Earlier this week, in a decision that is likely to be influential to the federal court in California now considering whether Apple can be compelled to help the FBI break into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein rejected the government's request for a similar order in an unrelated New York case. […]
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USA Today reports: Facebook has changed the way people do a lot of things online. For example, you probably notice yourself reflexively clicking 'like' on anything your friends post on Facebook, even if it's just to acknowledge you saw it. Scammers are taking advantage of that reflex for a dangerous scam called "like-farming." What is […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action this week against online payment platform Dwolla for deceiving consumers about its data security practices and the safety of its online payment system. The CFPB ordered Dwolla to pay a $100,000 penalty and fix its security practices. Details are in the CFPB's press release.
Justice Scalia's death has made it likely that some cases accepted for review by the Supreme Court will result in a tie vote. For instance, some observers think that Spokeo Inc. v. Robins, an important consumer-protection case currently before the Court, might split 4 to 4. So, you may be interested in a new article by law prof Justin […]
This article by Amanda Bronstad discusses the Supreme Court's recent denial of review of a class-action decision from the Seventh Circuit concerning whether Rule 23 contains a heightened "ascertainability" requirement. Bronstad's article asks whether the Court's refusal to hear the case is related to Justice Scalia's absence. For one perspective on (and a description of) "ascertainability," go here.
According to this article by Zach Carter, "Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) … is co-sponsoring a new bill that would gut the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus's] forthcoming payday loan regulations. She's also attempting to gin up Democratic support for the legislation on Capitol Hill[.]" Here's an excerpt: The misleadingly titled Consumer Protection and Choice […]
The Post reports: Some 7 percent of advisers have been disciplined for misconduct, according to a working paper released this week by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Misconduct included selling clients investments that weren’t suitable or not consulting with them before making trades and other investment decisions. And contrary to what some […]
CNN published this week an interview with Miami Beach's "chief resiliency officer" about the threat. Prefacing the discussion, the interviewer notes of the city, "a 90,000-person island municipality off the coast of Miami proper," that "At even 2 to 4 feet of sea level rise, the island will be considerably flooded. The National Oceanic and […]
A recent report by the Greenlining Institute and the Urban Strategies Council, "Locked Out of the Market: Poor Access to Home Loans for Californians of Color," highlights the stark disparities between whites borrowers and borrowers of color when it comes to access to home loans. Among the report's findings: -In 2013, Hispanics were nearly 40% of CA’s […]