| Volume 117 Number 1 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Halloween has past but zombie debt lives. Shady debt collectors may try to collect on stale debts, or even try to illegally "re-age" old debt on credit reports to make it appear new. The FTC has tips on how to fight off the zombie debt. Click here for more.
CFPB Takes Action Against Employment Background Report Providers
Last week the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against two of the largest employment background screening report providers. The CFPB found that the two providers, which together generated 10 million background checks each year, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to employ reasonable procedures to assure the accuracy of the information contained in reports provided to consumers’ potential employers. The CFPB is ordering the companies to correct their practices, provide $10.5 million in relief to harmed consumers, and pay a $2.5 million civil penalty. Click here for more.
Your Money
One of the best ways to make sure that you are not spending more than you are bringing in is to do a budget. This link discusses why putting together a "seasonal" budget may be a better strategy than a "monthly" budget. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Claim against hospital based on a slip and fall claim is not a health care liability claim (HCLC) under the Texas Medical Liability Act. The Texas Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals decision that the TMLA applied to plaintiff's premises liability claim. The supreme court stated: “We conclude that the record before us does not reflect a substantive nexus between the safety standards Reddic claims the hospital violated and the hospital’s provision of health care.” The court concluded, “Thus, the record does not support the hospital’s contention that Reddic’s claim is an HCLC. Reddic v. E. Texas Med. Ctr. Reg’l Health Care Sys. Click here for more.