Harassed by Debt Collectors? Get the Tools to Fight Back

When you know you owe money on an unpaid debt, every piece of mail or phone call can make your blood pressure rise. Collections companies use over-the-top strategies, hoping that you will get so sick of being harassed by debt collectors you’ll pay just to make the phone calls stop. But you can fight back. Find out what to do to turn the tables when the debt collector calls.

Toyota Recalls Prius, C-HR for Risk of Engine Fire

Toyota Motor Corp. recently announced it is recalling over 1 million of its flagship Prius and C-HR vehicles because of a risk of engine fire. Find out if your vehicle was affected, and what to do if it was.

Safety Advocates Say Driverless Car Regulations Bill Falls Short

Consumers don’t have much confidence in the safety of autonomous vehicles. But the federal bill that would create the country’s first driverless car regulations puts auto manufacturers’ needs over consumer safety. 

Interest-Only Subprime Auto Loans are Too Good to Be True

Low-income families can sometimes find themselves desperate to get financing for a new-to-them used vehicle. They may be swayed by low monthly payments or interest-only subprime auto loans. But these lending options come with big strings attached, and sometimes the lenders don’t lay everything on the table.

CFPB Ombudsman Quits Over Student Loan Regulation

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) Student Loan Ombudsman, Seth Frotman has had enough of the political maneuvers affecting the way he does his job overseeing student loan regulation. On August 27, 2018, Frotman resigned from the CFPB. His resignation letter shows how the organization has changed under the Trump administration.

Is a Rebuilt Salvage Vehicle Worth the Savings?

You are browsing your favorite online reseller, when you stumble upon a later model car. It looks beautiful and the price seems too good to be true. Buried in the description, you see the words “rebuilt salvage” or “rebuilt title”. But the car looks great. Should you buy it? Is a rebuilt salvage vehicle worth the savings?

Mass Tort or Class Action: Know the Difference

A manufacturer or company’s bad behavior can hurt hundreds, sometimes thousands of people. When those people come together in a lawsuit, it may be as part of a mass tort or class action. The differences between these cases may seem like legalese, but they can significantly affect your rights.

Class actions and mass torts are both lawsuits that can be brought when many people suffer harm because of a similar situation. But the legal differences between a class action and a mass tort could hurt your rights if you don’t know how to respond when notices arrive. 

FBI Uncovers $4.5 Million Classic Car Fraud Scheme to Steal from Collectors

It’s August in Metro Detroit, and that means it’s time for the Dream Cruise and classic cars. If you are thinking about getting in on the fun with a classic car purchase, you will want to know about a $4.5 million classic car fraud scheme recently uncovered by the FBI, and how to make sure you’re not taken advantage of too.

Gym’s Trans-Affirming Policy Violates Michigan Consumer Protection Act, Court Says

Would you want to know if your gym was trans-affirming before you paid for your membership? Would it bother you to share a locker room with people whose biological sex was different than yours? One gym’s trans-affirming policy has been up for debate in the courts for years. Now the Michigan Court of Appeals has said that the unwritten policy could have violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.

Insurance Companies Can Cancel Innocent Third Party Benefits, Michigan Supreme Court Says

After a serious auto accident, should your insurance coverage depend on the honesty of another person? The Michigan Supreme Court recently said that insurance companies are allowed to cancel no-fault benefits paid to an innocent third party if they can prove fraud when the contract was signed.

The Hidden Lemon Law Cost to Buying Big Ticket Items as an LLC

You are ready to put down money on a big-ticket item – maybe a vacation home, new vehicle, RV, or boat. You may think it is a good idea to create an LLC so you can claim the purchase is business related and pay less taxes. But in addition to the risk of tax fraud, that strategy could trigger a hidden lemon law cost if your big purchase turns out to be defective.

Kids, Campgrounds, and Unsupervised Play: A Parents’ Guide

For many families, summer in Michigan means vacations up north and trips to the state and county fairs. Often, parents use these weekends to give their kids a chance at unsupervised play in the relative safety of the campgrounds. But those properties also come with certain risks. Find out what a parent’s duty to supervise is when a child is injured on a campground.

Auto Dealer Fraud vs Lemon Law: Know the Difference

In the legal world, the way you label your case can be the difference between meaningful relief and a motion to dismiss. It’s important to know ahead of time whether what you are dealing with is auto dealer fraud vs lemon law. It can affect your claim, and the remedies available when things go wrong.

