In their recent decision in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, the U.S. Supreme Court gave a hearty five thumbs up to anything-goes arbitration clauses. The Court’s opinion means that consumers will trade their 7th Amendment rights to trial by jury for expensive, secret, pro-big business private arbitration. At least… Continue Reading →
We finally moved to the next phase in our Oregon consumer fraud class action against Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu Portland and its parent, Career Education Corporation. Class notice went out last week. It took longer than expected because of a few unanticipated changes in the class brought… Continue Reading →
A win for the plutocracy* Yesterday’s decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion represents a breathtakingly bad opinion that does profound harm to consumers. It’s a bit geeky, but the takeaway is that this is a huge win for the rich and… Continue Reading →
We are starting to get calls and emails about the class action settlement with Comcast. Here is the link to the settlement information A few recurring questions: 1. The settlement applies to Oregon Comcast subscribers 2. It is limited to subscribers who paid late fees on Cable… Continue Reading →
Today, the U.S. Supreme hears oral argument in Concepcion v. AT&T Mobility. The issue–preemption under the Federal Arbitration Act–sounds technical and mind-numbingly boring. While it looks boring, it’s an important case. Maybe one of the most important in years. Remember the terms and conditions or subscriber agreement or… Continue Reading →
My friend and colleague, Portland attorney Josh Shulman, flagged this op-ed in today’s New York Times on trade school regulation. The author teaches at both traditional non-profit colleges and for-profit programs. It provides a clear explanation of the need for the gainful employment rule. The message isn’t new,… Continue Reading →
In late summer–and with much fanfare–it looked like Congress and the Department of Education would finally address the outrageous abuses of bad actors in the for-profit education sector. Predictably, the pace has slowed to a crawl, with Department of Education delaying the promulgation of regulations. Do you need to… Continue Reading →
For those of us in the trenches representing consumers in class actions, it’s always nice to find good information resources in the law blog world. I’ve stopped by the Complex Litigator a few times. I only caught this post on a consumer class against Wells Fargo because… Continue Reading →
This is an update report for those following our Comcast late fee class action. In this certified class action, Oregon Comcast cable television subscribers claim that Comcast illegally assessed late fees for cable TV service. The class seeks damages. Here is the last update on the case. Go to… Continue Reading →
Peter Goodman of The New York Times does a nice job here of looking at the problem of for-profit trade schools. The story mentions our class action against Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland. And while it’s all exciting to see the… Continue Reading →