The People's Lawyer Consumer News Alert
Center for Consumer Law
  Volume 86 Number 10

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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day

Immediately review your bank statements and returned checks for forgeries. Promptly report any problems to your bank. A short delay may cost you your legal rights.



For more general information about the law, visit my website.

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Forecasters Predict Active Hurricane Season

On Thursday, a group of forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an outlook for the upcoming hurricane season. According to the group, the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season could have as many as twenty named storms and six "major" hurricanes.



Although last year was one of the busiest on record for the Atlantic, only two hurricanes were considered "major." However, one of those storms was "Superstorm Sandy," which was the second costliest hurricane in United States history.



This year, make sure you're prepared!


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Teens Moving Toward Twitter

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, teens are losing interest in Facebook and moving toward other social media outlets.



But why?



In the aggregate, teens don't like that adults (like parents) use the site. Furthermore, many of the teens surveyed complained about "over-sharing" and "drama" on the popular social networking site. As a result, statistics show that teens are switching to Twitter, where many felt they were freed from the "expectations and constraints of Facebook."



Is Facebook losing its cool-factor?

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Your Money

What is the after-tax cost of owning a second home for personal use?
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For the Lawyers

Attorneys’ fees must be tied to redemption value of coupons.

The Ninth Circuit held that an attorneys’ fee award to class counsel violated the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”), and specifically 28 U.S.C. § 1712(a)-(c), which governs the calculation of attorneys’ fees in class action cases containing a coupon component. The court held that when a settlement provides for coupon relief, either in whole or in part, any attorneys’ fee that is “attributable to the award of coupons” must be calculated using the redemption value of the coupons.

The court reversed the district court’s award and remanded, because the district court awarded fees that were “attributable to” the coupon relief, but failed to first calculate the redemption value of those coupons.
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