In The Courtroom

U.S. Supreme Court Forces DIRECTV Customers Out Of Court, Into Private Arbitration Over Illegal $480 “Early Cancellation Fees”

December 14, 2015  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

<p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: larger;"><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2895" alt="" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/images_directvlogo_5_0.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="120" height="90" />Santa Monica, CA -- In the latest of a series of decisions closing the courthouse doors on consumers, the U.S.

US Supreme Court Reveals Little In Oral Argument On DIRECTV Case

October 6, 2015  ·  Jamie Court

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2902" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/images_supreme_court_of_the_united_states-300x299.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 199px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="300" height="299" /><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Our attorneys' report from the US Supreme Court is that this morning’s oral argument didn’t reveal which way the majority was leaning in <strong><em>Imburgia v. DIRECTV</em></strong>.</span></span></p>

Californians’ Love Of Class-Action Lawsuits To Be Tested By Supreme Court

October 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Supreme Court will hear DirecTV's bid to block suit over early cancellation fees</strong></p> <p>The Supreme Court's conservative justices have long been skeptical of class-action lawsuits that may be profitable for trial lawyers but can be costly to companies.</p> <p>Judges in California have leaned the other way, fearing consumers and employees will be shortchanged if they cannot sue as a class.</p>

US Supreme Court to Hold Hearing on Consumer Lawsuit Against DIRECTV

September 16, 2015  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2895" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/images_directvlogo_5_0.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="120" height="90" />Seven years ago, Consumer Watchdog’s legal team brought a class action lawsuit against DIRECTV on behalf of California customers who were charged unlawful early cancellation fees of up to $480 – often taken directly out of a consumer’s bank account or charged to a credit card without the customer’s permission. Next month, the U.S.

Judge Allows DTSC Cleanup Lawsuit To Proceed Over Boeing’s Objections

January 15, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A Sacramento County Superior Court judge has ruled that a case filed by environmentalists and anti-nuclear activists against the toxics department over the cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site in southern California can proceed, rejecting a motion for summary judgment by The Boeing Co., which is at the center of the dispute.</p>

Boeing’s Santa Susana Field Lab Demolition Plans Delayed

January 15, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A Sacramento judge has denied the Boeing Co.’s motion that argued that demolition and disposal of old buildings on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory can proceed without any intervention by state regulators.</p>

Sacramento Judge Rejects Boeing’s Bid to Demolish and Dispose of Radioactive Waste Without Accountability

January 12, 2015  ·  Liza Tucker

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-20441" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/images_boeingtohellinahandbasket.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 230px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="350" height="230" />Santa Monica, CA -- Sacramento Superior Court has denied Boeing’s motion for summary judgment in a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit over the demolition and disposal of radioactively contaminated structures from the site of a partial nuclear meltdown near Los Angeles, Consumer Watchdog said today.</p>

Court Tentatively Upholds Prop 103 Rule Prohibiting Auto Insurance Companies From Making Consumers Pay For Branding/Advertising Such as Sporting Event Sponsorships and Naming Rights

January 9, 2015  ·  Pam Pressley

In a tentative ruling today, the Sacramento Superior Court rejected an insurance industry attack on regulations that limit the amount of advertising costs insurers can pass through to consumers in their premiums. The regulation is part of the landmark Prop 103 insurance reform initiative that has saved California drivers $102 billion since 1988, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

HYUNDAI: Consumer Watchdog Disputes Gas Mileage Settlement Terms

December 18, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

Consumers who purchased Hyundai and Kia cars based on the companies’ misrepresentations about the fuel economy of several of their 2011, 2012 and 2013 model...

Regulators $300 Million Penalty Against Hyundai and Kia for Misrepresenting Fuel Economy Does Not Compensate Aggrieved Consumers

November 2, 2014  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumers who purchased Hyundai and Kia cars based on the companies’ misrepresentations about the fuel economy of several of their 2011, 2012 and 2013 model year vehicles will not receive any money from the government consent decree with the auto makers announced today, said advocates at Consumer Watchdog, the non-profit advocacy group that first requested the EPA investigate mileage complaints in November, 2011. That will have to come from the settlement of class action lawsuits now pending before a federal court in Los Angeles. Consumer Watchdog attorneys have disputed several terms of the proposed settlement.

Consumer Advocates Make Headway in Push to Improve Hyundai/Kia MPG Class Action Settlement

July 24, 2014  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog attorneys representing consumers dissatisfied with the proposed nationwide settlement of a class action against Hyundai and Kia over misrepresenting the fuel economy of their vehicles are continuing their advocacy this morning in federal court in Los Angeles, seeking additional improvements in the settlement.

Santa Susana Toxic Cleanup Effort Is A Mess

June 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Any way you cut it, the situation at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site outside Simi Valley is a mess.</p> <p>The 2,850-acre former rocket engine test center is contaminated by <a href="http://www.etec.energy.gov/char_cleanup/cleanup_index.html">a vast menu of radioactive isotopes and toxic chemicals</a>. The condition of its soil, groundwater and structures makes it one of the most challenging cleanup jobs in the state, possibly the country.</p>