Selling Defective Puppies? Local Pet Store Sued for Consumer Protection Violations

The term “product defect” usually brings to mind vehicles breaking down or problems with packaging. But could a company get into regulatory trouble for selling defective puppies? A recent lawsuit against a pet shop owner in Novi, Michigan tests the limits of Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act.

Arbitration Clause Sinks Fiat Chrysler Employees’ Lemon Law Claims

When you work for a car company, there’s a certain amount of brand loyalty that goes along with the salary. Many auto manufacturers and dealerships encourage this, offering employees, friends, and family significant deals on the sale of new cars. But the arbitration clause in the fine print of Fiat Chrysler’s employee discount form means you could be signing away a successful lemon law claim if there are problems with the vehicle.

How Can You Prove Toxins Caused Your Illness in Toxic Torts?

When environmental factors make you sick, it can be hard for you and your doctors to connect the dots. Air pollution, emissions, run-off, and other industrial byproducts can seriously affect your health, decreasing your life span and quality of life. But when you take a company to court in a toxic tort lawsuit, it’s up to you to prove toxins caused your illness. In most cases, that means you’re going to need an expert.

Voluntary Surrender or Repossession: Which is Better for Your Credit Score?

If you fall behind on your auto loan payments because of a lost job, unexpected medical expenses, or simply not enough income, you may consider voluntary surrender of your vehicle. But what that means, and how it affects your credit score compared to repossession can be something of a mystery. Here are some things to consider.

Consumer Advocates Call Tesla’s Autopilot Deceptive Advertising

Can a car crash be a marketing problem? Tesla’s Autopilot has been involved in at least 3 serious accidents in two years. Consumer advocates say the company’s deceptive advertising is misleading consumers, convincing them they can take their eyes off the road.

Jeep Cherokees Recalled for Fire Risk

Defective manufacture of vehicles can put drivers at risk of serious injury, even death. Especially when there is fire risk, mechanical issues or software problems turn new vehicles in to a risky proposition without the car buyer even knowing it. Sometimes, though, auto manufacturers find a product defect before anyone gets hurt. That’s what happened with the 2018 Jeep Cherokees recalled for fire risk earlier this month. 

Telemarketing Class Action Lawsuit Against Dish Network Could Pay You $1,200

Telemarketing calls are disruptive and annoying. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission set up the National Do Not Call Registry. But Dish Network ignored the list in 2010 and 2011. Now a telemarketing class action lawsuit out of North Carolina has resulted in a nationwide verdict that could pay you up to $1,200.

Opioid Crisis Results in Nationwide Settlement Efforts, But Will It Work?

The Department of Justice, 41 state attorneys general and hundreds of cities and municipalities have come together in one nationwide mass tort against the opioid crisis and the pharmaceutical industry. Now all those lawsuits are coming together in a nationwide settlement effort, but it may be hard to get everyone to see eye to eye on this important public health issue.

Report Shows Racial Discrimination in Auto Financing at Car Dealerships

When you go to buy a car, you expect your auto financing to depend on your income, your credit, and other money-related issues. But what about your race? A study released earlier this year shows that color directly affects how much you will pay for a car if you get your financing from car dealerships.

Bar Patron Beaten to Death Isn’t Restaurant Owner’s Responsibility, Court Says

When a restaurant owner is held responsible for a bar patron’s injury or death, it’s usually because the bar served him or her too much alcohol. But what happened in Mueller v Brannigan Brothers Restaurants & Taverns, LLC, is more like something out of a movie. This published Michigan Court of Appeals decision asked whether the restaurant could be held responsible when its employees (or former employees) chased down a bar patron and beat him to death. The question was closer than you might think.

Consumer Lawyer Dani K. Liblang Named to 2018 “Leaders in the Law”

On April 5, 2018, some of the top lawyers from across the state came together to celebrate Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law”. Consumer lawyer Dani K. Liblang of the Liblang Law Firm, PC, in Birmingham, Michigan, was one of only 30 lawyers and judges honored for their work in the field.

How to Make Your Facebook Profile Less Vulnerable to Identity Theft

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress on April 10 and 11, 2018, to answer questions about the app’s privacy and security settings. The testimony suggests the company’s policies may be changing, but is there anything you can do to make your Facebook profile less vulnerable to identity theft?

