| Volume 94 Number 1 |
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
In Texas, there is no wage garnishment except for child support, student loans and certain taxes. A debt collector's threat to garnish your wages when he cannot do so, for example for a credit card debt, violates Texas and federal debt collection laws.
For more general information about the law, check out my website.
Click here for more.
Sony Moves to Cable TV Through Internet
With the rise of on demand video services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, consumer preferences are shirting away from traditional television viewing toward such à la carte alternatives. Hoping to take advantage of modern viewer habits, Sony announced on Tuesday a "cloud-based TV service" including both live channels and on demand entertainment.
In essence, Sony hopes to deliver cable television through existing Internet connections. By moving to an Internet-based service, consumers could conceivably watch live television at home or on-the-go using mobile tablets or phones. In addition to greater consumer accessibility, the introduction of Internet-based television could lower cable prices for everyone.
Would you be interested in Internet-based cable television? When will it hit the market?
Click here for more.
7 Changes to the 1040 Tax Form
It's tax season!
Whether you've got money coming back to you, or you owe Uncle Sam, there are some new tax rules you need to know about.
Although rates will remain the same for most individual taxpayers, there are some particularly notable rate changes for those making over $400,000 a year.
Before you file your taxes, make sure you read about seven changes to
form 1040.
Click here for more.
JPMorgan Settles Madoff Case for $2.6B
According to the United States Attorney, JPMorgan "failed miserably" by turning a blind eye to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
In 2009, Madoff plead guilty to eleven felonies and admitted to operating his wealth management company as a massive Ponzi scheme.
As part of a settlement with the government, JPMorgan will pay $2.6 billion in penalties. No individuals associated with the bank will be prosecuted.
Click here for more.
Your Money
Will you be able to pay back your student loans?
Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Arbitration agreement in attorney’s retainer agreement must be fully disclosed.
The Ninth Circuit held that an arbitration clause in an attorney retainer agreement was unconscionable and unenforceable under a Washington state law that makes arbitration clauses material provisions in attorney retainer agreements and, as such, enforceable only if “fully disclosed.”
The court held the relevant Washington state law is not preempted by the FAA because (1) it does not make arbitration “slower, more costly, [or] more likely to generate [a] procedural morass”; (2) it does not specify “the manner in which the arbitration could or should be conducted,” but relates instead only to “defects in the process of contract formation” under “general principles of contract law”; and (3) it does not “single out or place any additional burden on arbitration provisions” since it merely “clarifies” that arbitration clauses are material provisions of attorney retainer agreements and that, accordingly, they must be fully disclosed like other material provisions of such agreements.
Click here for more.