For several years, consumers have brought suit against manufacturers of processed foods (for example, bottled teas, granola bars, and cereals) advertised as “all natural.” In these lawsuits, the consumer alleges that the all-natural claim is false and misleading because the foods are not in fact “all natural.” Early cases often focused on the use of […]
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Paul has often posted on (and is one of the leading experts on) protecting consumers' anonymity in speaking online. (A good example is the Hadeed case, which you can read more about here.) But cyberspace offers opportunities for companies to hide also, and it can be a barrier to holding them accountable for wrongdoing. For […]
The Federal Trade Commission announced today a law enforcement initiative, called “Operation Failed Resolution,” aimed at stopping marketers that use deceptive advertising claims to sell weight-loss products. At the same time, the FTC announced settlements in cases it brought against four different weight-loss companies. For example, ads Sensa promised that, with their product, consumers could […]
by Paul Alan Levy In a decision issued yesterday morning, the Virginia Court of Appeals parted company with appellate decisions in eleven other states and held that the First Amendment allows a court to compel the identification of a company’s anonymous online critics even though the company has done no more than claim that it […]
The CFPB’s mortgage servicing rule will take effect on January 10. That same day, the Bureau will host a training for housing counselors, legal aid attorneys, and other advocates on the new rule. The training, called “Protecting homeowners: New tools for empowering consumers and advocates,” will be held in Phoenix. You can watch live at […]
In light of the Target Stores security breach — the theft of around 40 million credit and debit card records from Target — the National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Action, and U.S. PIRG have issued these tips for consumers about dealing with security breaches. It includes reminders that (1) consumers' liability for unauthorized credit-card and […]
If you missed the Senate hearing held in mid-December by Sen. Al Franken on the Arbitration Fairness Act, view it here or by clicking on the embedded video below. Go to approximately 1:54:30 (1 hour, 54 minutes, and 30 seconds) to watch a powerful exchange between Franken and one of pro-arbitration witnesses.
That is the name of this article by Kate Cox over at the Consumerist. Among the items Cox discusses is the Student Loan Borrowers' Bill of Rights and the Arbitration Fairness Act, which generally would negate pre-dispute agreements that require arbitration of employment, consumer, civil rights, or antitrust disputes. Cox notes that the Act now […]
As part of what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau terms its "continu[ing] efforts to make mortgages safer and with fewer surprises along the way," the agency today issued a request for information from the public about how to improve the mortgage closing process. Here's the agency's summary: This notice requests information from the public about […]
In September, a group of auto safety advocates and parents represented by Public Citizen sued the Department of Transportation over its failure to issue a congressionally-mandated regulation to address the problem of backover crashes, that is, collisions in which a vehicle moving backwards strikes a person (or object) behind the vehicle. Each year on average, […]