| Volume 115 Number 6 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Have you ever received a notice from an online account saying that someone has tried to access your account from an unknown device and asking if it was you? If it wasn't you, then it is probably time to change your password for that account, and perhaps for all of your other important online accounts. For extra security for your bank and your most important online accounts, you should consider "2 Step Verification," where a new log in requires not only your password, but another code sent to your phone or other device. Click here for more.
Safety Standards for Laundry Pods Announced
To help prevent the increasing number of injuries to children who inhale or eat colorful laundry detergent pods, safety standards for laundry detergent pods packaging have been announced by a ASTM International, an organization that helps establish product standards. The standards were negotiated over the past year by a group of industry representatives, consumer and medical groups, and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2014, almost 12,000 children under the age of 6 inhaled or ingested the contents of laundry packets, and so far 2015 is on pace to increase that number. In July, Consumer Reports stopped recommending laundry pods or packets until safety measures were adopted which resulted in a meaningful drop in the number of injuries. Click here for more.
Your Money
The unpredictable swings in the financial markets lately have many people nervous about their investments. Remember that your retirement savings is a "long-term" investment, and that is how your portfolio should be evaluated and constructed. Depending on your age and time to retirement, your portfolio should be balanced to best withstand market changes. This article has a good discussion of how you should structure your portfolio at different times of your life. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
The Massachusetts Attorney General announced that her office, along with 12 other states and the District of Columbia, had filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Spokeo v. Robins supporting 9th Circuit’s ruling that a violation of a statutory right created by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was, in itself, a sufficient injury to confer standing to sue under Article III of the Constitution. The states asserted that “the damage done by . . . an inaccurate data profile is frequently impossible for the affected consumer to detect or quantify,” and that “Congress rightly has authorized statutory damages for a willful violation of the FCRA.” The AGs noted that, given their limited resources, statutory damage cases and private class actions are needed to supplement their own consumer protection actions. The case is scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court this year. Click here for more.