Most online retailers, including Amazon and eBay, force both buyers to agree to arbitration in lieu of filing a lawsuit against them. Arbitration is an alternate dispute resolution process where a third party arbitrator will review the allegations and make a decision on resolving the issue. The arbitrator’s decision, much like a judge in a
A story I heard on NPR recently highlighted the income potential of retail arbitrage. Fred Ruckel and his wife Natasha make a particularly effective cat toy, and Fred and sold it in his Amazon shop for US$40. Eventually he discovered that scalpers were flipping the toys on eBay for $20 more. It gets worse: when
Wells Fargo bank, one of the largest in the nation, has found itself in hot water after the corporate giant’s unrealistically aggressive sales and incentive structure wound up seeing employees opening thousands of sham accounts and credit cards in unsuspecting clients’ names, later resulting in a $185 million civil settlement. In addition to other illegal
General Motors, GM, has asked for a one year delay in Takata airbag recalls related to GM vehicles so that a research firm, Obital ATK, can complete a study of the airbags. The research is aimed at determining the service life of the inflators, and is scheduled for completion in August 2017. GM claims that
German prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice, DOJ, have Robert Bosch GmbH under investigation in the Volkswagen emission scandal. In July 2016, the district judge preliminarily approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit that was filed against Volkswagen. If final approval is received, the company will compensate those that purchased or leased a
For every public sexual harassment lawsuit covered by the media, there are countless others that never see the light of day. While it may appear a victory for Gretchen Carlson, who received a $20 million settlement from Fox News in response to her complaint against the network regarding the alleged sexual harassment she endured from
When the revelation of a long-buried conspiracy by the sugar industry to blame fat for sugar-related health problems came to light last week, many heads nodded knowingly. There have been whispers for years about the topsy-turvy health advice handed down by the mainstream media and health establishment, recommending low-fat diets for people who wanted to live
Uber Technology Inc. seems to stay in the legal spotlight. According to CNN Money, over 70 lawsuits have been filed against the company since it was founded in 2009. The claims range from classifying contract drivers wrong to discriminating against passengers with service animals. Many of those cases are still pending in court while others
ITT Technical Institute suddenly shut down all of its campuses and online courses on September 6, 2016. By doing so, it puts approximately 8,000 employees out of work without warning. Those employees are fighting back. Former ITT Tech employee lawsuits have been filed in Delaware and Indiana. At least one of those lawsuits has requested
New Jersey could become the first state to ban elephants and other exotic animals in traveling acts. Senate bill S2508 was introduced on September 12, 2016 by cosponsors Raymond Lesniak (D) and Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D). The bill, called “Nosey’s Law”, would ban exotic animals from use in traveling acts, and provide civil penalties for those