Category Archives: Consumer Law Scholarship

Schwartz & Solove: Reconciling Personal Information in the United States and European Union

Paul M. Schwartz of Berkeley and Daniel J. Solove of George Washington have written Reconciling Personal Information in the United States and European Union. Herer's the abstract: US and EU privacy law diverge greatly. At the foundational level, they diverge in their underlying philosophy: In the US, privacy law focuses on redressing consumer harm and […]

Grossman Paper: FDA and the Rise of the Empowered Consumer

Lewis A. Grossman of American has written FDA and the Rise of the Empowered Consumer. Here's the abstract: This paper traces the historical evolution of a view of consumers as informed, rational, and rights-bearing decision makers, and the corresponding diminution of FDA’s role as a paternalistic gatekeeper acting in conjunction with medical and scientific experts […]

Paper on Whether Regulation Curbs Foreclosures

Fernando López Vicente of the Bank of Spain has written The Effect of Foreclosure Regulation: Evidence for the US Mortgage Market at State Level.  Here's the abstact: Do laws to protect borrowers curb foreclosures? This question is addressed by analysing the impact of foreclosure laws on default rates at state level in the US mortgage […]

Ian Ayres & Alan Schwartz Paper: The No Reading Problem in Consumer Contract Law

Two Yale heavyweights, Ian Ayres & Alan Schwartz, have written The No Reading Problem in Consumer Contract Law, forthcoming in the Stanford Law Review. Here is the abstract: Instead of attempting to promote informed consumer assent through quixotic attempts to have consumers read ever-expanding disclosures, this Article argues that consumer protection law should focus on […]

Daniel Schwarcz Paper on Post-Sale Monitoring of Financial Products

Daniel Schwarcz of Minnesota has written Monitoring, Reporting, and Recalling Defective Financial Products, University of Chicago Legal Forum (2013).  Here is the abstract: In recent years, innovations in consumer financial protection have drawn heavily from the law governing the safety of tangible products.   This short essay, prepared for a symposium entitled "Frontiers of Consumer Protection," […]

Study on How Judges’ Politics Affects Their Application of the Twombly-Iqbal Pleading Rules

Raymond H. Brescia and Edward J. Ohanian, both of Albany have written The Politics of Procedure: An Empirical Analysis of Motion Practice in Civil Rights Litigation Under the New Plausibility Standard, forthcoming in 46 Akron Law Review (2013).   Here's the abstract: Is civil procedure political?  In May of 2009, the Supreme Court issued its decision […]

Ben-Shahar Reviews Boilerplate

Omri Ben-Shahar of Chicago has written Regulation Through Boilerplate: An Apologia, forthcoming in the Michigan Law Review. Here's the abstract:   This essay reviews Margaret Jane Radin’s Boilerplate: The Fine Print, Vanishing Rights, And The Rule Of Law (Princeton Press, 2013). It responds to two of the book’s principal complaints against boilerplate consumer contracts: that […]

Pat McCoy on Barriers to Foreclosure Prevention

Patricia A. McCoy of Connecticut has written Barriers to Foreclosure Prevention During the Financial Crisis, forthcoming in 55 Arizona Law Review. Here's the abstract: The number of modifications to distressed residential loans has been subpar to date compared to the number of foreclosures. This raises concerns about the presence of artificial barriers to loan modifications […]

Jimenez Paper: Illegality in Consumer Debt Contracts and What to Do About it

Dalie Jimenez of Connecticut has written Illegality in Consumer Debt Contracts and What to Do About it.  Here's the abstract: Many of the contracts for the sale of consumer debts that are publically available contain “quitclaim” language disclaiming all warranties about the underlying debts sold or the information transferred, generally referring to the debts as […]