| Volume 142 Number 64 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Does your child love YouTube videos? Did you know that while little Susie was watching her favorite shows, YouTube was collecting data and using it to send her targeted ads? Click here for more.
Consumers could see higher prices on many products due to tariffs
While many consumers were in the middle of a relaxing Labor Day weekend, a new round of tariffs on Chinese goods went into effect. Unfortunately, an industry group warns that the move spells trouble for consumers. On Sunday, President Trump imposed a 15 percent tariff on $112 billion worth of Chinese imports, mostly consumer goods. U.S. industry leaders, who have mostly reserved comment on the escalating trade war, are becoming more vocal. Click here for more.
Your Money
Creating an emergency fund is a crucial component of building a healthy financial foundation. How much cash you keep in reserves can depend on your circumstances, but a general rule of thumb is three to six months of expenses. If you have a stable job and steady income stream, you may find a smaller emergency fund meets your needs. Conversely, if you have an irregular income, you may want a larger cash reserve. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
A single unsolicited text message doesn't generate the harm necessary to sustain Telephone Consumer Protection Act claims. The Eleventh Circuit ruled that receiving a single unsolicited text message doesn't generate the harm under Spokeo necessary to sustain Telephone Consumer Protection Act claims, complicating plaintiffs' path to asserting such allegations across large classes. The opinion, which reversed a decision to allow plaintiff John Salcedo to proceed with claims over an unsolicited text he received from his former lawyer Alex A. Hanna, also creates a circuit split on Article III standing that may push the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the concreteness requirement the high court established in its Spokeo decision. In its 22-page decision, the Eleventh Circuit found that its own precedent, the legislative history of the TCPA and the Supreme Court's decision in Spokeo provided little support for treating Salcedo’s allegations as the type of intangible harm that could confer standing. The court distinguished Salcedo’s allegations “of a brief, inconsequential annoyance” from receiving one text message from the “real but intangible harms” that Congress intended for the TCPA to remedy, which include having family dinners interrupted by a ringing telephone and having cellphone lines tied up for long periods of time. Salcedo v. Hanna et al., case number 17-14077, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Click here for more.