Fla. Lawyer, Says Home-Loan Modification Business Operated Illegally

A Florida attorney has been sued by the Indiana attorney general over a home-loan modification business that the AG contends the lawyer is operating illegally in his state. In addition to the lawyer, Thomas Matevia, and his Legal Home Loan Solutions business, the AG has also named as defendants the…

Aug 11, 2011 3:43 PM CDT

2 Individuals Criminally Charged for Allegedly Selling Lost iPhone Prototype They Found to Gizmodo

If Brian Hogan, 22, and Sage Wallower, 28, had simply kept the prototype Apple iPhone that Hogan found last year, they couldn’t have been criminally charged, a California prosecutor says. But because Hogan allegedly sold it to a gadget website for $5,000 with Wallower’s help, both are now defendants in…

Aug 10, 2011 8:40 PM CDT

NJ Appellate Panel Reverses Foreclosure Because Deutsche Bank Didn’t Have Note When It Sued

A bank that sued to foreclose a New Jersey mortgage in 2008 is back on square one after a state appeals court ruling yesterday that its filing was defective because it didn’t prove possession of the note for the loan. After winning the case on summary judgment and obtaining possession…

Aug 10, 2011 7:58 PM CDT

Pro Bono Goes High-Tech, and Homeless Veterans Benefit

Skype can be used to talk to your spouse, catch up with a friend, or talk over a business matter. The Minnesota Justice Foundation has found another use for the technology—linking low-income people in need of legal help with lawyers who have the expertise to counsel them. This spring, the…

Aug 4, 2011 11:53 PM CDT

Fla. AG Calls for Independent Probe of Forced Departure of 2 Foreclosure Investigation Lawyers

Criticized over the recent forced resignations of two lawyers in her office who had been investigating mortgage foreclosure issues, Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, is now calling for an independent investigation. Bondi has said that the two, June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards, were let go due to legitimate job performance…

Aug 3, 2011 12:06 AM CDT

New Law Makes Buffy-the-Wormslayer Legal, Lets Attorney Show Off $1,200 Coop with Auto Door-Opener

Only a year ago, Attila-the-Hen, Buffy-the-Wormslayer and Motherclucker could have been roosting on the wrong side of the law in a palatial $1,200 coop in the back yard of Jody Noble-Choder, a Pittsburgh corporate attorney. But, in response to growing interest among residents in urban farming, city officials earlier this…

Aug 2, 2011 10:04 PM CDT

Federal Jury Says Law Firm Must Pay $1.26M for Trying to Collect Debt That Wasn’t Owed

Corrected: A law firm that twice attempted to collect a debt from a New Mexico woman that she didn’t owe, in a case of mistaken identity, must pay her $1.26 million, a federal jury in Santa Fe ruled Friday. Attorney Rob Treinen of Albuquerque represented the winning plaintiff, Lucinda Yazzie,…

Aug 1, 2011 5:51 PM CDT

Law Firm Makes Lemonade After Supremes Nix AT&T Class Action, Now Pursues Individual Arbitrations

Updated: A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that initially seemed like a clear win for AT&T Inc., requiring consumers to arbitrate their claims individually rather than bring a class action over an alleged sales-tax overcharge on discounted cell phones, now appears perhaps to have been something of a Pyrrhic victory. A…

Jul 28, 2011 12:04 AM CDT

MERS Changes Rules, Says Mortgage Servicers Must File Assignments with County Before Foreclosing

Calling for an end to a controversial practice, the Virginia-based company that owns Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) has announced a change in its rules that apparently would require mortgage loan services to follow longstanding property law principles. They are no longer to file foreclosure actions in the name of…

Jul 27, 2011 11:36 PM CDT

Protected by Ohio Law, Breast-Feeding Moms Still Feel Blast of Public Disapprobation

In Ohio, state law recognizes the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public. But that doesn’t prevent individuals from complaining about an activity some view as offensive, according to the Columbus Dispatch. At least two moms are in the headlines right now after such confrontations. Bonnie Morris says she was…

Jul 27, 2011 11:04 PM CDT

Woman Sues Jet Blue, Says She Was Kicked Off Flight Until She Could Prove She Had Underwear On

A New York financial consultant has filed a state-court lawsuit against Jet Blue, contending that the discount carrier refused to fly her to Florida until she could prove she had underwear on. Escorted off a plane earlier this month, Malinda Knowles, 27, says she had to pull up her t-shirt…

Jul 22, 2011 4:44 PM CDT

Did 2 Fired Lawyers Do Too Good a Job for Florida AG’s Office?

Did two lawyers recently fired by the Florida attorney general’s office do too good a job at probing problems with banks’ handling of mortgage foreclosure cases? A spokesman for AG Pam Bondi says the two were fired due to concerns about “proper identification and analysis of legal issues … judgment…

Jul 22, 2011 1:29 PM CDT

Federal Judge OKs $97.5K Verdict Won By Goodwin Procter in Pro Bono ‘Contempt of Cop’ Arrest Case

The chief federal criminal trial judge in Washington, D.C., yesterday rejected the city’s call for a new trial in a “contempt of cop” arrest case in which a jury awarded a woman $97,500. Represented by Goodwin Procter on a pro bono basis, Lindsay Huthnance contended she had been unconstitutionally arrested…

Jul 20, 2011 9:27 PM CDT

Appeals Court Allows Hindus’ Suit Against Restaurant that Accidentally Served Them Meat

A New Jersey appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by 16 Hindus against a restaurant that admits it accidentally served them meat-filled pastries in a take-out order. The plaintiffs are seeking money for a trip to India, saying they must visit the Ganges River to purify their souls, the…

Jul 19, 2011 6:27 PM CDT

Man Wins 2-Year Pro Se Court Battle Over $25 Ticket, Says Case Was ‘Like Doing My Own Dentistry’

After a two-year court battle, a retired Massachusetts audio visual technician has emerged victorious in an epic pro se legal fight over a $25 parking ticket. But Michael Rivers was drained by the experience rather than jubilant over his state superior court win against the city of Springfield, according to…

Jul 19, 2011 12:05 AM CDT