The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against payday lender Check Into Cash, but not for its short-term lending practices. Instead, the company is accused of exploiting its low-wage employees by forcing them to sign non-compete agreements that restrict their ability to find jobs elsewhere. [More]
lawsuit
GM, States Reach $120M Settlement Over Claims It Kept Ignition Switch Defect Under Wraps
By 10.19.17
Three years after General Motors recalled millions of cars that contained a ignition switch defect that was ultimately linked to more than 120 deaths, the carmaker is finally closing another chapter of the saga. The company will pay $120 million to resolve allegations that it failed to disclose the safety defect in a timely manner. [More]
Uber To Pay $20M For Allegedly Spamming People With Illegal Text Messages
By 10.10.17
More than a year after a Chicago resident filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, claiming the company violated federal law by sending unsolicited text messages to people who want nothing to do with the service, the ride-hailing company has agreed to pay $20 million to put the legal challenge behind it. [More]
Proposed Law Could Let Businesses Off The Hook For Complying With Disabilities Act
By 9.14.17
A new piece of federal legislation would delay consumers’ ability to hold businesses legally accountable for failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — a move that some critics say could allow companies to never comply with the ADA in the first place. [More]
Hotel, Gas Stations Accused Of Price-Gouging Hurricane Harvey Victims
By 9.12.17
By definition, price gouging is the act of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. It’s also just a shady thing to do, especially when it involves people already reeling from a natural disaster. To that end, Texas is suing three businesses for allegedly price gouging consumers before and after Hurricane Harvey. [More]
In-N-Out Goes To War With Smashburger Over ‘Triple Double’ Cheeseburgers
By 8.29.17
Two fast food chains with dedicated fanbases are set to square off in a courtroom over Smashburger’s new Triple Double cheeseburger, which In-N-Out Burger claims is illegally trying to copy its famous Double-Double and Triple-Triple sandwiches. [More]
Aetna Accused Of Revealing HIV Medication Use Of 12,000 Customers
By 8.28.17
Something as minor as an envelope window has landed one of the country’s largest insurance companies in legal hot water. Aetna is being sued for sending out thousands of letters that inadvertently revealed that the recipient has taken medication for the treatment or prevention of HIV. [More]
Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Alleging Zillow’s Zestimates Harm Homeowners
By 8.25.17
Zillow’s controversial “Zestimate” lives to see another day: A federal judge dismissed a three-month-old lawsuit that sought to end the real estate listing site’s practice of estimating a home’s value, claiming it wasn’t just inaccurate, it actually hurt homeowners and homebuilders. [More]
Major Student Loan Company Accused Of Overcharging, Delaying Forgiveness For Some Borrowers
By 8.23.17
A student loan servicing company that handles accounts for millions of borrowers nationwide now stands accused of preying on people in a federal program that forgives the loans of borrowers who work in public service and education jobs. [More]
Jury Awards Woman $417M In Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
By 8.21.17
Three months after a Missouri jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record-setting $110.5 million to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer linked to the company’s talcum-based products, another jury in California has dwarfed that judgment, handing down a $417 million verdict in a similar suit. [More]
Cheesecake Factory Customers Say They Were Duped Into Leaving Big Tips
By 8.11.17
Even though we all now have phones with handy calculator apps, some restaurant diners are still confounded by the math when trying to sort out the tip, particularly when splitting the bill. Many restaurants now do the math for you and print a suggested tip on the receipt, but some Cheesecake Factory customers say the popular chain is enriching itself by suggesting misleading tips on split bills. [More]
Wells Fargo Accused Of Overcharging Small Businesses
By 8.11.17
The scandals and accusations continue to mount for Wells Fargo. This time, the banking giant is being accused of overcharging small businesses to process credit card transactions. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Dunkin’ Donuts Blueberry Bakery Items Don’t Contain Actual Blueberries
By 8.8.17
A year after lovers of fruit-flavored donuts sued Krispy Kreme alleging the company’s blueberry donuts didn’t contain any real blueberries, another donut chain is facing a similar lawsuit: Customers in Chicago have filed a class-action seeking lawsuit against Dunkin’ Donuts, claiming the company’s bakery items lack any actual blueberries. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Airbnb Failed To Properly Vet Host Who Allegedly Assaulted Guest
By 8.3.17
An Airbnb guest accused the company in a new lawsuit of negligence by failing to protect her by performing a thorough background check on a host, who she claims later sexually assaulted her.
Wells Fargo Customers Sue Bank Over Alleged Insurance Scheme That Led To Vehicle Repossessions
By 7.31.17
After a recent report alleged that Wells Fargo had charged its auto loan customers for unnecessary and unwanted insurance — resulting in 25,000 repossessed vehicles — the bank now faces a lawsuit from one of those borrowers. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Lender Targeting Navajo Nation Deceived Customers On True Cost Of Tax Refund Anticipation-Like Loans
By 7.24.17
Nearly four years after tax refund anticipation loans were all but removed from tax preparation offices, similar costly financial products continue to be offered to many low-income consumers in need of a cash infusion before their tax refund actually hits the bank. This appears to be the case for a loan company accused of providing thousands of refund anticipation-like loans with hidden fees to people living in and around the Navajo Nation. [More]
Ashley Madison Breach Victims Could Receive Up To $3,500 Each
By 7.17.17
Seven months after Ashley Madison agreed to pay $1.65 million to settle federal and state probes into its lax security and deceptive practices, the company is back with another settlement that will see users whose personal information was breached when the adultery site was hacked in July 2015 recoup up to $3,500 for their troubles. [More]
Lawsuit Claims CenturyLink Continuously Offers Bogus Price Quotes
By 7.13.17
From extra, unexpected fees, Broadcast TV charges, or a completely different base price for your service of choice, it’s not uncommon to open your cable or internet bill to find the amount higher than you anticipated. One state is taking on these surprise bills by suing CenturyLink, accusing the cable and phone provider of frequently billing customers at higher rates than sales agents quoted. [More]
