If many work-from-home opportunities seem too good to be true, that’s because they probably are. And the Federal Trade Commission put an end to two companies that allegedly scammed millions of dollars from consumers by promising substantial income through home-based businesses. [More]
settlements
Justice Dept. Letting Bank Of America Squirm While CEO Asks For Mortgage-Related Settlement
By 6.20.14
Bank of America has reportedly been working out a settlement deal with the Department of Justice over its mortgage-related misdeeds. Last week, the arrangement was for a rumored $12 billion at least. But the negotiations stalled out, and the two parties haven’t talked in a week or more. Apparently, the bank is blinking first, and trying to get the Attorney General back to the table. [More]
Apple Settles E-Book Antitrust Class Action Suit; Terms Not Revealed
By 6.17.14
The saga surrounding Apple’s purported e-book price-fixing collusion ring seems to be entering its final chapter –– but not without keeping things shrouded in mystery for a little while longer. [More]
NCAA Settles With Student Athletes For A Decade Of Using Their Likenesses In Video Games Without Permission
By 6.9.14
Just last week, video game giant (and two-time Worst Company In America winner) EA agreed to settle a lawsuit with student-athletes whose likenesses it had used in NCAA sports video games without their permission. Today, lawyers representing the students announced that they’ve also reached a settlement agreement with the NCAA. Between the two cases, students who were eligibly for up to $951 each in compensation are now eligible for… roughly $1000 in compensation. [More]
Sallie Mae, Navient To Pay $97M To Settle Servicemember Student Loan Violations
By 5.13.14
Taking advantage of members of the military isn’t looked upon lightly by federal regulators. This idea was driven home today by the Depts. of Education and Justice, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., who jointly announced a sizable settlement against student loan servicers Sallie Mae and Navient for overcharging and imposing excessive fees to military members.
[More]
FTC Continues Crackdown On Companies That Make False ‘Green’ Promises About Products
By 5.5.14
Sometimes consumers make purchases based on the fact that the product is good for the environment, or at least won’t wreak havoc on it. So misleading consumers on the nature of a products natural composition is grounds for a slap on the wrist by the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
Bank Of America Could End Investigations Into Its Troubled Mortgage Investments For $20B
By 4.25.14
There’s another new chapter being written in the ongoing saga known as the financial crisis. The Justice Department is aiming to make a deal, in the area of $20 billion, with Bank of America for the company’s part in selling troubled mortgage investments. But resolution doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon. [More]
FTC Stops “Work-at-Home” Job Scammers From Working Anywhere With $55m Settlement
By 2.20.14
Some jobs really do let you work from home part or all of the time. And some jobs really do pay $50 or more per hour. Those jobs don’t come knocking on your door asking you to take them, though, and they don’t advertise openings through overly excited, unsolicited e-mails and texts. But scammers do offer those “opportunities” in spam galore–and of course, they are actually opportunities for miscreants to part consumers from their money. The FTC, however, does not take kindly to scammers using deceptive tactics to pry money out of people, and has just shut several of them down. [More]
Child Protection Advocacy Group Rejects Facebook Privacy Lawsuit Settlement, Asks Court To Reconsider
By 2.13.14
Facebook is notorious at this stage for playing fast and loose with users’ privacy. In 2013, the social sharing behemoth faced and settled a class-action lawsuit regarding its privacy practices. Today, one of the advocacy groups awarded a share of the settlement has reversed their stance, refused the payment, and is asking the court to reconsider the deal. [More]
Did Your Kid Make In-App Purchases On Your iPhone Without Asking? You Might Be Due Some Cash From Apple
By 6.24.13
A couple years back, Apple came under fire from parents and regulators after reports that kids were making in-app purchases, sometimes to the tune of four figures, on their folks’ iPhones and iPads. The company has since changed its policy to prevent children from draining their parents’ wallets in this fashion, but that didn’t stop the class-action lawsuit from the people who’d lost money before the policy change. [More]
Not Everyone Is Disappointed With De Beers Class Action Checks
By 6.12.13
Yesterday, we shared the news that people have started to receive their settlement checks from the class action lawsuit that accused diamond merchants De Beers of price-fixing. (Gasp!) The first reader we heard from, Sean, was upset that he only received $48 back on a $3,000 claim, or about 1.6%. Other readers are happier with their settlements…but, to point out the obvious here, people with larger settlements are a lot happier, and people who spent more on shiny rocks in the first place received larger checks. [More]
EA Triples Original Payouts In Settlement Of Football Games Class-Action Suit
By 4.17.13
If you bought an EA football game — Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or Arena Football — between 2005 and 2012, here’s some good news. Not only are you due a few bucks thanks to a class-action settlement with the reigning two-time Worst Company In America champ, but the dollar amount of the individual payouts to affected consumers have been tripled. [More]
UPS Hit With $40 Million Settlement In Illegal Online Pharmacy Probe
By 3.29.13
UPS may have lost to FedEx in the first round of the Worst Company In America competition, but the shipping giant is getting away relatively unscathed from a Dept. of Justice criminal probe into deliveries it made for illegal online pharmacies. [More]
Milk, Aspirin, Broadband, And LivingSocial: Some Class Actions You Might Be Eligible For
By 12.14.12
Organic milk, LivingSocial vouchers, Norton Antivirus, Verizon Wireless games, and Clearwire Internet service: what do they all have in common? All of these companies have open class-action lawsuits against them for which eligible customers can file claims and get cash. [More]
You Only Have Until Dec. 6 To Claim Portion Of $1.1 Billion LCD Price-Fixing Settlement
By 11.16.12
In the late ’90s, when most of us had TVs that weighed more than a teenager and could only dream of having a thin, widescreen TV, several manufacturers were fixing prices on the LCD screens that were about to revolutionize the industry. More than a decade later, consumers have a chance to get money back from this international criminal conspiracy. [More]
Avandia Makers Hit With Another $90 Million Settlement
By 11.15.12
Pharma biggie GlaxoSmithKline has already been slapped upside the head with a $3 billion settlement with the federal government regarding the marketing of, among others, the once-popular diabetes drug Avandia. Today, the attorneys general of 37 states rubbed a bit of salt in the wound with a $90 million settlement of their own. [More]
Sherwin-Williams, PPG Agree To Stop Lying To Consumers About ‘Zero VOC’ Paints
By 10.25.12
Many interior paints contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the form of solvents, some of which can be harmful to your health. So when a container of Dutch Boy Refresh paint proudly declares “Zero VOC,” one might reasonably think “Yay, no volatile organic compounds for me.” Well… maybe so, maybe not. [More]
Chiropractor Who Gave Skechers Such A Great Quote Is Also Married To A Skechers Staffer
By 5.16.12
As we mentioned earlier today, among the many pieces of evidence in the FTC’s $40 million settlement with Skechers over deceptive advertising for the shoe maker’s toning sneakers is one claim about a supposed “independent” clinical study undertaken by a chiropractor — who may not have been totally unbiased in his research. [More]
