| Volume 86 Number 8 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
If you are receiving emails that appear to be from PayPal, a bank, or a credit card company telling you about "a recent charge to your account," ignore them. Do not click on any link to verify your account or dispute the charge. If you want to check with your credit card company, the phone number is on your card. If you think the notice may be real, wait until you receive your credit card bill and then dispute it. These are scams designed to get your private information.
For more general information about the law, check out my website.
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Yahoo to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion
According to numerous reports, Yahoo's board of directors has authorized the purchase of blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion. As of May 19, the popular site had over 108 million user blogs, making it one of the most viable social websites on the Internet.
Yahoo, which plans to pay cash for the site, will be able to tap into the young and active online community for future gains.
Will Tumblr change in the wake of the Yahoo buyout?
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Netflix to Let Viacom Deal Expire
Expect to notice big changes to your Netflix lineup, especially if you have children.
Citing high costs and a desire to curate its content, Netflix plans to let its contract with Viacom expire. As a result, Netflix consumers will no longer be able to stream Nickelodeon, MTV, or BET television content. Currently, Nickelodeon shows make up a significant portion of Netflix kids package.
Will you keep Netflix without access to Viacom content?
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Student Loan Debt & Delinquency
Every year, college graduates leave school with more and more student loan debt. Unfortunately, many students leave with so much debt that they simply can't keep up with their payments. In fact, students from the class of 2013 will leave school with an average of $35,200 in college-related debt.
When it comes to student loan delinquency, not all states are equal. West Virginia has the highest rate of default at 17.8%, while South Dakota has the lowest rate at 6.6%.
Where does your state rank?
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Your Money
Will you save money by refinancing your mortgage?
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For the Lawyers
Consumer can recover damages for emotional distress under FCRA. The Tenth Circuit held that a consumer produced sufficient evidence of emotional injury to proceed with a claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The plaintiff sued under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, alleging that the defendant breached duties imposed on furnishers of credit information when provided with notice of a credit dispute. The court held that the plaintiff’s evidence failed to establish that he sustained economic damage in the form of a ruined credit rating or the denial of further financing. However, the court found that the plaintiff could proceed based on his contention that he suffered emotional distress that caused his health to deteriorate as a result of the defendant’s negative credit reports. “Plaintiff described the circumstances surrounding his injury in reasonable and sufficient detail that he was not required to produce further evidence of his emotional distress. We conclude that his affidavit alone created a genuine dispute as to whether the [defendant’s] actions caused him to suffer emotional damages,” the court said.
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