A man in Mission Viejo, California, says when he began eating his french onion soup over Easter brunch at the restaurant Claim Jumper, he bit into something rubbery. He “spit out the piece of cheese only to discover he had been chewing on what his wife claimed was a condom.”
lawsuits
Babies R Us Accused Of Price Fixing
By 7.22.09
If you feel like had to pay too much for baby supplies this past decade, look to Babies R Us. Time reports that last week, “the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia granted class-action status to a complaint that Babies ‘R’ Us coerced manufacturers of high-end strollers, car seats, high chairs, strap carriers and breast pumps into preventing Internet retailers from discounting their products.”
Another Arbitration Firm Pulls Out Of Credit Card Arbitration
By 7.22.09
Just days after the National Arbitration Forum agreed to stop arbitrating consumer credit card disputes, the American Arbitration Association has decided to do the same. This is good, but passage of the Arbitration Fairness Act is still necessary.
National Arbitration Forum Exits Credit Card Dispute Business
By 7.20.09
Score one for the consumer over unfair arbitration. Just last week, Minnesota’s Attorney General sued the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) for fraud, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices—and now the company has agreed to pull out of the credit card business entirely. According to the settlement reached on July 17th, “The only business NAF can now be involved with is in arbitrating Internet domain disputes, a business it has long been in.”
Judge Greenlights Class Action Against DirecTV
By 7.16.09
A California Superior Court judge has just been given the go ahead to a class action lawsuit against DirecTV over their practice of charging early termination fees.
Minnesota Attorney General Punches National Arbitration Forum In The Face
By 7.14.09
Minnesota has filed a lawsuit against the National Arbitration Forum, alleging fraud, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices.
Emailfinder.com Sells Wrong Info, Now Woman Has To Show Up In Small Claims Court
By 7.14.09
Some guy in London fell for an online iPhone scam in January, so he paid $150 to emailfinder.com to track down the identity behind the Hotmail account of the person who scammed him. Now he’s suing Kim, who is completely unrelated to this story (or was, at least), for $4,368 to cover the $1200 he lost on the iPhone scam plus travel expenses for him to show up in small claims court here in the U.S.
By 7.7.09
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Pez Candy is suing the Pez musuem in Burlingame, CA for copyright infringement. The museum has a 7-foot-tall Pez dispenser that they want destroyed. Maybe Pez should make a new candy flavor called “Copyright Overkill” that tastes like all the joy has been removed. [Laughing Squid] (Thanks to sizer!) (Photo: Hryck.)
Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
By 7.7.09
If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement.
Want NFL Network, Comcasters? That'll Still Be An Extra $60 (Or $200) A Year
By 7.6.09
Comcast-subscribing NFL fans did the Ickey Shuffle back in May when the NFL Network and Comcast revealed that they’d made nice and the channel would made available to Comcasters on the “Digital Classic” package for no additional charge Aug. 1.
ASCAP Wants Royalties On Ringtones
By 7.3.09
Not content to let the RIAA get all the recent publicity for stupid lawsuits, ASCAP has sued AT&T over sales of ringtones, saying each time a ringtone plays it’s a public performance and royalties should be paid. Luckily (?) for consumers, ASCAP wants AT&T, not individuals, to pay—although we wonder what they’ll say when you take a track from your own library and make a ringtone out of it.
Have You Received Your Dell Multi-State Settlement Check Yet?
By 6.29.09
Did you file a claim form in the Dell multi-state settlement earlier this year? Have you received your check yet? According to the FAQ posted by the attorneys general of states participating in the suit, Monday, June 22 was the deadline for Dell to mail checks to consumers.
Walmart Greeter Who Was Attacked During Receipt Check Gets $20,000 Settlement
By 6.26.09
Remember the Walmart greeter who was attacked by a police officer when he tried to check the cop’s receipt? His lawsuit has been settled for $20,000.
Acai Berry Drink Company Agrees To Give $350k Back To Bilked Customers
By 6.26.09
One of the acai berry’s most miraculous powers is its ability to filch hundreds of dollars from consumers who are seeking new ways to lose weight and live forever. Now one company known for marketing an acai elixir has settled a lawsuit from the Arizona Attorney General over charges of deceptive practices.
Traveler Detained For Carrying "Too Much" Cash Sues TSA
By 6.22.09
Back in March, Steve Bierfeldt was pulled aside while going through the security line at Lambert-St. Louis (Missouri) International Airport, taken to a room, and questioned for half an hour about the box of cash he was trying to check through. Bierfeldt, who works for a Ron Paul organization, recorded the conversation. Now with the help of the ACLU he’s suing the TSA.
Thomas Kinkade, Painter Of Crap, Must Pay $2.1 Million To Former Gallery Owners
By 6.19.09
Thomas Kinkade calls himself the “Painter of Light,” and allegedly uses his “faith” to lure in investors to his gallery business. Now two former gallery owners have won a judgment from Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that forces Kinkade to abide by a 2007 arbitration decision that awarded the former owners $860,000 in damages and more than $1.2 million in attorneys’ fees and arbitration expenses. Ouchy.
Good Day For Bad Guys: Court Says 'Pirate' Jammie Thomas-Rasset Must Pay RIAA $1.92 Mill
By 6.19.09
The long, sad saga of lawsuit-bedeviled MP3-ripper Jammie Thomas-Rasset reached a harrowing twist Thursday when Minneapolis federal court found her guilty of willful copyright infringement for sharing more than 1,700 songs. The judge says she owes the RIAA $1.92 million.
Zicam Didn't Share 800 Reports Of Smell Loss With The FDA
By 6.18.09
The Wall Street Journal says that Matrixx, the manufacturer of the allegedly smell-destroying cold remedy Zicam, is defending their product, but also admits that they didn’t share 800 reports of smell loss with the FDA. Despite this, they described the FDA’s warning about Zicam as a “complete surprise.”