2018 Ford Escape Fails Passenger Safety Tests

When you buy a brand new car, you expect the vehicle to be safe. But the latest round of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests revealed flaws in the system, especially when it comes to passenger safety. The 2018 Ford Escape did especially badly – receiving the lowest “poor” rating on one of the IIHS’s newest tests.

FDCPA Cases Must Show Harm, Sixth Circuit Says

The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) shields consumers from abusive, coercive, and deceptive efforts to collect debts. FDCPA violations can result in money damages. But a recent Sixth Circuit Court says before consumers can sue they must first show they suffered harm.

Pedestrian Dies in Autonomous Vehicle Crash in Arizona

Driverless car manufacturers have been promising their cars will be safer without a driver to commit human error. But an autonomous vehicle crash in Arizona last week killed a pedestrian and raised the question if self-driving cars are ready for the road.

6 Common Defective Product Types to Look Out For

When you buy a product – from a new car to a cup of coffee – you have certain expectations of how it should work. When it doesn’t, a defective product can sometimes cause serious injury to you or a loved one. Product defect cases can involve anything a consumer buys, but some kinds of lawsuits happen more often than others. Here are 6 common defective products to keep your eye out for.

Could Sunroof Airbags Solve a Fatal Problem With Roll-Over Accidents?

How many fatal and serious injury accidents should it take to require federal regulation? Hundreds of people die every year when they are ejected from their sunroofs during roll-over accidents. But the popular feature isn’t regulated like windshields, or even side windows. Now one automaker has invented sunroof airbags and the NHTSA has begun to consider ways to solve this fatal problem.

Michigan’s Payday Loan Rules Stay Tough In Spite of Federal Trend Against Regulation

Michigan has some of the toughest payday loan rules in the nation. Even if the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau backs off under new leadership, these rules make sure Michigan residents are protected from abusive lending practices and dangerous debt cycles.

Tired of Telemarketers? These Apps Can Help

Your time is sacred. If you are a busy business professional or a full-time parent, you don’t have time to answer pointless phone calls. Telemarketing is a highly regulated industry, but many telemarketers ignore the rules. Now some software developers have created smartphone apps that could help cut the calls.

2016 Set Recall Records as Auto Manufacturers Ignore Quality

2016 clocked in at the highest number of recalls in recent decades – both in number of recalls and number of vehicles affected. One report says it’s because auto manufacturers ignore quality and can’t put a number on the cost of non-compliance.

Lemon Law Attorney Dani Liblang Gives New Car Buying Advice

Online news sources like Newswire.com are turning to lemon law attorney Dani Liblang, of The Liblang Law Firm, PC, for help. She has provided a checklist of new car buying advice to help consumers make sure they don’t end up with a lemon.

Garage Sale Follow-up Turns into Premises Liability Lawsuit

What responsibility do you have to people who come to your home unannounced? If a garage sale follow-up visitor comes back after the sale is over, do you have to pay for injuries that happen on your property? A recent Michigan Court of Appeals premises liability lawsuit, Kelsey v Lint, considers what happens when someone comes to your door.

Is Fighting Back Against Debt Collectors Worth It?

When the phone is ringing off the hook, at work and at home, it can be tempting to pay off debt collectors just to make it stop. But fighting back against debt collectors can be worth it when they violate federal law.

New Head of CFPB to Reevaluate Payday Loan Regulations

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is responsible for regulations connected to lending and the financial industry. Since 2012, the agency has been working to develop payday loan regulations that protect consumers from the abusive and manipulative tactics used by the industry. But in a recent statement, the new head of the CFPB said the agency plans to reevaluate those regulations, and make it easier for lenders to avoid them ever being enforced.

Used Car Buyer Watch List: Extended Warranty

Used car buyers often see dealerships trying to tack on extended warranties at the end of the sale. Paying extra for a warranty on a used car can sometimes be a good idea, but only if you know what you’re getting. Spending too much on an extended warranty, especially if you are a subprime borrower, could cost you money in the long run.

Used Car Buyer Watch List: “As-Is – No Warranty”

When you walk onto a used car lot, the prices can vary widely based on make, model, age, and warranty. It may be tempting to save money by taking the car labelled “as is – no warranty”. But doing so could cost you far more down the road.

New Car Buyer Watch List: Arbitration Clauses

When you find your perfect new car, you probably aren’t thinking about heading to court any time soon. But if you don’t take the time to carefully read your purchase agreement you could not even have the chance. Find out the risks behind arbitration clauses and why you should add them to your new car buyer watch list.