As this LA Times story explains, In a lawsuit that echoes the worst abuses of the foreclosure crisis, [California's] top law enforcement official is suing the nation's largest bank, accusing it of using aggressive and illegal tactics to collect credit card debt from thousands of California consumers. Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris on Thursday accused […]
Author Archives: Brian Wolfman
[Ed. note: Last week, we featured a guest post on ticket industry abuses, which mentioned a group called "Fan Freedom" and StubHub's support for the group. We now post this response from Ted Mermin.] by Ted Mermin [guest post] Thank you for the guest post on Ticketmaster's anti-competitive practices. Anyone who has tried to get a […]
As this CNN piece explains Credit agencies that rate Wall Street's big banks were blamed for playing a pivotal role in the financial meltdown, but those agencies are still being paid for their work by the very banks they rate. That was one of the root causes of the financial crisis of 2008, according to a […]
A little off-point perhaps, but this blog often provides information on Supreme Court advocacy and decisions, and so I thought our readers might be interested in this AP story about the lack of diversity among those who argue before the Supreme Court. Here's a short excerpt: In roughly 75 hours of arguments at the Supreme […]
A victory for a plaintiff! The Supreme Court has decided Dans City v Pelkey opinion, unanimously affirming the no-preemption ruling of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Here's the begininng of Justice Ginsburg's opinion, which sums things up nicely: This case concerns the preemptive scope of a provision of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 […]
by John Breyault, Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud, National Consumer League Protect Music and Sports Fans from Ticket Industry Abuses When Beyonce recently announced her highly-anticipated “Mrs. Carter Show” tour, fans waited eagerly for the moment tickets went on sale. But at the magic moment, thousands of fans were disappointed to learn the […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued this report entitled "Student Loan Affordability–Analysis of Public Input on Impact and Solutions." The report's executive summary appears after the jump. The agency also issued this companion fact sheet. The fact sheet includes what it calls "Student Loan Debt by the Numbers": • $1.1 trillion: Approximate amount of […]
The Blog of the Legal Times reports that The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today filed suit against two lawyers and two debt relief companies, alleging they charged thousands of consumers illegal advance fees and left some worse off financially. One of the lawyers, Michael Levitis, also faces face mail and wire fraud charges brought by […]
That's the name of this short essay by law professor Linda Mullenix on the Supreme Court's recent class-actions decisions in the Amgen, Comcast, and Standard Fire decisions. Here is the abstract: The article surveys the Court’s liberal and conservative divide on class certification issues, giving some support to both the plaintiff and defense sides of […]
by Brian Wolfman Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration issued this proposed order regarding tanning beds. The FDA is proposing to reclassify these ultra violet devices to require more warnings — including that minors not use them at all — because they are a cancer hazard. The proposal would also require the products to meet […]