» consumer protection

The law continues to reward whistleblowers who fight fraud

The courts have long recognized the vital role that whistleblowers play in the nation’s system of justice. Without the assistance of whistleblowers, significant and costly legal violations would happen without any meaningful accountability for the… Read More

Some whistleblowers left in the lurch by agency delay

Many have heard about the recent disclosures regarding Wells Fargo & Co. opening unauthorized accounts for clients, which forced the bank’s Chief Executive Officer to resign abruptly under a cloud of controversy. As it turns out, however, enfor… Read More

Victory for whistleblowers under the false claims act

In Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States of America, et al. ex rel. Escobar, et al., a unanimous Supreme Court rendered a landmark decision for whistleblowers under the False Claims Act and for taxpayers in general. In that case, the Supre… Read More

Deliberate difference: the tragedy in Flint

Recent events have attracted widespread attention to a serious problem that has existed without much public outcry until now. Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan imposed an unelected city “manager” on the City of Flint several years ago. This unelec… Read More

Defendant gamesmanship curtailed in employment, civil rights, and consumer protection cases

Contrary to its typical approach in recent years, the Supreme Court ruled in a way that enhances enforcement activity in employment, civil rights, and consumer protection cases. Until this Supreme Court decision, in Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, defen… Read More

The intersection of labor & employment law, civil rights, and consumer protection

Recent media reports have declared that forced labor taints the nation’s food supply chains, from farms in Western Africa and surrounding Southeast Asia to supermarkets in the United States. This is big business according to a United Nations study,… Read More

Outsourcing the rule of law via the TPP agreement

Agents of numerous countries, led by the United States, have engaged in closed-door meetings about a secret agreement to create rights for foreign corporations and other “investors” to challenge domestic consumer protections, environmental provis… Read More

Rating agency may pay $1 billion to settle mortgage-related fraud claims

Although the banksters and their accomplices have emerged from the Great Recession largely unscathed, many people across the country still struggle now. For those among the proverbial 99%, the news of a potential settlement between the Department of… Read More

Supreme court decision strikes another blow against workplace fairness

In Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk, a unanimous Supreme Court recently ruled that companies do not have to pay employees for the time employees must spend being subjected to daily anti-theft screening procedures imposed by employers. Notab… Read More

Supreme Court summarily rejects heightened pleading requirement for civil rights plaintiffs

In Johnson v. City of Shelby, the entire Supreme Court recently addressed what is enough for civil rights plaintiffs to state a valid claim concerning alleged violations of constitutional rights. In a unanimous per curiam decision – meaning an opin… Read More