Public Citizen has released a report analyzing the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in J. McIntyre Machinery Co. v. Nicastro, 131 S. Ct. 2780 (2011), on the ability of people injured by the products of out-of-state and foreign manufacturers to obtain access to the courts to remedy their injuries. Nicastro significantly limited the […]
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For a variety of answers, see an empirical study by Alan White and Carolina Reid called Saving Homes? Bankruptcies and Loan Modifications in the Foreclosure Crisis. Here is the abstract: Do homeowner bankruptcy filings work to delay or prevent home foreclosures, and how do they compare to voluntary loan modifications specifically targeted to mortgage relief? […]
by Brian Wolfman The major consumer credit scoring company, FICO, devised a model (first constructed in 1989) that produces what is known as a credit score. So, almost any consumer with any sort of credit history has what is known of as a FICO score. The basic FICO score ranges from 300 (very very bad) […]
Read this article by Kate Cox on the lack of competition in the broadband industry in the U.S. It's chock full of maps showing that, in many areas, there is no competition. Here's how Cox starts: When announcing Comcast’s intention to buy Time Warner Cable, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts called cable a “highly competitive and […]
For reasons we've discussed many times before, class actions are important and powerful tools for holding bad actors accountable. But sometimes the settlements they produce aren't as beneficial to class members as one would hope. For an useful and accessible discussion of the types of problems that can arise in some class action settlements, check […]
As reported by the Guardian and other news outlets, Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation is going to great lengths to keep Pennsylvania environmental activist Vera Scroggins out of sight and out of earshot. So much so that the company obtained an injunction barring Scroggins not only from Cabot-owned properties but also all properties in the […]
The number of obese people has skyrocketed in recent years, which has focused some lawmakers on discrimination against obese people, including in employment. Some jurisdictions have enacted laws against this type of employment discrimination. In Legal Largesse or Big, Fat Failure: Do Weight Discrimination Laws Improve Employment Outcomes of the Obese?, Jennifer Shinall looks at […]
Last week, Brian noted that DropBox has added a forced arbitration clause with a class-action ban to its terms of use, and observed that the "opt-out" provision was a "public relations gambit," not a serious effort to allow consumers to make an informed choice about whether to give up the right to go to court. […]
by Paul Alan Levy After Dwayne Cooney left his car overnight for service at Jim Butler Chevrolet in Fenton, Missouri, and was told his car had required 5-1/2 hours work, he paid the bill in full. But he was curious about what had taken to long to fix, so he checked the dash camera which, […]
Those are topics of continuing concern to consumer advocates and the title of this paper by Sean Brian. Here is the abstract: In the last few years, store gift certificates have matured into a diverse set of products including "open loop" prepaid cards capable of providing services traditionally reserved to banks. At the same time, […]