What’s more likely to get you to pay a questionable debt: A notice from some debt collection company you’ve never heard of, or a letter from your state’s attorney general about that same debt? Some states allow certain private, for-profit debt collectors to use prosecutors’ letterhead in correspondence with consumers about debts, even though the American Bar Association looks down on the practice. This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court chimed in on the debate, unanimously giving its SCOTUS seal of approval, at least when it’s done with the state’s approval. [More]
lawsuits
Supreme Court OKs Private Debt Collectors’ Use Of Prosecutors’ Letterhead To Make People Pay
By 5.16.16
Lyft Agrees To $27 Million Settlement To Keep Drivers As Independent Contractors
By 5.12.16
Last month, the judge rejected a proposed settlement in a class action against ride-hailing app Lyft, saying that the $12.25 million offer was too low and didn’t account for business expansion in California since the original class action was filed. The company has now agreed on a revised settlement, pending the judge’s approval. [More]
Do Food Trucks Have A Right To Compete With Nearby Restaurants?
By 5.11.16
Cities can tell you where you can and can’t park, and they can decide which areas of town are zoned for which types of commercial uses, but can a city determine where a food truck can park based solely on the type of food it makes? [More]
Toy Company Legal Battle Shows Cabbage Patch Kids Still Prompting Fights
By 5.11.16
Long gone are the days of parents tussling it out in toy store aisles over Cabbage Patch Dolls, those squish-faced darlings of the early ’80s, but there are still people willing to duke it out in the name of the doll. This time, they’re toy companies, and they’re fighting each other in court. [More]
Pepsi, Frito-Lay Quietly Adding GMO Ingredient Labels To Some Foods
By 5.11.16
Whether or not you agree with mandatory labeling for foods containing genetically modified or genetically engineered ingredients, the Vermont law requiring this information on food sold in that state will go into effect on the first of July. Some companies — including Mars, Campbell Soup, and General Mills — have announced decisions to implement these labels nationwide, while PepsiCo appears to be quietly putting labels on its products. [More]
Court Allows Copyright Lawsuit Against Star Trek Fan Film To Move Forward
By 5.10.16
While there has been much discussion about Paramount’s copyright claim on the Klingon language, the judge in the studio’s lawsuit against the makers of a Star Trek fan fiction movie has chosen to not opine on that particular dispute while giving the go-ahead for Paramount’s larger copyright complaint to move forward. [More]
Verizon & ESPN Settle Lawsuit Over FiOS “Skinny Bundles”
By 5.10.16
More than a year after Disney-owned ESPN sued Verizon FiOS for not including the expensive sports network in the core channels of its so-called “skinny bundles” — and three months after Verizon brought ESPN back into the fold (while also reducing the number of skinny bundle options available to FiOS subscribers), the two companies have made nice and settled their lawsuit. [More]
Facebook Wins Trademark Victory Over China’s “Face Book” Beverages & Snacks
By 5.9.16
Five years ago, China’s Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks filed trademark applications for “Face Book” branded beverages and snacks, hoping to ride the wave of popularity for the social media platform even though it’s banned in the country. Today, a court in Beijing handed the real Facebook a rare victory for this sort of trademark case, revoking this use of the famous brand. [More]
Feds Shut Down Psychic Scammers Who Tricked Victims Out Of $180 Million
By 5.9.16
We first wrote about the “Maria Duval psychic mailer” scheme, which used supposedly personalized mass mailings to trick people into paying money for Duval’s otherworldly insights, more than six years ago, and the internet is full of complaints from people who lost thousands of dollars to Duval and her related businesses. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement that permanently bars Duval and others from continuing to bilk consumers out of their money with false promises of psychic guidance. [More]
Could You Get Sued For Texting Someone While They Are Driving?
By 5.6.16
However prevalent it may be, texting while driving is unsafe and, in most places, against the law. What those laws don’t address is the liability of the person on the other end of that text message. If you’re safe at home texting someone who then crashes their car, could you be held liable? It’s a possibility, according to some recent court rulings. [More]
Judge: Uber Drivers Aren’t Employees, But Passengers Can Still Sue In Sexual Assault Case
By 5.6.16
Two passengers in different states who were sexually assaulted by Uber drivers are suing the company, and the judge in this case just made an important ruling: drivers’ status as independent contractors rather than employees doesn’t mean that the company can’t be sued for sexual assaults that drivers commit against their passengers. [More]
Court: Facebook Must Face Facial-Recognition Privacy Lawsuit
By 5.6.16
Six years after Facebook launched a feature that scans uploaded photos to see if it can recognize faces and suggest people to tag, a lawsuit about the social media site’s facial-recognition tech has been given the go-ahead by a federal court. [More]
Petsitter Now Suing Couple For Up To $1 Million For Negative Yelp Review
By 5.5.16
A couple months back, we told you of the Texas couple that was being sued for a few thousand dollars by a petsitter over a negative Yelp review that allegedly violated a “non-disparagement” clause in the petsitter’s contract. That suit was quickly dropped, but a new complaint filed by the petsitting business has ramped up the allegations and the dollar amount, now seeking between $200,000 to $1 million in damages. [More]
Lawsuit Accuses Chicago-Area Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisee Of Wage Theft
By 5.5.16
When it comes to wage theft, it isn’t always so cut and dry as not paying someone what you promised them. One lawsuit out of Illinois accuses a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee with more than a dozen locations in the Chicago area of stiffing employees by forcing them to pay for cash register shortages and manipulating time sheets so as to get out of paying overtime. [More]
Court: Apple Has To Share The iPhone Name With Chinese Accessories Company
By 5.4.16
A Chinese company that peddles purses and wallets bearing the IPHONE name has the right to keep selling those products, despite Apple’s efforts to keep the trademark all for itself. [More]
Should Caller ID Spoofer Be Held Liable For Users Who Make Harassing Calls?
By 5.4.16
Spoofing phone numbers — the practice of making it appear to the caller ID system that you’re calling from a different number — is not illegal, so long as the spoofing is not done to commit fraud or otherwise perpetrate a crime. But even when the intent of the spoofing crosses the legal line, does the company providing the spoofing service bear any culpability? [More]
Can Law Enforcement Force You To Unlock Your Phone With A Fingerprint?
By 5.3.16
If you’re arrested or a suspect in a crime, the police can’t force you to remember the combination to your safe, or the passcode for your iPhone. But what if that phone can be unlocked with biometric data like a fingerprint? Does the ready access to this information give law enforcement an easy way to open secure devices, or would that be a violation of your constitutional rights? [More]
Court Rejects Twitter’s Transparency Lawsuit Against Justice Dept.
By 5.3.16
Twitter has hit a substantial roadblock in its nearly two-year legal battle against restrictions on what it can reveal to users about requests for data from federal law enforcement agencies. Yesterday, a U.S. District Court dismissed a substantial chunk of Twitter’s case, though the social media platform will be given an opportunity to try again. [More]
