Financial Legal News Articles & Interviews

Houston, TX Nick was working at his home office when he suddenly felt the left side of his body go numb and a searing pain in his lower back. “Thank God my wife was home. She drove me to the nearest urgent care center but a sign on the door said it was “running at capacity” and couldn’t see any patients that day,” says Nick. “We googled the nearest emergency room—at this point I was almost passing out. And I almost passed out two weeks later when my ER bill came in the mail. I’d heard about ER overcharges but this was ridiculous!”

Santa Clara, CA Many emergency room overcharges complaints submitted to LawyersandSettlements are so outrageous they seem fictional. Sadly, they are true. In each complaint below, the patient’s bill isn’t even close to the “going rate”.

Camden, NJ  Laronda Hickmond filed a bank overdraft fees lawsuit against Credit Union of New Jersey in New Jersey District Court on March 17. Hickmond v. Credit Union of New Jersey alleges that the credit union repeatedly charged Ms. Hickmond $30 overdraft fees even though, according to the monthly account statements prepared by the credit union, her account balance never dropped into the negative. She seeks class action status for the lawsuit on behalf of herself and all similarly situated accountholders.

Los Angeles, CA Attorney Barry Kramer may be able to get your emergency room services reduced, but his goal is to change the hospital system and stop ER overcharges for everyone. If you think your hospital has overcharged you for their services and you’re willing to go the distance, and if you want to make a difference and help others, read on.

Albany, NY Excessive bank fees that are based on insufficient funds (NSF) charges may pose a greater threat to checking accountholders than overdraft fees. Recent lawsuits recognize that, without protections based largely in state contract law, consumers have little protection from NSF fees that result when checks or electronic payments that are presented and re-presented multiple times without the accountholder’s permission.

Houston, TX  On March 1, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit in Texas state court, alleging that Griddy Energy LLC misled energy consumers in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices—Consumer Protection Act  (DTPA). In the aftermath of the massive February winter storm, Griddy customers found themselves with the astronomical electrical bills. One Houston resident complained that Griddy debited her credit card $4,677 in one week for electricity in her 800 square foot, one-bedroom apartment: “I do not have the money to pay this bill. We need help.” Griddy also auto-debited hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars from consumers’ checking accounts in a period of days. These massive daily withdrawals triggered cascading bank overdraft fees.

Detroit, MI Tenet Healthcare was accused of acting with malice when a Michigan hospital demoted two cardiologists after the complained about cost-cutting measures, overcharging and substandard patient care. The doctors filed a False Claims lawsuit and retaliation is costly—to the tune of $10.6M.

Los Angeles, CA On February 19, the Ninth Circuit held that a borrower, who found herself in what she described as a “high-tech debt trap,” must arbitrate her claims against the lender, having waived her right to sue. Marggieh DeCarlo was trying to build credit but instead found herself entangled instead in a ruinous web of loan charges, membership fees and bank overdraft fees.

Atlanta, GA On December 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit heard oral arguments in Garcia v. Wachovia Bank, one of the bank overdraft fees lawsuits, consolidated in In Re: Checking Account Overdraft Litigation. The checking accountholders are appealing a September 2019 District Court decision that denied them the chance to proceed through a class action lawsuit, forcing them to arbitrate their claims individually. That would effectively end their chance to dispute excessive overdraft fees that resulted from Wells Fargo’s and Wachovia Bank’s practice of reordering checks from high to low amounts in order to maximize profits.

Washington, DC Even with a promising bank overdraft fees lawsuit, checking account consumers can find themselves suddenly, unexpectedly blocked by an obligation to arbitrate disputes with a bank or credit union. Consumers are often not even aware that they have signed these agreements. Under recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, that can be the end of a class action lawsuit.