The blogosphere has been humming with concern about a subpoena from the Attorney General of New York seeking to identify AirBnB users who are likely renting out their apartments in violation of local law. It appears, however, that the AG isn't the only one concerned — note this letter from a co-op board warning its […]
You may recall the story of John Palmer of Utah, from whom online retailer KlearGear.com demanded $3500 after John’s wife Jen posted an online review discussing the couple's bad experience with KlearGear’s customer service. When John refused to pay the outrageous demand, KlearGear reported the $3500 alleged “debt” to the credit reporting agencies and wrecked […]
The auto industry was dying. The 2008-2009 crash was not the cause but would accelerate it. And perhaps the government-funded bailout was a waste. But, wait …. Listen to this IPR report on the U.S. auto industry rebound, which says not only that sales are up 50% from its 2009 low point, but that the […]
Paul Kiel of ProPublica has written When Lenders Sue, Quick Cash Can Turn Into a Lifetime of Debt, which describes how a $1,000 payday loan at 400% interest can become a $40,000 debt. The investigative report not only looks at the plight of individual borrowers but provides a comprehensive review of payday loan court enforcement […]
This front-page Washington Post investigative report, well worth a read, documents the troubling effect of election-year politics on important regulatory actions. The lede summarizes: The White House systematically delayed enacting a series of rules on the environment, worker safety and health care to prevent them from becoming points of contention before the 2012 election, according […]
Despite that pesky First Amendment, state bars around the country often have tried to limit what lawyers can say in advertising to prospective clients. The Florida Bar has always been a leader in this area. And, now, in rules that went into effect earlier this year, the Florida Bar had decided that ordinary promotional techniques […]
Check out this excellent and gutwrenching Post story, which explains more clearly than most sequester reporting how — and why — the sequester affected different federal programs differently, and tells the story of how four-year-old Kentuckian Carli Hopkins got kicked out of preschool by a federal budget plan adopted because of inertia and accident.
That's the title of this piece in the New Scientist, which reveals another cause of widening economic inequality in the U.S.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued this 168-page compendium of preliminary research on the use of pre-dispute binding mandatory arbitration (BMA) clauses in consumer financial contracts. This document was released as part of CFPB's study on the use of BMA required by section 1028 of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law — the law that […]
A fascinating piece, particularly for those of us who didn't live through the struggle to pass the Fair Housing Act. As the website explains: "Where you live is important. It can dictate quality of schools and hospitals, as well as things like cancer rates, unemployment, or whether the city repairs roads in your neighborhood. On […]