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Consumer Protection Violations
If you were a victim of consumer fraud, misrepresentation or
corporate misconduct you may have a claim pursuant to
various federal and state consumer protection laws. Ex. Of
consumer protection violations can range from false
advertising claims to laws protecting consumers from
unscrupulous lenders.
Securities Fraud
There
are federal and state laws available to protect investors
from securities fraud and corporate misconduct.
Shareholders who have been damaged by the decline and
sometimes even the complete lose of their investment have
remedies to seek reimbursement for their loses.
Corporate Fraud
If you
were a victim of corporate fraud, misrepresentation or
corporate misconduct you may have a claim pursuant to
various federal and state laws protecting your rights. Ex.
Of claims involving corporate fraud can range from claims
for securities violations to general consumer protection
violations.
Mortgage Lending Abuse (Predatory Lending)
Predatory lending
refers to unconscionable lending practices that take
advantage of vulnerable borrowers, such as the elderly or
unsophisticated. The term also refers to the practice of
convincing borrowers to agree to unfair and abusive loan
terms. Such loans could take place either through outright
deception or through aggressive sales tactics, taking
advantage of borrowers' lack of understanding of extremely
complicated transactions.
One lending
tactic that is generally considered to be "predatory" is
making a secured loan, such as home or car loans, with the
expectation that the borrower will not repay the loan (i.e.
default), and therefore the lender acquires title to the
home or car in a foreclosure sale.
The typical
case is where the monthly payment exceeds 50% or even 75%
the borrower's after-tax income, or the borrowers income is
irregular. While the borrower may be unaware their default
is statistically probable, the lender should be aware of
this and not make such loans.
Mortgage
Lending Over charges
With the
rapid appreciation of real estate in the last five years
many consumers have refinanced their mortgage and tapped in
to the equity in their homes during that time. Many
mortgage lenders and brokers have entered the mortgage
financing industry and unfortunately have taken advantage of
consumers looking to refinance their mortgages by over
charging consumers and often not properly disclosing the
fees associated with the refinancing. As a result
consumers have paid significantly more for refinancing their
mortgage then they should have. In addition some lenders
have also charged fees that they were simply not entitled to
charge.
Product Liability
If you
injured as the result of a defective product you may have a
product liability clam to compensate you for your injuries.
Ex. Of Product Liability may be the defective design of a
car or even a tire for that motor vehicle.
Drug Recalls
As the
miracles of science have advanced in some cases so have the
dangers. If you or a loved one were severely injured by the
side affects of dangerous medication you may have a claim
for compensation. Example of a recent drug recall that
injured many consumers was a prescription for VIOXX
Pharmaceutical Liability
As the
miracles of science have advanced in some cases so have the
dangers. If you or a loved one were severely injured by the
side affects of dangerous medication or a dangerous medical
device you may have a claim for compensation. Examples of
recent pharmaceutical litigation include Vioxx Lawsuits and
litigation over Guidant medical devices.
Discrimination
Unfortunately in this day and age discrimination still
exists. Discrimination can take place in many forms,
whether it is racial, based on gender, in the work place,
sexual orientation, age, and even credit worthiness. There
are numerous federal and state laws available to protect
victims of discrimination.
Unfair Debt Collection Practices
Under
federal law debtors have rights to protect from abusive debt
collection practices. Unfair debt collection practices may
include unlawful threatening letters to a debtor and
unlawful collection techniques.
Credit Reporting Violations
Credit
scores and the importance of credit scores have become a
significant part of the American way of life. Taking into
account the significance of credit scoring and its financial
affect on consumers, Congress formulated laws to protect
consumers from credit reporting abuses and misconduct.
Title Insurance Over charges
In
conjunction with refinancing a mortgage, lenders require
consumers to purchase title insurance to insure that their
property is free form any leans an encumbrances.
Unfortunately that it is a product that consumers do not
routinely shop for or understand they are often over charged
for the services actually received. The additional and
unnecessary costs of the consumer can be considerable.
Credit Card Company Abuse
In this
day and age when consumers rely upon credit more than ever
it is essential that consumers receive the proper protection
from unscrupulous credit card companies. Examples Credit
Card company misconduct may vary from false
misrepresentations regarding their rates and fees to
changing the terms of an agreement without adequate notice.
Insurance Company Misconduct
Many
insurance companies like to promote their services and
represent that their available to the consumer if a claim
arises. However, when a claim does arise many consumers
feel let down when an insurance company denies a claim or
does not fulfill the consumers expectations. There
a re federal and state laws available to protect consumers
of Insurance Company Misconduct.
Whistle blower Claims
A
whistle blower is often a noble individual who reports
corporate or government misconduct. Unfortunately sometimes
the individual who reports misconduct ends up being the
victim of unlawful retaliation. There are federal and state
laws available to protect individuals who “blow the whistle”
on government or corporate misconduct. |
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