The NYT reports today on revelations by senior Volkswagen officials about when and why the company decided to design their cars to trick U.S. emissions tests. For a refresher, see our first discussion of the scandal here. Here's today's NYT piece.
Last week, the Ninth Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to Ford in a class action seeking damages for a latent defect in the Ford Focus's rear suspension from 2005 to 2011. The defect allegedly causes "premature tire wear, which in turn leads to safety hazards such as decreased control in handling, steering, stability, and braking, […]
Ready for this year's holiday gift-buying binge? Before you give gifts for kids, read U.S. PIRG's 30th annual edition of Trouble in Toyland. Go here to read PIRG's press release, which serves as an executive summary. The report surveys the dangers to kids posed by toys. The report covers toxins (such as lead and arsenic), choking hazards, excessively loud toys, […]
From our press release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s postponement to July 2016 of a significant patient safety rule leaves open a safety gap for the millions of patients who take generic medications, Public Citizen said today. The agency proposed the rule in 2013 in response to a 2011 Public Citizen petition (PDF). […]
This week, the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a federal complaint against a Massachusetts debt collection firm called EOS CCA for reporting and collecting on old cellphone debt that consumers disputed and EOS did not verify. The company also provided inaccurate information to credit reporting companies about the debt and failed to correct reported […]
In a class action against Mattel, two mothers allege that the talking Hello Barbie doll invades children's privacy by recording their conversations and storing them in the cloud. Courthouse News reports: Mattel says on its website that Hello Barbie complies with the privacy requirements under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). But Archer-Hayes […]
Here. Definitely worth watching. (HT: ContractsProf Blog)
December 4, 2015 (Blog) Protecting Consumers from Bad Medicine December 1, 2015 Dietary Supplement Manufacturer Pleads Guilty to Criminal Contempt of Court
NBC News reported last week: Target Corp. has agreed to pay $39.4 million to resolve claims by banks and credit unions that said they lost money because of the retailer's late 2013 data breach. The preliminary settlement filed on Wednesday resolves class-action claims by lenders seeking to hold Target responsible for their costs to reimburse […]
NPR discusses what's at stake in the latest court battle over net neutrality, in which the D.C. Circuit heard argument Friday. Last Feburary, the FCC redefined its role in regulating the internet; this lawsuit is the telecom companies' challenge to the FCC's action. For our discussion of the last D.C. Circuit decision on net neutrality, go here.