Rates

At&T Lawsuit: Wireless Carrier Sued Over Hidden Administrative Fee

A lawsuit has been filed against AT&T (T), claiming that its $1.99 administrative fee isn’t included as part of the company’s advertised rates for its wireless service plans. The $1.99 fee in questions has allegedly been added to AT&T customer bills since 2013 when it was reportedly $0.61 per month. AT&T responded to the lawsuit by telling the news outlet that “The lawsuit is wrong. This is a …


Sandals Resorts ‘Operated Tax Fraud Scheme by Charging Guests 12% Tax Rates but Pocketed the Cash’

Sandals Resorts has been hit with a massive lawsuit over claims the company worked in concert with local Caribbean governments in a decades-long tax fraud scheme, according to court papers obtained by DailyMail.com. Sandals Resorts has been hit with a massive lawsuit over claims the company worked in concert with local Caribbean governments in a decades-long tax fraud scheme, DailyMail.com has …


State Farm Files Lawsuit to Block Historic Rollback in Insurance Rates

Last month, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones ordered more than $100 million in refunds for nearly 2 million State Farm policy owners, alleging the company charged excessive rates for its homeowners and renters insurance. It apparently was the first such refund approved since California’s landmark Proposition 103 rolled back a wide swath of insurance rates nearly three decades ago, …


Lawsuit Claims Electricity Company’s Deception Cost Maine Consumers $35M

A new class-action lawsuit claims that an electric company deceived Maine consumers and shorted them of $35 million. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland Nov. 18 claims that Electricity Maine used fraud and deception to enroll 200,000 Maine households and small businesses with the promise of substantial cost savings. But attorney Benjamin Donahue says after a …


California Federal Court Dismisses Claims in Class Action to the Extent Plaintiff’s Claims Are Based on the Theory That Rates Were Not Filed Pursuant to the California Insurance Code

In this class action lawsuit in a California federal court, Shasta Linen Company and all those similarly situated brought an action against Applied Underwriters, Inc. and its affiliate entities. Shasta Linen alleges that the “EquityComp” workers’ compensation insurance program marketed and sold by Applied Underwriters violated the California Insurance Code and Regulatory provisions by …


Second Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges MID Subsidy

The Modesto Irrigation District faces two separate class-action lawsuits, both accusing the utility of overcharging electricity customers to subsidize farmers’ water prices. Both ask that a judge grant class status enabling tens of thousands of electricity customers to join the lawsuit and ask for refunds. Although filed for similar reasons within two weeks of each other, the lawsuits were …


Golfer Sues Over Fees at Town-Owned Course

A golfer has filed a class-action lawsuit against golf pro Michael Hebron and the town of Smithtown over allegations that Hebron overcharged fees for players to use the town golf course and to rent carts. Robert Dwyer of Smithtown filed the lawsuit on April 14 on behalf of “at minimum hundreds” of unnamed golfers who have used the town facilities at Smithtown Landing Golf and Country Club,…


Wait, Banks Can Shut Off My Car?

Ross MacDonald
One spring evening in 2012, after getting off a shift at Señor Frog’s bar and grill in Las Vegas, Candice Smith drove to the Palace Station casino to cash her paycheck. When she returned to her car, it wouldn’t start. She knew what the problem was: the starter kill switch her lender had installed on the vehicle.


L.A. City Council Grants Preliminary Approval to DWP’s Rate Hike

After months of discussions, meetings and revisions, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to the first increase in water and power base rates in years. With a 12-2 vote, the council gave its go-ahead to the Department of Water and Power’s proposal to boost water rates 4.7% and power rates 3.86% each year for five years. The DWP estimates that customers who use …