News today that West Coast Bank reached an agreement with the FDIC relating to its “courtesy coverage” overdraft protection. According to Brent Hunsberger’s report in The Oregonian, the issue was ineffective opt outs. But there is a bigger problem with Oregon banks ordering transactions in a way that triggers… Continue Reading →
Oregon readers know about our gasoline rules. In Oregon, there is no self-service. So when you pull up to the pump and ask the attendant to gas it up, you commit to the purchase the minute the gas starts flowing into your tank. ARCO does not take credit cards. Consumers… Continue Reading →
The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released its long-awaited final report Exposure to Sodium Dichromate at Qarmat Alli Iraq in 2003: Part II Evaluation of Army and Contractor Actions Report No. SPO-2011-009 (September 28, 2011). Here is the current report: Part II Qarmat Ali FINAL Report Sept… Continue Reading →
This is an update on our culinary school consumer fraud class action against Western Culinary Institute, now known as Le Cordon Bleu Portland, and its parent corporation, Career Education Corporation. A few weeks ago, defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration of Nathan Surrett and Jennifer Adams’ claims and to… Continue Reading →
Late yesterday, Career Education Corp and Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu Portland filed a motion to compel arbitration in our consumer fraud class action. More on the case here. Short version is that three years after we filed the case, after the trial court certified a class action, after… Continue Reading →
Last night’s HBO premier of Hot Coffee, The Movie provided a great summary of all the ways in which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, large foreign corporations, and political operatives have banded together to end the right to trial by jury. Filmmaker Susan Saladoff did a masterful job of… Continue Reading →
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 →
Kudos to Steve Duin of The Oregonian for this column on Azusa Suzuki’s struggle to prove that she is entitled to Regence Blue Cross supplemental medicare insurance coverage for medical expenses incurred in a motor vehicle collision. Apparently Regence decided that… Continue Reading →
One of the best articles I’ve seen recently on for-profit colleges. Please, please, please read this if you or anyone in your family is thinking about a for-profit school. From the trenches, we continue to pursue our class action against Le Cordon Bleu Portland (formerly known as… Continue Reading →
In today’s Oregonian, Julie Sullivan (aka “the one-woman wrecking crew”) reports here on emerging details of KBR’s request for a taxpayer bailout. Short version is that as revealed by depositions taken in our Oregon Army National Guard toxic injury case, Bixby v. KBR, KBR… Continue Reading →