PrivacyRSS

  • May 25, 2012

    Wal-Mart Withholds Background Check Info, Suit Says

    Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was on Thursday sued in New Jersey federal court by a proposed class of potential workers who allege the retail giant violated consumer protection law by failing to properly disclose information related to the criminal background checks it runs on job applicants.

  • May 25, 2012

    Reach Of High Court's GPS Ruling Expanded In Ky. Drug Bust

    A Kentucky federal judge overseeing a criminal drug case recently excluded critical evidence that police collected after attaching a GPS device to the defendant's vehicle without a warrant, extending the reach of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision deeming such surveillance unconstitutional.

  • May 25, 2012

    3rd Circ. Snubs Appeal in Arizona 'All Natural' Drink Suit

    The Third Circuit on Thursday blocked a move to appeal a New Jersey federal judge's order denying certification to a class of consumers seeking to stop Arizona Beverage Co. and others from touting that nearly 30 Arizona brand beverages are "all natural."

  • May 24, 2012

    CFPB Lays Out Rules For Extending Reach Beyond Banks

    The federal government's consumer finance watchdog on Thursday described how it plans to bring nonbank companies offering potentially risky financial products under its regulatory umbrella, putting retailers, prepaid card operators and others on notice that they could be subject to additional scrutiny.

  • May 24, 2012

    Pom Strikes Back With Ad Campaign In FTC Health Claim Row

    Pom Wonderful LLC said Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission had publicly “oversimplified” a judge's ruling on whether the juice maker's advertising claims had been misleading, and said it was launching a major ad campaign to show it.

  • May 24, 2012

    RealNetworks Pays $2.4M To End 'Deceptive' Free Trial Suit

    RealNetworks Inc. agreed Thursday to pay $2.4 million to settle a suit brought by the state of Washington that alleged the digital media company duped consumers into paying for subscriptions to premium services after they agreed to a free trial.

  • May 24, 2012

    High Court Refuses To Expand RESPA In Mortgage Fee Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to broaden the scope of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act to allow a potential class of mortgage borrowers to recover allegedly unearned closing fees that Quicken Loans Inc. collected but didn't share with another party.

  • May 24, 2012

    Judge Refuses To Let Insurer Exit FTC Health Marketing Suit

    A federal judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss claims made by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Co. and executives from health care nonprofit Consumer Health Benefits Association for deceptive marketing of a medical discount plan.

  • May 24, 2012

    Fast-Food Chains Back Debit Card Fee Rule Challenge

    A coalition of national fast-food and convenience store chains including Burger King Corp. and 7-Eleven Inc. on Tuesday threw its support behind retailers challenging the level at which the Federal Reserve has set debit card transaction fees as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.

  • May 23, 2012

    Australian Parliament Takes Up Privacy Act Reforms

    The Australian government on Wednesday unveiled long-anticipated reforms to the country's Privacy Act that would give consumers greater control over their personal information, modernize credit reporting arrangements and strengthen the privacy commissioner's enforcement powers.

  • May 23, 2012

    Crate & Barrel Hammers Out Deal Ending ZIP Code Suits

    Crate & Barrel has tentatively resolved seven proposed class actions over its collection of customers' ZIP codes and a related coverage dispute with Hartford Fire Insurance Co. in Illinois federal court.

  • May 23, 2012

    FCC Considers Beefing Up New Anti-Cramming Rule

    The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed strengthening its recently approved rule to shield consumers from unauthorized third-party charges on landline phones by adding an opt-in mechanism and expanding this rule to cover cellphone and Internet service providers.

  • May 23, 2012

    NJ Panel Advances Bill Speeding Class Cert. Appeals

    A New Jersey Assembly panel on Monday approved legislation that would give adversaries in class action litigation the right to immediately appeal decisions granting or denying class certification.

  • May 23, 2012

    White House Orders Gov't Agencies To Take Data Mobile

    The White House on Wednesday ordered all major federal agencies to jump on the mobile Internet bandwagon within the next year, and wants to pull in private-sector help in order to make that happen.

  • May 23, 2012

    Sony Ends PSN Data Breach Coverage Fight In Calif.

    Sony Corp. said Monday that it will drop a California suit seeking coverage for a slew of lawsuits it faces after hackers plundered its PlayStation Network for customer information, and will instead litigate the issues in a New York suit brought by one of its insurers.

  • May 23, 2012

    3rd Circ. OKs Wal-Mart’s Appeal Of Cert. For Warranty Class

    The Third Circuit gave Wal-Mart Stores Inc. a green light Wednesday to challenge the certification of a class of consumers who were allegedly sold worthless extended warranties for ineligible “as-is” merchandise, despite the plaintiff's insistence that the lower court's analysis was sound.

  • May 23, 2012

    CFPB Eyes Regulation For Prepaid Cards

    The federal government's consumer finance watchdog on Wednesday said that it was considering new rules that would increase disclosure of fees on a popular type of prepaid card and require protections similar to those of checking accounts for the products.

  • May 23, 2012

    Dexatrim Maker Says Suit Doesn't Show Harm From Carcinogen

    Drugmaker Chattem Inc. asked a California federal judge Monday to toss a proposed class action accusing it of concealing the presence of a carcinogen in its Dexatrim weight loss capsules, saying the consumer doesn’t argue she was harmed by the supplement.

  • May 23, 2012

    Electronic Banking Data Bill OK'd By NY Senate Panel

    A bill to streamline how New York-regulated banks preserve electronic records got a nod from a Republican-controlled Senate panel Wednesday, despite consumer protection concerns, as lawmakers sought to make it easier for financial companies to comply with record-keeping rules.

  • May 23, 2012

    Ill. Legislature Bans Employer Access To Facebook Passwords

    The Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to prevent employers from demanding Facebook and other social networking website passwords from their workers or job applicants, sending the proposed measure to the governor for final approval.