| Volume 134 Number 7 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
You have won a free iPad! No you didn’t, and don’t respond to the email. Like many other “phishing” scams, this one just wants some of your personal information. Just say no, and delete the email.
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Supreme Court refuses to block more ignition switch cases against GM: The automaker could face up to $10 billion in new death and injury claims
The Supreme Court has refused to give General Motors blanket immunity from lawsuits by families of consumers killed and injured by defective ignition switches in small GM sedans. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case means that GM is now potentially liable for hundreds of new wrongful death and personal injury cases. GM has already paid more than $2 billion to settle cases arising from the defect. The defective ignition switches were installed on 2.6 million cars. They can slip out of the "on" position, causing the engine to shut down and leaving the driver with no power brakes or power steering and no airbags. At least 124 deaths have been blamed on the defect.
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Your Money
The 5 Biggest Financial Mistakes People Make In Their 40's. 1. Buying the biggest house they can afford before maxing out retirement. 2. Under-insuring. Arguably the most important insurance you’ll need in your 40’s is disability insurance. 3. Trying to time the market. Waiting to invest due to fears of a short-term loss ignores one of the key fundamentals of investing. 4. Allowing kids’ activities to take priority over other goals. Putting just one $10,000 season on a 17% rate card could cost you almost double that amount in interest by the time you pay it off. 5. Over-withholding on taxes then spending the refund on Disney. As interest rates begin to rise back to more reasonable levels again, letting the IRS serve as your savings account is an even worse idea than it was before. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
California Supreme Court limits scope of arbitration clause. The California Supreme Court has unanimously held that arbitration agreements can't block consumers from seeking injunctive relief that benefits the general public under California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA) and Unfair Competition Law (UCL). McGill v. Citibank (Cal. 2017). Click here for more.