Consumers

CALL 6: Class Action Settlement Reached in Stinky, Moldy Washers Case

If you own a Whirlpool, Kenmore or Maytag front-loading washing machine manufactured between 2001 and 2010, you may be eligible for up to $500 in cash or a voucher toward a new washer as part of a class action settlement. Call 6 Investigates exposed odor, mold and other defects with front loading washing machines back in 2013. The court has not yet approved the settlement, but a …


Amazon Issues Credits in E-Book Settlement

In November 2014, a federal court approved a Settlement of antitrust lawsuits brought against Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) by State Attorneys General and Class Plaintiffs about the price of electronic books (“eBooks”). Those settlements resulted in credits for qualifying Kindle books purchased between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. These credits are funded by Apple. …


VW Said to Pay Diesel Owners Up to $7,000, Fund Clean-Air Grants

Volkswagen AG will pay owners of its polluting diesel cars up to $7,000, and agree to fund a grant program to offset air pollution, under a $10 billion settlement being negotiated for submission to a federal judge next week, people familiar with the talks said. VW will provide cash payments worth between $1,000 and $7,000, depending on the vehicle’s age and other factors, to compensate …


Banks Fight Rule on Class-Action Suits

Banks keep saying over and over that arbitration proceedings, as opposed to class-action lawsuits, are the best way for consumers to handle disputes. Yet faced with the prospect of no longer being able to deny consumers the right to sue them, the banking industry is expected to take the deliciously ironic step of suing the federal government. At issue is a proposed rule from the Consumer …


State AG Files Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson for Surgical Mesh

Updated: May 24, 2016 – 10:52 AM State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced a consumer protection lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson regarding its marketing of a surgical mesh used to treat pelvic floor conditions in women. The AG’s office says a result, thousands of Washington women face urinary and defecatory dysfunction, loss of sexual function, chronic inflammation, chronic pain and …


Go Paks Suit Latest in Consumer Pushback Over Packaging

A class action lawsuit against food and beverage company Mondelez International claiming some of its packaging contains non-functional slack fill is just the latest example of customers suing over what they see as deceptive marketing, a consumer advocate says. “We have seen great number of cases being brought in regard to non-functional slack fill,” Bonnie Patten, …


Strange Praises SCOTUS Decision Limiting Lawsuits

Attorney General Luther Strange recently hailed a U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying that persons filing lawsuits must be able to prove actual harm. The ruling serves to place limits on costly class action lawsuits based on technical violations of the law in which persons have suffered no actual damage. On May 16, the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 in favor of the on-line company …



No More Mandatory Arbitration for Consumer Financial Products?

CFPB Proposal Would Effectively Eliminate Most Pre-Dispute Consumer Arbitrations To no one’s surprise, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rules on May 5, 2016 that will effectively, if promulgated as expected, eliminate most pre-dispute arbitrations arising out of the sale of consumer financial products. As detailed below, the proposed rules would, among other things: (1) …


CFPB’s Rule to Limit Arbitration Opens Door to Class Action Against Banks

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking comment on a new proposed regulation that would prohibit mandatory arbitration clauses that deny groups of consumers their day in court, putting into motion discussions that started toward the end of last year. Arbitration clauses generally require that if there’s a dispute, parties must first try to resolve the issue through an arbitration …