| Volume 120 Number 9 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
The law limits how long you may be sued for a debt. In Texas most debts have a four-year limitation period. If you are sued after that time, you have a defense based on what the law calls the "Statute of Limitations."
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Privacy Versus Security
A court order demanding that Apple Inc. help the U.S. government unlock the encrypted iPhone 5C of one of the San Bernardino shooters is shaping up as a crucial test case of how far the government can go in forcing technology companies to help security and intelligence investigations. Civil liberty groups are worried that forcing companies to crack their own encryption endangers the technical integrity of the Internet, and that this threatens not just the privacy of customers, but potentially that of citizens of any country.
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Your Money
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau discovered a financial scam targeting older consumers who had previously been victims of fraudulent money-making schemes, such as bogus timeshare investments and in-home business opportunities. A typical scam involves a so-called asset recovery company which contacts past victims, promising to get the victims refunds for a substantial fee, but then fails to deliver. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
When an insured joins claims under the Texas Insurance Code tie-in provisions and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA) with a bad faith claim, there can be no liability on either statutory claim if there is no merit to the bad faith claim. This case involves a dispute between a policyholder and her insurer regarding the extent of damages and amount of loss suffered to Plaintiff's property. Plaintiff alleges bad faith and violations of the Texas Insurance Code and DTPA. Because Plaintiff has voluntarily dismissed her bad faith claims in this case, the Court finds that the statutory claims must also be dismissed. Cathy Broxterman v. State Farm Lloyds Click here for more.