PrivacyRSS

  • June 4, 2012

    Dodd-Frank Critics May Not Embrace CFPB Oversight Deal

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and federal banking regulators on Monday laid out how they will coordinate supervision of large banks and credit unions under Dodd-Frank reforms, but the agreement may not go far enough to ease industry concerns that they will be in for a severe increase in oversight. 

  • June 4, 2012

    Software Helps Insurers Lowball Claims, Report Says

    The Consumer Federation of America released a report Monday detailing how insurance companies can easily manipulate computer programs to underpay injury claims by millions of dollars, calling on regulators to probe potential abuses.

  • June 4, 2012

    Amazon Gets Cookie Privacy Suit Booted For Good

    A federal judge in Washington state dismissed with prejudice a putative class action Thursday against Amazon.com Inc. over its use of Internet cookies to gather users’ personal information without their permission, sinking a final attempt by plaintiffs to put a dollar amount on their privacy.

  • June 4, 2012

    Ikea Pushes For Narrower Class In ZIP Code Suit

    Ikea USA West Inc. on Friday urged a California federal court to narrow a certified class of all consumers whose ZIP codes were collected by the company, a request that could affect future classes under the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act.

  • June 4, 2012

    Bankers Urge 3rd Circ. To Limit Mortgage Rescission Suits

    Three groups representing mortgage lenders urged the Third Circuit on Friday to enforce a three-year statute of limitations on lawsuits brought against mortgage lenders for failing to recognize loan agreements as null, arguing the statute prevents the industry from being burdened with endless litigation.

  • June 4, 2012

    Comcast, Time Warner Stash Ex-Customer Info, 2 Suits Say

    A pair of nearly identical proposed class actions filed Thursday against Time Warner Cable Inc. and Comcast Cable Communications Inc. in California accuse the cable providers of illegally retaining customers’ personal information long after their subscriptions were canceled.

  • June 4, 2012

    Ex-Paul Hastings Atty's Firm DQ'd From Avon Class Action

    A California federal judge on Friday disqualified all plaintiffs' attorneys in a proposed false advertising class action against Avon Products Inc., ruling one of them had learned too much inside information while defending Avon as a partner at Paul Hastings LLP.

  • June 4, 2012

    Hilton Pulls Plug On 1-800-HAMPTON Privacy Class Action

    A California federal judge on Monday threw out a class action accusing Hilton Worldwide Inc. of violating state privacy laws by recording phone calls to 1-800-HAMPTON, saying customers could not reasonably believe their hotel reservation calls wouldn’t be overheard or recorded.

  • June 1, 2012

    US Pushes 9th Circ. To Allow GPS Tracking Despite Jones

    The federal government urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to uphold its right to track suspects’ vehicles using GPS technology without a warrant, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the surveillance technique.

  • June 1, 2012

    Microsoft 1st To Unveil Default Do-Not-Track Browser

    The next version of Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Explorer will become the first Web browser to block online tracking by default, the company announced Thursday, in a move that attempts to answer the Federal Trade Commission’s call to strengthen consumer protection in that space.

  • June 1, 2012

    Express Scripts, Walgreens End Contract, False Ad Fight

    Walgreen Co. and Express Scripts Inc. on Friday ended their legal battle over Walgreens' alleged false advertising during their stalled negotiations for the renewal of a multibillion-dollar pharmacy provider contract, saying they may still be able to reach an agreement.

  • June 1, 2012

    Financial Industry Backs House Cybersecurity Bill

    The financial services industry on Friday threw its support behind a controversial U.S. House of Representatives bill that backers say would encourage the government and private companies to share information on cyberthreats, including the sharing of private customer identification.

  • June 1, 2012

    Cuomo Signs Bill To Tighten Mortgage Licensing Loophole

    Unscrupulous mortgage lenders exploiting a banking law loophole to make unlicensed, unregulated home loans to vulnerable borrowers are the targets of a measure signed into law Friday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

  • June 1, 2012

    Ferrellgas Pays $32M To Extinguish Gas Tank Class Action

    A Missouri federal judge on Thursday gave final approval to a $32.3 million class action payout by Ferrellgas Partners LP to resolve claims that the company misled customers about its prefilled propane gas tanks.

  • June 1, 2012

    OCC Underestimated Robosigning Risk, Watchdog Says

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's internal watchdog on Thursday said that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's failure to monitor documentation practices at mortgage servicers helped contribute to the robosigning of documents and worsened the foreclosure crisis.

  • June 1, 2012

    Sirius XM Gets Robocall Claims Moved To Arbitration

    Sirius XM Radio Inc. on Thursday beat a putative class action accusing it of violating federal consumer protection law by making unsolicited calls to customers’ cellphones, with a California federal judge ruling the company’s service agreement requires arbitration.

  • June 1, 2012

    Jamba Says Man Can't Sue Over Smoothie Kits He Didn't Buy

    Jamba Juice Co. urged a California federal judge Thursday to trim a consumer class action over do-it-yourself smoothie kits containing purportedly synthetic ingredients, saying its "all natural" label doesn’t violate a federal warranty law and the plaintiff never even bought three of five flavors at issue.

  • June 1, 2012

    Palm, Sprint Settlement Over Phone Data Loss OK'd At Last

    Sprint Spectrum LP and Hewlett-Packard Co.-owned Palm Inc. finally received approval Thursday in California for a $640,000 settlement resolving claims in a proposed class action alleging the cellphone companies violated contracts and caused customers to suffer "catastrophic data loss.”

  • June 1, 2012

    'Shape Up' Maker Tells 5th Circ. Chubb Owes Coverage

    CSA Nutraceuticals GP LLC told the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday that Chubb Custom Insurance Co. was obligated to provide $20 million in coverage in a settled class action alleging CSA's Shape Up nutritional supplements didn't help consumers lose weight as advertised.

  • May 31, 2012

    Slimness Of Bloomberg Soda Ban Could Doom Legal Claims

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on large, sugary drinks is likely to survive any legal onslaught, experts said Thursday, with the billionaire mayor having learned from past legal challenges in the public health arena to craft a narrow regulation that will prove difficult to defeat.