In April 2014 nearly 11 million people in seven states lost access to emergency services when a software programming error resulted a six-hour long 911 outage. The Federal Communications Commission determined in October that the lengthy outage could have easily been prevented, and today the agency began placing the blame by fining Verizon $3.4 million for failing to alert authorities. [More]
settlements
Lawsuit That Brought GM Ignition Switch Defect To Light Settled For Second Time
By 3.13.15
The lawsuit filed by the family of a Georgia woman who died in a 2010 car accident that spurred the recall of 2.5 million General Motors vehicles with faulty ignition switches has been settled out of court. [More]
Citigroup Forgot To Compensate 23,000 Consumers For Abusive Foreclosure Practices, Sending Checks Now
By 3.4.15
Several years ago, Citigroup reached a deal with federal regulators that required the company to provide compensation for nearly 380,000 people affected by foreclosure abuse. Only the lender didn’t exactly follow through, failing to send checks to 23,000 consumers. [More]
Bank Of America To Pay $155K To Settle Claim It Discriminated Against Hearing-Impaired Customer
By 3.3.15
Financial institutions have a somewhat checkered past when it comes to accommodating consumers with hearing disabilities. There was Citibank’s demand that a hearing-impaired customer call them to clear up a suspicious transaction only to be hung up on repeatedly or there was the Chase rep that didn’t think deaf people could have credit cards. Now this week, Bank of America agreed to settle allegations it denied a loan modification after ignoring a customer’s request that the bank email her rather than force her to talk on the phone. [More]
Online Payday Lending Companies To Pay $21 Million To Settle Deception Charges, Must Waive $285M In Loans
By 1.16.15
It’s no secret that payday lending companies charge high interest rates and a butt-load of fees for their small dollar, short-term loans. Payday lending companies break federal laws by not being upfront about the often highly inflated fees they charge. The FTC today jumped in to block two online payday lending companies from preying on consumers with the highest fine ever levied against a payday lender. [More]
T-Mobile, AT&T Customers Can Now Request Their $170M In Refunds From Cramming Settlements
By 12.30.14
Earlier this year, AT&T and T-Mobile both reached major settlements with federal regulators over the illegal practice of cramming: third-party charges snuck onto wireless customers’ bills without their authorization. Combined, the two settlements will put about $170 million back in consumers’ pockets. But in order to get money back, consumers first have to ask for it. [More]
T-Mobile Agrees To Pay $112.5M To Settle FTC Mobile-Cramming Lawsuit
By 12.19.14
Rounding out a week punctuated by new accusations of mobile carriers overcharging consumers using a practice known as “bill-cramming,” one past lawsuit is being put to rest. T-Mobile agreed today to shell-out at least $112.5 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that the “Un-carrier” tacked-on unwanted third-party charges to customer’s bills. [More]
FTC Takes First Action Against Patent Trolls For Deceptive Sales, Phony Legal Threats
By 11.6.14
For the first time in its history, the Federal Trade Commission has brought action against a patent assertion company that allegedly used nefarious tactics in trying to pry money from other companies accused of violating patents it owned. [More]
NBCUniversal Set To Pay $6.4M In Settlement With Unpaid Interns
By 10.24.14
Unpaid internships in the entertainment industry often offer Hollywood hopefuls a glimpse behind the curtain and a foot in the door. But the hours are long and the compensation is nonexistent. Those qualities apparently didn’t sit well with a group of former NBCUniversal interns and now the company is prepared to settle their class action lawsuit for $6.4 million. [More]
Family Of Girl Burned By Hot Coffee At Denny’s Lands Reported $500,000 Settlement
By 10.24.14
Usually when you hear about a lawsuit involving hot coffee, the normal reaction is, “Well, yeah, coffee is hot, you should be careful when drinking it, silly consumer.” But in the case of a 14-month-old girl who was scalded at a Denny’s, her family said it was the server’s fault for putting the hot beverage close enough for the toddler to grab it. As such, they’ve settled with a New York Denny’s to the tune of $500,000. [More]
Flood Of Red Bull Drinkers Seems To Have Overwhelmed Settlement Claim Site
By 10.9.14
When the Internet read yesterday that anyone who bought a Red Bull in the last 12 years was eligible for a refund or complimentary beverage as part of a false advertising lawsuit settlement, apparently too many people were thirsty. The original URL given to file a claim and read more information about the settlement no longer works. [More]
Bought A Red Bull In The Last 12 Years? Here’s How To Claim Your Piece Of The $13M Settlement
By 10.8.14
UPDATE 10/9: The link for the Red Bull settlement is apparently no longer working, after reports that a surge in traffic might’ve crashed the site. It seems you can still get to a claim form here. [More]
Red Bull Will Pay $13 Million To Settle False Advertising Lawsuit
By 10.6.14
Because you can’t believe every cartoon that says drinking a can of energy drink will cause you to suddenly sprout wings and float into the sky, Red Bull has agreed to pay more than $13 million to settle a lawsuit that was seeking class-action status to settle claims of false advertising. [More]
Report: Airlines Settle $6M Lawsuit Over Death Of Obese Woman Kept From Flying
By 9.8.14
Three airlines have settled a $6 million lawsuit brought by the husband of a woman who was stranded in Hungary when Delta, KLM Royal Dutch and Lufthansa said she was too fat to fly. The 407-pound woman had diabetes and kidney disease, and passed away nine days after trying to return to her the United States to seek treatment from her doctors. [More]
Bank Of America Settlement Could Be Worth As Much As $17 Billion
By 8.6.14
Earlier this summer, when it looked like Bank of America and the Justice Dept. were reported to be on the brink of a settlement that would close the books on multiple cases involving the bank’s mishandling of toxic home loans in the run-up to the collapse of the housing market, it looked like BofA would be on the hook for around $12 billion. But now comes news that the deal could hit the bank for anywhere from $16-17 billion. [More]
Insurance Company Pays Man $21,000 With Buckets Of Loose Change
By 8.6.14
Money is money — but it’s a whole lot easier to receive a bunch of it with a check or even cash, than entirely in loose change. That’s how one California man said an insurance company paid him $21,000 in a legal settlement, dropping off more than 16 five-gallon buckets filled with coins. [More]
Hewlett Packard To Pay $32.5M To Settle Allegations Of Overcharging USPS
By 8.1.14
Breaking a promise and overcharging for products is a pretty shady deal to begin with, but when the company you’re taking money from is the already financially-strapped U.S. Postal Service, it’s like rubbing salt in the wound. Hewlett Packard has agreed to pay $32.5 million to settle allegations that it overcharged the USPS for nine years. [More]
Reverse Mortgage Company Caught Mailing Deceptive Info To Seniors
By 6.30.14
Even under the best of circumstances, choosing to take out a reverse mortgage is a difficult and often costly decision for many senior citizens and their families. But when you throw in a number of half-truths and marketing materials designed to mislead consumers into thinking they are taking part in a government-run program, well, that’s just wrong. And the state of New York won’t stand for it as one company recent found out. [More]
