Author Archives: Jeff Sovern

George Mason Policy Conference on the Future of Privacy and Data Security

The Law & Economics Center's Henry G. Manne Program in Law & Economics Studies will present its Public Policy Conference on the Future of Privacy and Data Security Regulation at George Mason University School of Law, Wednesday, May 14, 2014 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. PANEL 1: Section 5 and the FTC's Proper Role […]

Pridgen Article on Attempts to Eliminate Private UDAP Claims

by Jeff Sovern My co-author, Dee Pridgen of Wyoming, has written an important and disturbing account of attempts by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to dismantle a fundamental device to protect consumers: the private UDAP claim. Readers of this blog will find her article, Wrecking Ball Disguised as Law Reform: ALEC's Model Act on […]

Can Downloading a Coupon Bind Consumers to Arbitration?

Yesterday's and today's Times have a pair of articles on General Mills's new arbitration policy (HT: Eric Levine). According to the articles, yesterday's When ‘Liking’ a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue and today's General Mills Amends New Legal Policies, if you sign up for General Mills email alerts, download a coupon from General […]

Tidmarsh Article on Auctioning Class Settlements

Jay Tidmarsh of Notre Dame has written Auctioning Class Settlements, forthcoming in the William & Mary Law Review. Here's the abstract: Although they promise better deterrence at a lower cost, class actions are infected with problems that can keep them from delivering on this promise. One of these problems occurs when the agents for the […]

Goldsmith & Martin Study of Public Attitudes Towards Interest Rate Caps

Timothy E. Goldsmith of New Mexico's Psychology Department and Nathalie Martin at New Mexico's Law School have written Interest Rate Caps, State Legislation, and Public Opinion: Does the Law Reflect the Public's Desires? 89 Chicago-Kent Law Review (2014).  Here's the abstract: In scholarly circles, debates about the benefits and burdens of high-costs lending are prevalent, […]