| Volume 82 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
No health insurance or limited coverage - negotiate with your health care providers. You can negotiate the cost of almost all medical services, and often receive discounts between 10-50%. Let your health care provider know you are self-pay and ask if the price can be adjusted.
For more general information about the law, check out my website. Click here for more.
It Is Now Illegal to Unlock Your Phone
It is now illegal to unlock your smartphone. According to the Librarian of Congress, who handles exemptions to anti-hacking laws, the window to unlock your smartphone ended on January 26.
The reasoning for the abrupt change in policy is unclear. Consumer advocates argue that consumers own the phones and should be able to use them as they desire. Providers like Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon often subsidize the cost of the phones when a consumer signs up for a long term contract. However, if the consumer ends the contract early, he will be required to pay a penalty associated with the true cost of the phone.
To read about the process and implications of unlocking your smartphone,
Click here for more.
Senate Confirms Kerry As Secretary of State
Former Presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is the new Secretary of State, replacing a departing Hillary Clinton.
The United States Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of their (now) former colleague.
To read about John Kerry's confirmation as Secretary of State,
Click here for more.
YouTube to Launch Paid Subscriptions
Are you ready to pay for the right to use YouTube?
According to reports, the popular video website will launch a
subscription model, initially charging consumers between $1 and $5 for the right to view certain channels.
To read about the potential changes,
Click here for more.
Your Money
Simple savings - how fast will your money grow? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Mortgage foreclosure is debt collection under FDCPA. The Sixth Circuit held that a law firm that filed an action to foreclose on a mortgage engaged in “debt collection” subject to the requirements of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The court noted that “every mortgage foreclosure, judicial or otherwise, is undertaken for the very purpose of obtaining payment on the underlying debt, either by persuasion (i.e., forcing a settlement) or compulsion (i.e., obtaining a judgment of foreclosure, selling the home at auction, and applying the proceeds from the sale to pay down the outstanding debt). … Accordingly, mortgage foreclosure is debt collection under the FDCPA.” The court also held that an attorney who meets the general definition of a debt collector “must comply with the FDCPA when engaged in mortgage foreclosure. And a lawyer can satisfy that definition if his principal business purpose is mortgage foreclosure or if he ‘regularly’ performs this function.” Click here for more.