On November 16, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission released a memorandum of understanding designed to formalize their plans to coordinate consumer protection efforts.
The FCC is charged with regulating all interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable, while the FTC is primarily responsible for preventing unfair or
On November 13, a New York federal judge granted final approval to a $4.75 million settlement between background check company Sterling Infosystems, Inc. and a class of Dish Network, LLC satellite television installers.
The installers brought claims against Sterling for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) including that Sterling provided outdated information to
On November 10, a New Jersey debt collection law firm pressed the Third Circuit to reverse the district court’s ruling that a four-second review of a debt collection complaint does not constitute “meaningful attorney involvement.”
As we previously reported, in Bock v. Pressler & Pressler, LLP, the United States District Court for the
On October 2, President Obama announced a new executive order that prevents federal agencies from making job-applicants reveal they have a criminal record as part of his overall criminal justice reform effort. This “ban the box” initiative would prevent federal agencies from asking about an applicant’s criminal history at the initial application stage.
“It is
On November 4, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 47 State Attorneys General, and other state and local law enforcement authorities from around the country announced the first coordinated federal-state enforcement initiative targeting deceptive and abusive debt collection practices. The initiative, named Operation Collection Protection, aims to crackdown on collectors who use illegal tactics
On October 29, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced the settlement of an enforcement action against two affiliated consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) based on these companies’ employment background screening practices. The consent order requires these background screeners to pay a total of $13 million in penalties and
On November 2, 2015, a sharply divided Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, where it considered whether Congress may confer Article III standing by authorizing a private right of action based on the violation of a federal statute alone, despite a plaintiff having suffered no concrete
On October 22, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray delivered prepared remarks to the Consumer Advisory Board. At the meeting, Cordray discussed arbitration and issues relating to non-English or limited English–speaking consumers.
The issue of arbitration, however, was at the forefront of the discussion. As we previously reported, the CFPB intends
Effective October 27, under the New York City Fair Chance Act, employers can inquire about a potential employee’s criminal record only after a conditional offer of employment is made. The Act further requires that employers provide a written copy of the inquiry, the employer’s analysis, and any supporting documentation to applicants once such a
On September 8, the United States Solicitor General requested leave from the U.S. Supreme Court to participate in oral argument in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, as amicus curiae. The Supreme Court granted the United States’ request and will now allow the U.S. to chime in on a threshold constitutional standing issue at oral argument.