Here. Excerpt: The U.S. senator from Florida has received more than $4 million from the employees of banks and investment firms like Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) since launching his bid for the presidency last year, according to the analysis of individual donations totaling more […]
D. Bruce Johnsen of George Mason has written A Closer Look at Payment Cards. Here is the abstract: This essay takes a closer look at the U.S. payment card system, primarily debit cards. I examine the bundle of transactional services this and other types of payment cards provide. My goal, in large part, is to […]
by Paul Alan Levy A comment to my recent blog post about Prestigious Pets, a Dallas pet care company that recently sued two of its customers for negative reviews, suggested an interesting approach for dealing with businesses that use non-disparagement clauses to block customers from posting accurate but unflattering reviews. Although consumer advocates place hope […]
The court of appeals this week affirmed a district court's decision to unseal a complaint even though the case settled within two weeks after it was filed. Of note, the Second Circuit held that the public is entitled to access civil complaints not just under the common law right of access but also under the […]
The Federal Trade Commission has charged a debt relief operation with falsely representing to financially distressed homeowners and student loan borrowers that it would help get their mortgages and student loans modified. At the FTC’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted the operation. The agency seeks to permanently stop the alleged illegal practices and […]
Frank A. Pasquale III of Maryland has written Democratizing Higher Education: Defending and Extending Income-Based Repayment Programs, Loyola Consumer Law Review (Forthcoming). Here is the abstract: This article addresses many critiques of income-based repayment programs for student loan debt. These programs are not helping many of the students they were designed to aid. Their terms […]
by Jeff Sovern Gregory Gauthier has pointed out that Starbucks has changed its arbitration clause and wonders why. The old version is described here. The new version is somewhat less onerous. For example, it permits the arbitration to be "held in a reasonably convenient location in the state in which you reside or at another mutually agreed […]
We've previously discussed Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, the pending Supreme Court case regarding whether workers at an Iowa meat-processing plant can sue as a class over violations of wage-and-hour protections. For a bit of (unfortunately gruesome) context, check out this recent article from Buzzfeed, "America’s Biggest Meat Producer Averages One Amputation Per Month," about OSHA data […]
As NPR reports this morning, a New York state trial court (misleadingly named the "New York State Supreme Court" apparently for historical reasons) upheld the City's requirement that restaurants label high sodium menu items. The story explains, "Mandated salt warnings on menus are intended to make New Yorkers more aware of the link between excessive […]
On May 20-21, the Center for Consumer Law at the University of Houston Law Center will present its bi-annual conference for consumer law professors, adjunct professors, and those interested in teaching consumer law. The conference is especially valuable to anyone interested in teaching consumer law as an adjunct professor. Registration forms, a tentative schedule and hotel […]