The Washington Post reports today: [I]n an effort to get a fuller understanding of side effects of certain medicines, the FDA is partnering with a networking forum called PatientsLikeMe, which allows people with the same disease or condition to connect with others and share their experiences. The site, among the largest of its kind, has more than 350,000 […]
. . . in the Southwestern Law Review, as reported with links to pdfs by the ContractsProfBlog.
A New York Times editorial yesterday encouraged that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau use its enforcement powers to put an end to abusive car loans. The editorial begins: Auto loans have long been a bastion of predatory lending and racial discrimination. Until the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established, auto lending by banks was […]
The Federal Communications Commission has warned PayPal that PayPal's new terms of service might violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Under the new terms, which go into effect in July, PayPal customers would be deemed to have consented to receiving robocalls and texts from PayPal on any phone number. The Hill has the story.
David Horton and Andrea Cann Chandrasekher both of California, Davis, have written After the Revolution: An Empirical Study of Consumer Arbitration, 104 Georgetown Law Journal (Forthcoming 2015). Here's the abstract: For decades, mandatory consumer arbitration has been ground zero in the war between the business community and the plaintiffs’ bar. Some courts, scholars, and interest […]
William J. Woodward Jr.of Santa Clara has written Contraps, 66 Hastings Law Journal (2015). Here is the abstract: Forms that purport to govern consumer transactions are a central component of our modern consumer economy. They are routinely enforced because consumers are said to “manifest assent” to them, despite the fact that they are not read […]
by Jeff Sovern In Mohamed v. Uber, the federal district court for the Northern District of California said no. Opt-out clauses appear in contracts and give the contracting parties the right to opt-out of arbitration to resolve disputes within a certain period of time after entering into the contract, often thirty or sixty days (which […]
The NYT story is here. Note that the House actually voted on several measures; the NYT explains the difference.
A collection of coverage ahead of the likely vote: The Post on how the President is trying to fight for his legacy. Mother Jones on the stakes and potential future trade agreements. L.A. Times on Democratic intra-party struggles. (Great picture on the web of Rep. Brad Sherman, who appears to be telling the President that what […]
The Hill reports on a concrete example this week of international trade rules interfering with U.S. regulatory policy: The House passed legislation late Wednesday that would repeal country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef, pork and chicken products. Why the change? The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled last month against the U.S. appeal to keep its existing […]