Trial lawyers are up in arms over a Republican proposal to reign in class-action lawsuit abuses. But their objections stem more from concern over their own bank statements than the well being of their clients. Class-action suits allow a plaintiff to bring legal action on behalf of a large group of individuals.
In an appeal involving the settlement of four separate class actions under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by electing to use the “percentage-of-the-benefit” method to calculate class counsel’s fee award, as opposed to the “lodestar” method. The Eighth Circuit …
Trump administration spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway recently defended false statements about inauguration crowd size as “alternative facts,” provoking a great kerfuffle. But in the class-action world, trial lawyers have been making millions on alternative facts for decades. And, astonishingly, courts disagree over whether it’s permissible for lawyers to use alternative facts to …
While jury duty is a civic responsibility, it can sometimes be an expensive inconvenience: A new lawsuit says jurors in D.C.’s Superior Court face exorbitant fees charged by a bank that deprives them of the maximum payment of $34 per day. Attorneys for William Mark Scott, a lawyer himself, have filed a class action suit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. in D.C. federal court for unjust …
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide as early as next week whether to hear the appeal of a Sixth Circuit decision upholding a class-action settlement that distributed only $1.6 million to consumers but yielded $2.4 million for the attorneys who represented them. Objectors and the attorneys general of 17 states urge the court to take the case and hand down tighter rules on how lower courts consider the value of a settlement for calculating legal fees. …
Federal consumer finance regulators said Thursday they were suing TCF Financial Corp., alleging the bank deceived consumers so it could charge them exorbitant overdraft fees. Banks’ overdraft fee tactics have long been considered predatory by consumer advocates. Such fees, which are charged when customers overspend their bank accounts, largely fall upon lower-income account holders.
CHERRY HILL TWP. — A Connecticut woman is suing Cherry Hill-headquartered TD Bank over its allegedly “unlawful” overdraft fee that charges users who don’t replenish their bank accounts within 10 days. Per the class action lawsuit filed Jan. 4 on behalf of Shaina Dorsey by Marlton-based lawyer Stephen DeNittis, the sustained overdraft charge of $20 is imposed after an initial charge of $35 for …
A Montgomery County woman has appealed the approval of the nationwide settlement of multiple federal class-action lawsuits that claimed popular Shop Vac Corp wet-dry vacuums do not live up to their advertised specifications. Michelle Vullings of Collegeville, who in August had called the then-proposed settlement “unfair,” filed her appeal Monday in U.S. Middle District Court. …
A motion will be heard Dec. 21, 2016 in the ongoing class-action bingo lawsuit. Getty Images A motion will be heard Wednesday in the ongoing class-action bingo lawsuit between the City of Windsor and the ALS Society. The motion to be heard before Superior Court Judge Terrence Patterson regarding whether or not a protective order keeping secret the identities of those groups that opted out of …
Residents in a small Indiana town are outraged after the cross on the town’s Christmas tree was taken down. The cross was removed Monday afternoon following a lawsuit from the ACLU last week, according to WISH .