A report by New York’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy noted a near 27% rise in federal and state judgeships occupied by women, with Vermont ranking first at almost 40% and Idaho raking last at 11.3%. The Associated Press highlighted these findings, but noted that the report also shows that some judicial districts in the […]
Supreme Court Dismisses Class Action Suit Against AT&T
Vincent and Liza Concepcion purchased a cell phone plan from AT&T, signing a two year contract, a contract that also provided for arbitration of all disputes between parties. This contract came with cell phones that AT&T advertised as free, but the Concepcions were charged $30.22 in taxes. The Concepcions then sued the company for fraud. […]
Court Orders VA Revamp of Mental Healthcare System
A San Francisco appeals court ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to dramatically revamp its mental health care system, noting that an average of 18 veteran service members commit suicide each day, and 6,500 end their own lives each year. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 3 judge panel said on Tuesday that it takes […]
Bank’s Fine Print Requires Struggling Homeowners To Waive Rights
Often, struggling homeowners may have to make a tough choice: waive certain rights or face foreclosure. Some banks and others who handle mortgages can force homeowners to waive their right to ever sue the bank for anything related to the loan, even though mortgage servicers often make errors, have long delays, and lose documents, as […]
FDA Revamps Website For Better Access To Food Recalls
President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law on January 4th, which gives the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to recall food that may be tainted, access records from food producers, and and quarantine geographical areas. This law also requires the creation of a consumer-friendly recall search engine. In keeping with the new […]
Medicare publishes data on hospital injuries and infections
About one person in three in the United States will encounter some sort of mistake during a hospital stay, recent reports say, and 90 percent of those go unreported. Federal officials have announced the release of data that that allows consumers to to find out how often local hospital patients acquire bed sores or infections, […]
Nevada Supreme Court Overturns Class Action Ban
From Public Justice: “Car dealerships are notorious for scams. But charging customers an emissions testing fee on brand new cars? And then weaseling out of responsibility by banning class actions? Come on. Late last week, as we urged, the Supreme Court of Nevada ruled unanimously that a Las Vegas dealership’s class action ban violates state public […]
Supreme Court Rules Oral Complaints Can Recieve Retaliation Protection
In a 6 – 2 ruling on Tuesday March 22, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of workers that file retaliation suits who verbally complained to their employers even if they did not file a written complaint. The case involved a suit filed by Kevin Kasten who had verbally complained to a former employer about where the […]
Seniors Not Getting Preventative Services
Many seniors in the U.S. are not receiving health services that could be lifesaving, reports HealthDay News. They say that a report released March 14th by the Department of Health and Human Services said that too few seniors are getting the recommended flu and pneumonia vaccines, breast cancer screenings, and many other preventative screenings and services.
Supreme Court Siding With Underdogs
The LA Times noted in a recent article that, although the Supreme Court has often been thought of as more conservative and pro-business, several recent cases have shown them to be unpredictable, often siding with workers rather than employers. “The judges have been unanimous, or nearly so, in dealing defeats to employers and to corporations”, […]
