Our readers may be interested in a couple new items about the minimum wage. First, this piece by Emily Badger discusses the difficulties faced by low-wage workers living in places where the cost of housing is high. Badger highlights a new report by the Naitonal Low Income Housing Coalition, which claims that a minimum-wage worker […]
J Michael Collins has written Protecting Mortgage Borrowers through Risk Awareness: Evidence from Variations in State Laws, 48 J. Consumer Affairs 124 (2014). Here is the abstract: In the wake of historic levels of mortgage defaults, regulators have debated how to regulate certain high-risk loans because of the risks of foreclosure involved. This study examines […]
Registration is now open for the Teaching Consumer Law Conference, to be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 30-31. Presented by the Center for Consumer Law at the University of Houston Law Center, this year's Conference features more than thirty speakers discussing issues of importance to those teaching consumer law, interested in teaching consumer […]
by Jeff Sovern The Journal of Consumer Affairs published my paper, Fixing Consumer Protection Laws So Borrowers Understand Their Payment Obligations, 48 Journal Consumer Affairs 17 (2014). Here is the abstract: The millions of consumers who defaulted on their mortgages in recent years should all have received disclosures mandated by the federal Truth in Lending […]
Larry Kirsch, Roert N. Mayer and Norman I. Silber of Hofstra have authored, The CFPB and Payday Lending: New Agency/Old Problem, 48 Journal of Consumer Affairs 1 (2014). Here's the abstract: The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 brings nonbank payday lenders under federal regulation for the first time. The question of precisely how to regulate the payday […]
by Paul Alan Levy I have blogged a few times about the libel suit brought by Washington, DC contractor Christopher Dietz against one of his customers, Jane Perez, who posted on Angie’s List and Yelp unfavorable reviews of his work on her newly purchased condo and included an assertion that, after their contractual relationship broke […]
Here is the groups' press release: New Report Examines Both the Promise and the Potential Dangers of the New Financial Marketplace Leading Reform Groups Call for New Regulations to Protect Consumers from Unfair and Discriminatory “Big Data” Practices, Groups File Report with the White House “Big Data” Review Proceeding Washington, DC: U.S. PIRG Education Fund […]
Public Citizen was in court Monday arguing the case of Vera Scroggins, who has been protesting and documenting the damage caused by fracking the Marcellus Shale in northeastern Pennsylvania. A few months ago, she was hit with an injunction barring her from any property that fracking company Cabot Oil and Gas owns, or to which […]
That's the title of this thought-provoking piece in The Hill by Public Citizen President Rob Weissman about the amicus brief filed this week by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the class action over the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon spill. The Chamber supports BP — against small U.S. businesses — in trying to […]
As we've discussed, briefing is underway before the Ninth Circuit in an appeal regarding the settlement of a class action against Facebook (Fraley v. Facebook) for using its members' images for advertising without their consent — including the images of minors without their parents' consent. In a related development, yesterday the same judge in the […]