Although renters usually expect to pay through the owner of the property for utilities, they usually only expect to do so if it is specifically included in the lease. According to a recent class action lawsuit against Regus PLC and its subsidiaries, the company allegedly charged fees to its…
One of the requirements for filing a class action lawsuit is that the representatives of the class must have a complaint or complaints against the defendant which adequately represent the complaints of the rest of the class members. If a class representative (or representatives) is offered a settlement from…
When the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case, the decision that the Court reaches in that case can have long-standing consequences for future rulings in similar cases made by courts all over the country. In recent years, class action lawsuits have been particularly contentious in the courts. In…
When class actions are filed, courts need to consider all aspects of the class before determining whether or not it can be certified. This includes whether class members from other states have claims similar enough to the class members of one state, particularly in cases where the lawsuit is…
Most states have local statutes which have been put in place to protect consumers from deceptive and unfair business practices. However, courts must be careful to balance the needs of protecting consumers with the needs of sellers to market their wares. Just such a balance was considered in a…
Courts recognize that the government has an interest in regulating certain forms of speech. However, that interest does not cancel out each citizen’s right to free speech as granted under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. When faced with a lawsuit brought under the First Amendment, the courts will…
In 1991, Congress enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) which specifically prohibits the use of auto-dialers in making calls to a wireless number without the prior express consent of the person being called. The only exception to this rule is in the case of an emergency. One of…
Non-disclosure agreements exist so that companies can safely have discussions about developing ideas of technology without worrying about one company stealing the trade secrets of another. However, the language involved in the non-disclosure agreement is crucial. The line between what information is confidential and what information is not confidential…
As this blog has discussed, non-compete agreements have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. However, they have also grown in severity in some companies, such that they frequently impose undue hardship on an employee’s search for future employment. As a result, courts in some states have grown increasingly unfavorable towards…
Many consumers frequently rely on important information provided by the manufacturer of a product in order to determine whether or not to buy that product. If a product does not list a particular ingredient, such as gluten, which is a protein found in many processed foods, consumers will frequently…