DENVER, Nov. 8, 2007 — The Denver division of Centex Homes has offered to give a house to Veronica Baca, one of the original finalists in a disputed home give-away contest in Denver. In addition, the Company has offered to provide furnishings for the home and payment for all reasonable legal fees that Mrs. Baca has incurred.
UPDATE: Centex Offers New Home To Second Contest Winner
By November 8, 2007
Sprint Will Allow Departing Customers To Unlock Their Phones
By October 28, 2007
Sprint will relinquish unlock codes to departing customers in good standing as part of proposed class action settlement.The class was formed last year by California consumers who argued that the locked phones bound them to Sprint by making it more expensive to switch carriers. Sprint claimed that releasing the codes was unnecessary since the service contract clearly informed consumers that phones would only work on Sprint’s network.
Judge Rules That $19 Coupon Isn't Fair Compensation In Sharper Image Air Purifier Case
By October 15, 2007
A judge rejected a settlement that would have granted a $19 Sharper Image coupon to consumers who purchased the Ionic Breeze… and $1.8 million in fees to the lawyers.
Vonage Settles With Sprint For $80 Million
By October 9, 2007
Vonage has settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Sprint, agreeing to pay $80 million. Vonage has also struck a deal with Sprint to license their technology, a move that helped boost Vonage’s stock, according to the NYT.
Guess Who's Not Getting Anything From The TJ Maxx Settlement? You!
By September 25, 2007
Mouseprint.org has read the fine print and they say you’re probably out of luck when it comes to the TJ Maxx Settlement:
So, it is primarily shoppers who returned goods without a receipt during the relevant period who qualify for that part of the settlement. That amounts to some 455,000 people, a mere 1% of the total number possibly affected. These people have already received a direct notification of the breach from TJX, and will also be entitled to other compensation if they experienced actual losses.
Ameriquest Is Dead
By September 10, 2007
Ameriquest, the lender the epitomized everything that was f*cked up about the subprime mortgage meltdown, is dead.
$325 Million Amerquest Settlement Payout Might Average $812.15 Per Person
By July 13, 2007
If you got a mortgage through Ameriquest from 1999-2005, you may be eligible for a $325 million settlement Ameriquest reached with 49 states over their shady lending practices, which included failing to disclose that the loans had adjustable rates, failing to disclose the terms of the loan, refinancing homeowners into inappropriate loans, inflating home appraisals, and charging excessive fees such as prepayment penalties and loan origination fees. Ameriquest did not admit wrongdoing.
Not Canceling The Account Costs AOL $3 Million
By July 12, 2007
AOL has avoided what was certain to be an entertaining court battle by settling with 48 states and the District of Colombia over allegations that it made it, uh, difficult to cancel for the many customers who were fleeing to broadband.
Sample Letter For Objecting To Lame BoA Settlement
By June 28, 2007
If you’re disgusted by the pitiful compensation proposed in the Bank of America privacy violation settlement, check out Hayden’s sample letter for inspiration for registering your objection.
Proposed Settlement For BoA Selling Your Private Information: $200 Off Your Next Mortgage!
By June 27, 2007
The proposed settlement for a class action lawsuit against Bank of America that would affect everyone who has ever had a checking or savings account with them since 1995 is pathetic. In return for selling your private information without your knowledge, and depending on your account, you can get: $200 off your next mortgage with Bank of America! OR…
Some Belkin Wireless Owners May Be Entitled To Full Refunds
By June 22, 2007
If you bought one of 37 Belkin wireless products between October 13, 2002 and February 5, 2007, you may be entitled to a full refund.
Judge To RIAA: Students Must Be Allowed To Respond To John Doe Lawsuits
By June 20, 2007
The RIAA has argued that it would suffer irreparable harm unless immediate discovery was allowed, but Judge Garcia didn’t find that argument convincing. “While the Court does not dispute that infringement of a copyright results in harm, it requires a Coleridgian ‘suspension of disbelief’ to accept that the harm is irreparable, especially when monetary damages can cure any alleged violation,” wrote the judge. “On the other hand, the harm related to disclosure of confidential information in a student or faculty member’s Internet files can be equally harmful.”
Meet Sarah: She Paid $3,000 For Downloading Spice Girls Songs
By May 14, 2007
Sarah Barg is a sophomore at University of Nebraska-Lincoln who used Ares to download 381 songs, most of them 80s ballads and “Spice Girls tunes.” When she got a letter threatening legal action, she thought it was a scam. Turns out, it wasn’t. Sarah’s parents had to fork over $3,000 to keep Sarah from being sued by the RIAA.
“Technically, I’m guilty. I just think it’s ridiculous, the way they’re going about it,” Barg said. “We have to find a way to adjust our legal policy to take into account this new technology, and so far, they’re not doing a very good job.”
Just for comparison’s sake, in Nebraska the maximum fine for a first time DUI is $500. And those are really illegal.—MEGHANN MARCO
NYC Human Rights Commission Drops Charges Against Chinese Restaurant
By May 2, 2007
The case of the Wisconsin man who filed a complaint with the NYC Human Rights Commission has come to a close with the commission dropping charges against the restaurant. In the original story, David Lopez, a tourist from Wisconsin, noticed that other (Chinese speaking) customers in the restaurant were given rice with their meals, but when Lopez asked for rice with his dinner he was told that he would be charged $1 extra. “Being Hispanic, we both like rice,” said 46-year-old Lopez. “We saw other customers getting a different menu. We were told we could order from it if we spoke Chinese.” The Chinese menu had prices that were, on average, $1 cheaper per dish.
Iowa Microsoft Users Can Get Some Class Action Settlement Cash
By April 20, 2007
Under the settlement, individuals and businesses that purchased certain Microsoft software between May 18, 1994 and June 30, 2006 are eligible for benefits, as well as Iowa state and local governments that purchased software between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2006. The OSes included in the settlement range from MS-DOS all the way up through Windows NT and Windows XP, and the other applications include Word, Except, and various versions of Office.
Reclaim Unnecessary Credit Cards' Unnecessary Foreign Transaction Fees
By April 10, 2007
Several major credit card companies were successfully and recently class-actioned for charging unnecessary fees for overseas transactions.
Fen-Phen Lawyers Run Off With $126 Million of $200 Million Settlement
By March 27, 2007
W. L. Carter knew there was something fishy going on when he went to his lawyers’ office a few years ago to pick up his settlement check for the heart damage he had sustained from taking the diet drug combination fen-phen.
