Class Action Archive
Ambulance Chasing? Not according to them…
January 16th, 2010. By AbiK
One of the comments we hear from time to time at LawyersAndSettlements.com is…”But aren’t you just ambulance chasing?” And it’s a question class action litigators get all the time, too. So I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on just what it is that brought us here…comments—and pleas for help—like these:
“I want to thank you for writing about Mike and Cipro. Perhaps the story can help someone. I hope so. I’m sure someone working for Bayer has read the story by now. Thank you for not letting them forget what they’ve done to him.”
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“Hello Heidi - Gosh - Your article had been excellent and explained in basic terms that I think a lot of readers will relate to. I know I read all the testimonials to find out what other people are experiencing and that is a big help for me to determine what I will do with certain products. I am very glad to have spoken with you and Thank You for having contacted me”
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“Hi. Can you please send me the information on getting your home checked? I live in a
2009 – That’s a Wrap!
December 29th, 2009. By LucyC
Well, it’s been a busy year for lawyers—and class actions were certainly popular. Employment class actions, comprised of allegations of unpaid overtime and wages and violations of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) were among the most commonly filed lawsuits. Seems there’s no shortage of companies willing to fiddle the math. Even the biggies—Costco, McDonalds, AT&T, Marriott, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, UPS, Starbucks, Dominos Pizza—even Hooters! And I could go on.
Other hot topics in 2009, included Chinese Drywall.
Who in this part of the world (and presumably China) has not heard of Chinese Drywall by now? Estimates suggest that possibly 100,000 people are affected by this toxic home building product, and on December 9, a federal class action was filed against Knauf Plasterboard Tainjin Co. Ltd. (KPT), one of the primary manufacturers implicated in the debacle.
Overdraft fees were also a topic close to many peoples’ hearts in 2009. Bank Atlantic was one institution hit with a class action for allegedly manipulating the posting dates of consumer debit card and check transactions so they could make more money on customers’ overdraft fees.
And speaking of fees, the issuers of prepaid debit cards also had their toes to the fire this year, among them Green Dot Visa for allegedly charging high fees on their ‘prepaid debit cards.’
Unfortunately, asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits—individual lawsuits not class actions—remained prominent this year. As more retirees are only now being diagnosed with the asbestos-related
AG Edwards Class Action - Update 1
November 11th, 2009. By LucyC
We’ve had a lot of interest from you about the status of the A.G. Edwards class action and what, if any mutual funds may be involved. This is what we’ve managed to find out—we hope it helps. We’ll continue to follow this for you, so keep your questions coming.
First off, why where you notified about the AG Edwards (AGE) Class Action?
According to official documentation provided on the AGE class action website:
“Records show that you maintained a brokerage account at A.G. Edwards in which you may have held shares of any mutual funds that were advised by, distributed by, or in any way related to companies that compensated A.G. Edwards based, at least in part, upon the holdings of A.G. Edwards’ clients in the respective mutual funds during any part of the period beginning on April 12, 2000 and ending on April 12, 2005. This notice explains that the Court has allowed, or “certified” a class action lawsuit that will affect you if you are a member of the Class.”
So, a class has been certified, which means the lawsuit can proceed as a class action. No determination of right or wrong has been made—and that could be decided in court. Again, according to the official documentation:
“The Court has not decided whether A.G. Edwards or the Plaintiffs are correct. By establishing the Class and issuing this Notice, the Court is not suggesting that the Plaintiffs will win or lose the case. The Plaintiffs must prove their claims at a trial scheduled to start on December 14, 2009.”
So what AG Edwards mutual funds qualify?
According to the documentation, the following is a list of mutual funds “that might be involved:”
A.G. Edwards…Going Somewhere?
November 9th, 2009. By LucyC
Way back in 2005, a class action lawsuit was filed against AG Edwards (now part of Wachovia), alleging that the investment company was not playing by the rules. On Friday—yes that’s over four years later—a website popped up with some information on the AG Edwards class action suit.
Just in case the details of the suit don’t come flooding back—here’s what you need to know:
What are the Allegations Against AG Edwards?
“This lawsuit is about whether A.G. Edwards breached its fiduciary duties to Plaintiffs, owners of A.G. Edwards accounts which held shares of mutual funds, and all others similarly situated, and whether, as a result of those breaches, A.G. Edwards has been unjustly enriched by receiving millions of dollars in payments from mutual fund companies whose mutual funds were held by Plaintiffs. A.G. Edwards denies these allegations and the Court has not decided whether A.G. Edwards or the Plaintiffs are correct.”
Are You In or Out?
Are you eligible to join the AG Edwards class action lawsuit?
MoneyGram Scammed Us
November 6th, 2009. By janem
Back in July Pleading Ignorance looked at Moneygram and its involvement, if any, to consumer fraud. We really did plead ignorance because it turns out that Moneygram isn’t the reputable company we believed it to be. Although we weren’t scammed financially as countless unfortunate US consumers were, “The wool got pulled over our eyes”, as the old saying goes.
The FTC recently charged that the second-largest money transfer service in the US allowed its money transfer system to be used by fraudulent telemarketers to bilk consumers out of tens of millions of dollars. And it has to pay the FTC a hefty $18 million to compensate consumers.
That sounds like a lot of dough, but it’s a measly amount to pay back, considering that many consumers likely didn’t report a loss. And a recent FTC survey reported almost 80 percent of all MoneyGram transfers of $1,000 or more from the US to Canada over a four-month period in 2007 were fraud-induced.
And if that’s not enough to make you shake your head, MoneyGram itself received more than 20,600 fraud complaints that cost consumers more than $44 million to cross-border money-transfer frauds between 2004 and 2008 alone. Combine that with losses reported by U.S. consumers on money transfers within the US and that number almost doubles to a whopping $84 million! Cha-ching!
According to the FTC, MoneyGram knew that its network has been used over the last few years by telemarketing scammers to prey on US consumers. And worse, some MoneyGram agents were also scam artists but the money transfer service more or less turned a blind eye. Big mistake: the FTC had MoneyGram in its eagle eye.
This is how the scam works. Con artists prefer to use money transfer services because they can pick up transferred money immediately, the payments are often untraceable, and unknowing consumers can’t do anything about it. Until now, that is.
The FTC has a new Consumer Alert, available on its website, titled “Money Transfers Can Be Risky Business.” And consumers interested in the process of redress administration should call 1-202-326-3755.
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