| Volume 142 Number 4 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Getting calls from the SSA? Probably not. At least, not from the real SSA. But how many of you have gotten calls from someone who said they were the Social Security Administration? And maybe showed the real SSA phone number (1-800-772-1213) or a number close to it on your caller ID? Click here for more.
Texas legislature aims to stop Tesla from repairing its cars in the state
The Texas legislature is taking up a bill that would prevent automobile manufacturers from repairing the cars they make -- a move some believe is aimed at Tesla. The proposed legislation would change the language in the state’s transportation regulations to prohibit manufacturers from performing service and repairs on the cars and trucks they sell. It would not affect dealerships since they only sell vehicles, they don’t produce them. The brand it would seem to affect most is Tesla, which has had a rocky relationship with Austin over the years. The bill under consideration states that an automobile manufacturer may not have a stake in a business that provides service to the vehicles it produces. Click here for more.
Your Money
Buying a home is exciting, but for many first-time and younger buyers, there's one thing that stands in the way: a down payment. According to a 2018 survey from rental marketplace Apartment List, 61.7 percent of millennials who want to buy a home said they can't afford a down payment. The good news is homebuyers can get help. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Lack of concrete harm doomed a proposed class action. The Third Circuit refused to disturb a New Jersey federal judge's conclusion that Ahmed Kamal lacked Article III standing to sue J. Crew Group Inc. for alleged violations of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. The court held that because Kamal had alleged only a technical violation of the statute and not any actual, concrete harm as required by the Supreme Court's landmark Spokeo decision. While Congress enacted FACTA to combat identity theft, the court noted lawmakers have been clear that "not all procedural violations of [the statute] amount to concrete harm.” This includes a failure to remove the expiration date from receipts, which Congress has found doesn't pose a risk of harm to consumers if credit card numbers are properly truncated, the panel noted. Although Kamal's claims didn't involve expiration date truncation, the information that he claims was improperly printed on his receipts — the first six digits of his credit card number — is typically viewed as being relatively harmless because these numbers reveal only the issuing bank and card type, information that is already permissibly printed elsewhere on the receipt and therefore doesn't increase the risk of identity theft, according to the panel. Kamal v. J. Crew Group Inc. et al., case numbers 17-2345 and 17-2453, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Click here for more.