| Volume 142 Number 47 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Who wouldn’t love getting paid to shop and dine at cool places and then review them? Whether you’re a student looking for a summer job or someone wanting to start a side or full-time business, mystery shopping sounds like an exciting option. But while some mystery shopping opportunities are legitimate, many are scams that rob you, not pay you. Click here for more.
Top cruise destinations feature off-the-beaten-path locations for consumers looking to get away
While 2019 may be half over, there’s still plenty of time to travel. Thanks to Hurricane Barry, hotel prices have dropped considerably in New Orleans -- and thanks to increased competition, transatlantic airfares have never been better. Cruising is a sweet deal, too -- particularly Alaska and Europe. But where to go, right? Cruise Critic, an online cruise review and community site, has unveiled the victors of its latest Cruisers' Choice Destination Awards, a ranking based entirely on consumer ratings.
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Your Money
When you hear the term "credit card charge off," you might think it means the creditor has given up on being paid and you no longer owe any money. On the contrary, a credit card charge off means you are more than 180 days late on your payment and the credit issuer considers the debt uncollectible. As for having to pay it back, you're not going to get off that easily. Credit card charge offs are on the rise in recent months. According to the Federal Reserve, the credit card charge-off rate rose to more than 3.8% in the first quarter of 2019, the highest level since 2012. Though increasingly common, a credit card charge off is not something you want to ever appear on your credit report. Here's a closer look at what credit card charge offs are all about and the impact they can have on your financial life. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
$1.8 billion in robocall damages reduced to $32 million. The Eighth Circuit refused to put marketing company ccAdvertising on the hook for more than $1.6 billion in statutory damages for making millions of illegal robocalls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act The court found that the lower court was right to reduce the "shockingly large" sum to $32.4 million. The TCPA provides for uncapped statutory damages of $500 per violation, an amount that can only be reduced if the award is deemed unconstitutional. The lower court did just that, finding that the $1.6 billion in statutory damages required by the TCPA was "obviously unreasonable and wholly disproportionate to the offense" and that a penalty of $10 per call was more appropriate. A three-judge Eighth Circuit panel on Tuesday agreed with the district court's assessment that a $1.6 billion award would violate the Constitution's due process clause, finding that ccAdvertising's conduct didn't warrant the "shockingly large" penalty. Ron Golan et al v. FreeEats.com Inc. et al, case number17-3156, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Click here for more.