By: Scott D. Gilchrist, Attorney On May 5, 2016 the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a proposed rule that would prevent financial service companies from barring class actions in contracts with their customers. For the past several years, the CFPB has been studying so-called “forced arbitration” clauses in consumer contracts, which require customers to… Continue Reading »
NFL Concussion Settlement: COA Affirms Compensation for Former Football Players
By: Daniel S. Chamberlain, Attorney On April 18, 2016, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the largest class action settlement in United States history. The class action involved allegations that professional football players were knowingly put at risk of repetitive brain trauma, including dementia, Parkinson’s and other degenerative brain conditions by their employer, the… Continue Reading »
Identity Theft on 2015 Top Five Consumer Complaint List
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney Complaints about identity theft rounded out the top five consumer complaints received by the Indiana Attorney General in 2015. This comes as no surprise given the increase in data breaches over the past few years. One of the first major data breaches occurred at Target stores. In 2013, Target stores… Continue Reading »
Mediation Assistance Program Provides Valuable Experience to Attorneys While Helping the Underserved
By: Aaron J. Williamson, Attorney The Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) encourages attorneys to promote equal access to justice through pro bono work for underserved residents. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has a growing need for volunteer attorneys to assist pro se litigants. This Court also provides a vehicle… Continue Reading »
Is My 401(k) Plan Ripping Me Off?
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney Do you know whether your 401(k) plan administrator is making decisions in the best interests of your financial well-being? One group of Indiana employees has asked that question and now is taking action to protect themselves. In December 2015, some Indiana residents with 401(k)s alleged in a class action lawsuit… Continue Reading »
Consumer Privacy Violations: Hackers Aren’t the Only Threat
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney So much attention has been focused on cybersecurity and data breaches that consumers are focused now more than ever about the privacy of their personal information. Forbes Magazine recently reported on the 20 major consumer data breaches of 2014. Many of the companies on the list were retailers whose customer… Continue Reading »
A Consumer’s Guide to Medical Identity Theft
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney It’s an unfortunate circumstance that we need to have a discussion about medical identity theft. Media reports about computer hackers and data breaches are on the rise and millions of unsuspecting consumers are finding themselves as victims of identity theft and dealing with the resulting hassle. Consumer data breaches on… Continue Reading »
The Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act Can Strip Your Rights
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney A bill was recently proposed in the House of Representatives targeted at class action lawsuits. The bill HR 1927 is titled the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act but a quick read of the document demonstrates otherwise. What is a class action? Class action lawsuits serve to protect consumers from… Continue Reading »
Class Action Settlement Funds Free Consumer Lawyer for the Poor
By: Vess A. Miller, Attorney As a class action lawyer, I spend most of my time trying to get money back for consumers and businesses that have been victims of a scam or unfair practice or event. One little-known benefit of the job though is that sometimes I also get to use a class action… Continue Reading »
Anthem Data Breach and Concerns About Fraudulent Tax Returns
By: Lynn A. Toops, Attorney Identity theft has a lasting impact on consumers. Approximately 80 million people were immediately faced with the reality of identity theft after the nation’s second-largest health insurer, Anthem, announced a massive data breach of its computer system on February 4, 2015. Thieves stole customer names, birthdates, social security numbers, addresses,… Continue Reading »
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