| Volume 77 Number 9 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Texas generally does not allow your wages to be garnished, even if you are sued. The exceptions are debts for child support, student loans and certain taxes. Click here for more.
Facebook Privacy Settings & Updates
With 955 million unique users, chances are high that you, or someone you know, uses Facebook. Today, we take a look at some important Facebook news and updates.
Facebook launched a new mobile application yesterday. The new mobile application is a complete rewrite, offering consumers a brand new alternative to the previous edition. According to reports, the new mobile app is significantly faster than previous editions.
Next time you conduct a search on Facebook, you may need to be careful what you click on. Why? Because Facebook will now include advertisements in the search results. For example, if you're looking for a Las Vegas hotel to "LIKE," a search will yield results for gambling applications. Remember, whenever you add an application on Facebook, you're allowing that company to extract some of your personal information.
Next time you log in to Facebook, make sure you take a moment to update your privacy settings. Click here for more.
Lawsuit Alleges Travel Site Price Fixing
Have hotel prices seemed a little high recently? Two plaintiffs out of Iowa, represented by a Seattle a law firm, are alleging that several major hotel companies have been conspiring with travel websites to set a minimum room rate for consumers. The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, primarily focuses on Hilton Hotels, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, and Marriott International conspiring with Expedia, Travelocity, and Priceline. In essence, the lawsuit alleges that the sites offer only cosmetic differences with the same prices offered on every site, creating the illusion that consumers can spend time "researching" the Internet for good deals.
Click here for more.
Your Money
How much of your social security benefit may be taxed? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Lawyer cannot enforce arbitration agreement in retainer contract. The Supreme Court of Louisiana held that an attorney could not enforce an arbitration clause when a former client sued him for malpractice. The plaintiff argued that the arbitration clause could not be enforced because the state’s rules of professional conduct prohibit lawyers from limiting liability to a client unless the client is independently represented by counsel when the retainer agreement is negotiated. The state supreme court rejected a per se rule against arbitration clauses in attorney-client retainer agreements. However, the court emphasized that such provisions must be “fair and reasonable” to the client. In this case, the court decided that the defendant’s arbitration clause was unenforceable because he failed to make the necessary disclosures to the plaintiff. Click here for more.