Capital One is not quite “No Hassle” according to federal charges that the credit card company violated consumer protection requirements. Capital One will pay $210 million to settle charges raised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The majority of that money will go to consumers but $60 million will be paid out in fines. This if the CFPB’s first enforcement action since the federal agency was created about a year ago....
We’ve all heard the phrase “worst case scenario,” and we’ve probably often conjured up such scenarios. Power going out during the big game. Breaking down on a desert highway in the middle of nowhere. The toilet exploding when you flush it. Wait, what? According to Flushmate, its II 501-B pressure-assisted flushing systems have a flaw. And that flaw involves bursting at the weld seam and releasing high pressure, enough to lift the tank lid and shatter the tank....
A gay waitress in New Jersey recently made national headlines for being denied a tip because of her sexual orientation. But now, it seems she actually may have perpetrated a tip hoax that spun out of control. Dayna Morales’ allegations initially brought an outpouring of sympathy and donations. But with news of the hoax, Morales has since lost her job and is now returning the donations. Is legal liability to follow?...
A handyman trying to settle a payment dispute ended up being held hostage in Morgan Hill, California. The handyman arrived at the home of Jason DeJesus and Chanelle Troedson on Monday morning, presumably to talk about a dispute over past work he’d done. The man had previously worked on repairs for DeJesus’ mother, and not been paid in full. But that morning the pair beat him, threatened his life, and forced the handyman to make repairs around the house....
As has been widely reported, Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd has announced that will be stepping down from his senate seat at the end of this year and will not be seeking reelection. As the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and currently at work on a controversial and difficult “overhaul” of financial regulations in response to the 2008 Wall Street disintegration, will the Senator’s retirement effect the outcome of the senate banking bill?...
Human trafficking is a worldwide problem, but many Americans may not be aware of the kind of human trafficking that occurs within our own borders. One of the latest headline-grabbing cases involved a former Indian diplomat accused of confiscating her maid’s passport and forcing her to work 100-hour, seven-day weeks at the diplomat’s home in New York, according to a federal grand jury indictment. On Thursday, the ex-diplomat was “effectively expelled from the United States … as part of a deal in which she was granted diplomatic immunity from the charges,” Reuters reports....
Often, this blog reports on recalls issued by the various government agencies tasked with protecting consumers from dangerous products (or by product makers kindly requested to do so by those government agencies). However, due to an April 13 article from Consumer Reports, issuing an unusual “don’t buy” warning on the 2010 Lexus GX 460, Toyota itself has suspended sales of the car. According to The New York Times, the Lexus division of Toyota halted sales just hours after the Consumer Reports article was made public....
A North Dakota farmer will be spending six months in jail thanks to surveillance by a domestic Predator drone. Rodney Brossart was arrested in 2011 for refusing to return cows to his neighbor’s property and for allegedly “terrorizing” police officers who tried to arrest him, according to U.S. News and World Report. During the standoff, the local SWAT team borrowed a Predator drone from the Department of Homeland Security to locate Brossart and his three armed sons....
Gun rights advocates continue to celebrate. The main issue was whether Cleveland’s more restrictive gun laws can be overridden by Ohio’s less restrictive gun laws. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Ohio State Supreme Court ruled that the statewide gun laws were needed in order to spare gun owners from “a confusing patchwork of licensing requirements, possession restrictions and criminal penalties as they travel from one jurisdiction to another.”...
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to step in and take on the controversial Arizona voter ID law that would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. As you may know, Arizona has been a hotbed for immigration issues. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld the state’s law on immigration status checks by police, but struck down rules in the state’s measure that would ban illegal immigrants from soliciting work in public places, reports Reuters....
As Cinco de Mayo approaches, it may be a good time to review one of the “No. 1” complaints associated with drinking holidays is: public urination. It’s a common complaint, made worse by a lack of public restrooms and exacerbated by holidays like this weekend’s Cinco de Mayo, which many use as an excuse to get drunk. (Of course, the holiday actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862. But you probably already knew that....
“Raging Bull” may have been Martin Scorsese’s best work. The classic boxing biopic featured a young Robert DeNiro portraying the rise and fall of boxer Jake LaMotta. “Raging Bull 2” is just a horrible sequel that is so bad that it threatens to ruin the original classic, claims Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the producers of the first movie. The giant Hollywood studio has now brought a lawsuit against the “Raging Bull 2” producers and boxer Jake LaMotta to shut the movie down....
The American Civil Liberties Union announced it is filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 10 U.S. citizens who claim their electronic devices were either searched or seized at the border, all without a warrant. “The border should not serve as a dragnet for law enforcement to pry into our personal and professional lives,” the ACLU said in a statement. “None of our clients have been accused of any wrongdoing, nor have they been given any valid explanation for why this happened to them....
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s former personal physician, was charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles criminal court today for the pop star’s death. You can read Murray’s criminal charges here: You can view Murray’s current physician registration status in Nevada here: Dr. Conrad Murray Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter of Michael Jackson, FindLaw (Feb. 8, 2010) Jackson Doctor Charged in Singer’s Death, Reuters (Feb. 8, 2010) The Drugs that Caused Michael Jackson’s Death, Reuters (Feb....
Former Miss Delaware Amanda Longacre is suing state and national scholarship pageant associations for telling her she was too old to maintain her title. And by old, Longacre means that she is 24. Miss America pageant rules state that “contestants must be 17 to 24 years old,” and Longacre, who is gunning for the Miss America crown, will turn 25 in October. The News Journal reports that not only is Longacre suing to reclaim her crown, titles, and scholarships, but she is part of a $3 million suit that includes other contestants who were certified by the pageants and then disqualified....
If you’re convicted of a DUI, house arrest may be a possible punishment. But how does it work, exactly? Being busted for a DUI doesn’t always mean jail. In many cases, especially for first-time offenders, prosecutors will offer a plea bargain, allowing defendants to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence. Some courts may require DUI house arrest – spending time confined in your home – as an alternative to jail time....
Michael Slager, the white former police officer who gunned down Walter Scott, an unarmed black man running away from Slager, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today after he pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges. Slager had been charged with murder by the state of South Carolina, and a judge ultimately ruled that he committed second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Slager had claimed Scott wrestled his stun gun away from him, and that he was forced to use his firearm in self defense....
At a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing today, safety inspectors for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) testified that safety violations were repeatedly ignored by agency superiors. According to the New York Times, the inspectors stated that “F.A.A. supervisors knew of the problems but had discouraged [the inspectors] from pursuing the safety problems or addressing problems within the agency, even threatening to relieve them of their duties.” The Los Angeles Times reports that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman accused the FAA of “the most serious lapse in safety ....
A new “house stealing” scam – combining the crimes of identity theft and mortgage fraud – is victimizing homeowners, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns. In a typical “house stealing” scam, a con artist: 1) chooses a house, whether a year-round residence or vacation home, 2) steals the homeowner’s identity by obtaining their personal information and creating fake identification documents, and 3) obtains property transfer forms and transfers the house deed into their name by forging signatures and using the fake ID documents....
How better to celebrate Mother’s Day than by recognizing those institutions of American motherhood that are MTV’s “Teen Mom” and its same-yet-different spin-offs “Teen Mom 2” and “Teen Mom 3”? Among the valuable life lessons taught by the shows and their assortment of real-life teen mom stars, there have certainly been several that have involved the law. Everyone has bad days, even moms – but let’s hope this Sunday isn’t one of them....
