| Volume 141 Number 83 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Look out for this scam! The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you say you never received a summons for jury duty, he will ask you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen. As I have said many times before, don’t give anyone you don’t know your social security number. Click here for more.
Consumer Confidence Dips to Start 2019
A new survey of consumers shows a declining level of confidence in their short-term financial outlook. According to Bankrate’s Financial Outlook Survey, 55 percent of consumers who were questioned don’t expect their financial situation to improve in 2019. This includes 12 percent who think their situation will be worse and 44 percent who think it will stay the same. It follows a December Bankrate survey that found six in 10 employees received neither a raise in their current job nor a better paying job last year, a sizable increase from 2017. Click here for more.
Your Money
Before filing taxes, it's essential to know basic tax terms, concepts and best practices. Understanding these key elements can reduce your tax bill – or score you the largest tax refund – and ensure that you dodge any failure-to-file or late-payment penalties and fees. Whether it's your first time or you're trying to understand how the process will change under the new tax reform law, here's what to know about filing taxes the right way, including answers to common tax questions. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Arbitrator should decide gateway issue of arbitrability. Who should decide the “gateway” issue of arbitrability? That is, should a court or an arbitrator decide whether a particular issue is subject to arbitration? According to the Fourth Circuit, it depends on the agreement to arbitrate. The court held that the “delegation clause” in a credit card agreement dictated that the “gateway” issue of arbitrability was itself subject to arbitration. Specifically, the arbitration provision of the agreement contained a clause that stated “[c]laims subject to arbitration include … disputes related to … enforceability or interpretation of this Agreement.” Novic v. Credit One, No. 17-2168, 2019 WL 103878 (4th Cir. 2019) Click here for more.