| Volume 63 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Under the law, a landlord cannot withhold money from a security deposit for damage caused by ordinary wear and tear. What’s the best way to prove that you didn’t damage an apartment while you lived there? Take pictures or a video before you move in, and when you move out. Click here for more.
Supreme Court Rules in Walmart Case
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling in the long-standing gender discrimination case against Walmart. In Walmart v. Dukes, the court banned a large sex-discrimination class-action lawsuit because there was not enough commonality among the plaintiffs. According to the opinion, a court must look at the facts to determine whether a class of similarly situated plaintiffs actually exists before allowing the case to proceed. The plaintiffs focused on the tendency of Walmart managers to discriminate against women in hiring and promotion. Lawyers, however, could not point to a single national policy of discrimination. Ultimately, Walmart argued that the female employees did not have enough in common when they worked in different jobs with different supervisors, at 3,400 different locations nationwide. The ruling is a huge victory for Walmart and big-businesses alike, making it even more difficult for plaintiffs to successfully file a class action lawsuit. Why is this ruling so important? Click here for more.
Internet Regulators to Allow New Domains
There are currently twenty two generic top-level domains. Certainly, you've seen dot-com, dot-net, dot-gov, or dot-edu. There are also 290 country suffixes, like dot-uk. Until now, consumers and businesses were limited to the standard-issue domain suffixes available. On Monday, Internet regulators voted to allow virtually unlimited domain suffixes. Starting next year, consumers and businesses can apply for any suffix they like, but there is a catch. There will be an application fee will be $185,000 and a 360-page booklet of rules. Click here for more.
Your Money
Are you better off renting? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Debt collector may attempt to collect a time-barred debt. The Third Circuit held that the FDCPA does not bar collection of a debt after the expiration of the state of limitations. The court noted that, “Although our Court has not yet addressed the issue, the majority of courts have held that when the expiration of the statute of limitations does not invalidate a debt, but merely renders it unenforceable, the FDCPA permits a debt collector to seek voluntary repayment of the time-barred debt so long as the debt collector does not initiate or threaten legal action.” Click here for more.