| Volume 111 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Before your drop your car off for service, it is a good idea to make sure that the shop has a good reputation. When you do drop your vehicle off, don't leave without a written estimate of exactly what the shop is authorized to do and what it should cost. You need to make sure that you have everything squared away because under Texas law the shop will usually have a "mechanic's lien" on the vehicle once they commence work, and won't have to release it until you pay, even if you dispute the amount of the charges. Click here for more.
Blue Bell Ice Cream Will Return
Blue Bell Creameries of Brenham, Texas was shut down due to listeria contamination in its manufacturing operations. There was concern that the privately held company might not be able to return to the market after the shut down, but it just announced that Texas billionaire Sid Bass has made an investment in the company that should allow it to return to production. Click here for more.
Your Money
President Obama's myRA retirement accounts allow people who don't have access to employer sponsored retirement plans the chance to invest in their retirement with a no-fee plan. While the program only invests in U.S. bonds, and therefore the returns will be low so long as interest rates remain low, for some people this may be a good investment option. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
The Seventh Circuit recently ruled that an contract assigned to Sprint from a prior cellular carrier allowed it to compel arbitration of a class action suit under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Despite that, in the opinion Judge Posner observed: “It’s not clear that arbitration, which can be expensive because of the high fees charged by some arbitrators and which fails to create precedents to guide the resolution of future disputes, should be preferred to litigation.” Andermann v. Sprint Spectrum (6th Cir. 2015) Click here for more.