Fifteen months after Minnesota-based TCF Financial revealed it could face legal action from federal regulators related to alleged unfair and deceptive overdraft practices, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finally taken legal action against the bank. [More]
lawsuits
Government Accuses Walmart Of Illegally Firing Worker With Down Syndrome
By 1.19.17
The federal government has accused Walmart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by firing an employee with Down Syndrome who could not adjust to having her schedule changed after 15 years on the job. [More]
Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Dispute Over “Scandalous” Trademarks
By 1.18.17 — Updated: 1.19.17
Should your company’s brand, slogan, or logo lose its federal trademark protection just because it’s offensive? Under current law, yes, but today the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that questions whether or not the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office should involve itself in questions of taste. [More]
Should Anti-MLM Blogger Be Allowed To Remain Anonymous, Even After Losing In Court?
By 1.17.17
Four years ago, an anonymous former Amway marketer who operates a blog critical of multi-level marketing companies published in its entirety the text of a book published by a prominent figure in the MLM industry. The publisher of that book successfully sued this unnamed blogger for copyright infringement, but the court allowed the shroud of anonymity to stay in place. Now the publisher is calling on a federal appeals court to unmask the blogger, while free speech advocates argue that there is no need to know this person’s identity. [More]
Feds Shut Down Two Massive Illegal Robocall Operations
By 1.13.17 — Updated: 1.14.17
Fighting robocalls might seem as pointless as chasing a greased pig, but occasionally you’re able to get your slick mitts on a slippery swine and hold on, if only for a moment. Today, the Federal Trade Commission managed to nab a pair of particularly large robocalling pigs, who have allegedly been violating the Do Not Call Registry for at least five years. [More]
SpongeBob Wins Legal Victory Against Planned “Krusty Krab” Restaurant
By 1.13.17 — Updated: 1.17.17
Creators of popular movies, TV shows, books, and video games are sometimes savvy enough to register unique characters and fictional places with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, but a federal court ruling in a case involving SpongeBob Squarepants shows that a fictional business need not be trademarked in order to benefit from trademark protection. [More]
Free-Standing Emergency Rooms Accused Of Duping Patients Into Paying “Facilities Fees”
By 1.13.17
The country’s largest operator of free-standing emergency rooms — urgent medical care providers that are not physically connected to any hospital — has been accused of deceiving their patients into paying fees of several thousand dollars. [More]
Supreme Court Asked To Settle Battle Over Courtroom Ban On Phones, Computers
By 1.12.17
For more than 35 years, states have been allowed to let cameras in the courtroom, but some courts have enacted full bans — not just on TV cameras and photographers but on all electronic devices, and at all times. A Michigan man thinks this is going too far, and has officially petitioned the Supreme Court to settle the matter. [More]
Arizona Planning Lawsuit Against Former Blood-Testing Company Theranos
By 1.12.17
The vision of blood-testing company Theranos would have been great for patients, doctors, and even drugstores: mini-labs right inside stores, with a whole suite of blood tests available in a small machine and results available from a few drops of blood. Only the company’s tests proved inaccurate, and Arizona, the state where its labs set up shop, is planning to sue the company. [More]
Political Pundit Can’t Sue Trump Over Tweet Saying She “Begged” For A Job
By 1.11.17
A New York state court has thrown out a libel case brought by a conservative political commentator against President-elect Donald Trump, after he referred to her on Twitter as a “dummy,” and a “major loser,” and claimed that she “begged” him for a job. [More]
Your New Stormtrooper Snuggie Comes With A Surprise: It Strips You Of Your Right To File A Lawsuit
By 1.11.17
Until the other day, Consumerist reader Jeff had completely forgotten about that cute Stormtrooper Snuggie someone gave him for Christmas. When he finally opened the box, there was the Star Wars-themed sleeved blanket, and a slip of paper giving him the bad news: He had, without doing a thing, given up his right to sue the Snuggie’s manufacturer. [More]
Is A Restriction On Credit Card Surcharges A Free Speech Violation?
By 1.10.17
When you think of First Amendment disputes, your mind probably conjures images of protestors, or investigative journalism, or maybe you think of the never-ending debate over where to draw the line between obscenity and protected forms of expression. You probably don’t immediately connect the dots between the First Amendment and a state law about credit card surcharges — but the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to decide that very issue. [More]
IMDb Not Complying With New Law Blocking It From Publishing Actors’ Ages
By 1.9.17
On Jan. 1, a new law went into effect in California that would require the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) remove information about actors’ ages and birthdays. We’re now more than a week into the new year, and the site hasn’t taken this information down — and it has no intention of doing so in the immediate future. [More]
Uber User Claims Driver Beat Him And Left Him In “Pool Of Blood On The Pavement”
By 1.6.17
Increasingly popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft continue to be dogged by allegations of bad behavior by the drivers who use these popular platforms to connect with customers. The latest incident involves an Uber driver accused of assaulting a passenger after refusing to take him to his destination. [More]
Feds Accuse D-Link Of Failing To Properly Secure Routers & Webcams
By 1.5.17
Federal regulators have accused D-Link, a manufacturer of popular networking and smart-home products, of leaving its routers and webcam devices vulnerable to hackers. [More]
Coca-Cola Accused Of Illegally Misleading Consumers About Sugary Drinks
By 1.4.17
In a new federal lawsuit, public health advocates accuse Coca-Cola and the American Beverage Association of engaging in a “pattern of deception to mislead and confuse the public” and waging an “aggressive campaign of disinformation about the health consequences of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages.” [More]
Lottery Players Want A Refund For Buying Losing Tickets To Rigged Games
By 1.4.17
The fallout of a rigged lottery scheme perpetrated by the former director of security for Des Moines-based Multi-State Lottery Association continues in the form of a lawsuit from hundreds of thousands of people who want refunds for their losing tickets. [More]
Convict Sues Verizon For $72M For Allowing Him To Commit ID Theft
By 1.4.17
A Florida man serving ten years in prison for fraud and theft is now suing Verizon Wireless, claiming the company was negligent by not preventing him from using the company’s wireless service and products to commit his his latest identity theft. [More]
