During the protests outside the Hatfield Courthouse in downtown Portland this summer, federal agents and police indiscriminately deployed chemical weapons designed to stop the protests. Chemical weapons are designed to inflict pain. And they do that well. They were used to quell protests and inflict pain on protesters. In that… Continue Reading →
Along with Portland attorney Nadia Dahab, we’ve filed a consumer fraud class action case against Dean Innovations arising from the widely reported toxic contamination of soil amendment products sold to Portland area gardeners. I’ve attached a copy of the complaint. It has been filed and served. Complaint – FIled. Continue Reading →
The claim process has started in our consumer fraud class action against BP for illegal debit card fees at Oregon ARCO stations. We’re getting a lot of calls, emails, and questions on our Facebook page. And on top of it all, ice and snow have moved into Portland. So… Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Portland started cold and rainy. The rain lifted by mid morning, and we were graced with sun breaks and a crisp December day. And on that day, we said farewell to our friend, my office mate and colleague, Robert Neuberger. Robert and I started sharing office space a… Continue Reading →
Working with Bill Marler and the talented team at Marler Clark, we filed today the class action complaint in Straka v. Townsend Farms, State of Oregon, Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. 13060-8425 Further background is here, including links to the CDC recall and related information. For those interested,… Continue Reading →
It’s a good day for the Oregon Qarmat Ali veterans. Today, the Court confirmed the jury verdict in favor of the first 12 Oregon Army National Guard veterans who suffered contamination injuries at the Qarmat Ali Water Treatment Plant in Iraq in 2003. Here is a link to the PDF… Continue Reading →
So we’ve been hearing a lot from class members about Sallie Mae efforts at collection of debts arising from loans for those who attended Western Culinary Institute and Le Cordon Bleu Portland who are part of the class action against those defendants. If you are in that situation, please understand… Continue Reading →
For those interested, I’m posting our recent motion to dismiss and motion for reconsideration in Surrett v. Career Education Corp., our consumer fraud class against Career Education Corp for Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu Portland students. We had cleared all pretrial motions and were steaming toward our January trial date… Continue Reading →
I was not surprised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, No. 10-277 (June 20, 2011). Even so, how the Court got there reveals more agendas. It also bodes poorly for consumers. About class actions: While class actions are often criticized, the reality is… Continue Reading →
Maybe the hardest thing about my busy solo law practice is taking time off. Between one child still at home, a busy, hard-working spouse and the demands of my case load, I am hard-pressed to get away. So I jumped at the chance when our schedules aligned. Even with all… Continue Reading →