Writing in today's New York Times, Erik Eckholm explains in Court Costs Entrap Nonwhite, Poor Juvenile Offenders that Fines, fees and restitution mandates are levied on juvenile offenders to varying degrees in every state, a new national survey of these practices has found. The effects are greatest on the poor and racial minorities, creating a two-tiered system […]
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday released a monthly report of consumer complaints received by the agency, highlighting complaints about bank accounts and services. The report shows that consumers continue to experience problems managing their accounts. The report also highlights trends seen in complaints coming from Ohio. The CFPB's press release is here. The report […]
Is it a good idea to label genetically modified foods to indicate that they include ingredients that have been genetically modified? And, more generally, when should the government require precautionary labeling? Those are the topics of On Mandatory Labeling, With Special Reference to Genetically Modified Foods by law prof Cass Sunstein. Here is the abstract: As a […]
by Paul Alan Levy A state District Court in Dallas (Judge Jim Jordan of the 160th District) has struck down a lawsuit over a non-disparagement clause in a form consumer agreement, holding that it could not be enforced against a consumer who expressed dissatisfaction about the service provided by a local business. Although we have […]
The Washington Post and AP report: About 210,000 owners of Volkswagens with 2-liter diesel engines that cheat on emissions tests have registered to settle with the company under the terms of a June court agreement. The figure was revealed in a federal court motion by class action attorneys seeking final approval of the settlement involving […]
The Ninth Circuit yesterday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission against AT&T Mobility, in which the FTC asserted that AT&T illegally slows internet data speed to customers with an unlimited data plan. Section 5 of the FTC Act contains an exemption for “common carriers subject to the Acts to regulate commerce.” 15 […]
Washington Post Columnist Michelle Singletary recently posted about and answered questions about IRS scams — like those messages on my home answering machine saying that the IRS is about to initiate a prosecution over fictitious tax debt. Color of Money Live: How to avoid those IRS scams Singletary offers advice and answers questions. (Aug. 25) […]
In the wake of the flooding in Louisiana, the Federal Trade Commission has developed a series of blog posts with information for people affected by the floods and people who want to help through charitable donations. These three FTC posts offer information and tips for dealing with disasters and flood-damaged vehicles being sold, and for […]
I have to admit that there are a lot of things I love about Amazon.com. That it tries to require its customers to arbitrate their claims and waive the right to participate in class actions is not one of them. In an opinion issued today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that […]
When I first posted about the bogus court order compelling the removal of Matthew Chan's reviews of Mitul Patel from five web sites, I criticized Kudzu.com for removing the version of the review that was posted there without giving any notice to Chan, and called on that web site to reconsider its decision. I was informed […]