| Volume 143 Number 7 |
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
So far, this year has seen devastating wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and flooding, crippling snow and ice storms. These kinds of severe weather and natural disasters can occur anywhere — sometimes with little warning. Here are some practical tips to help you prepare for, deal with, and recover from a weather emergency. Click here for more.
FedEx warns consumers about package tracking scam
Millions of people get packages from FedEx every day, so scammers have used that fact to steal money from many of these consumers. The package delivery company has taken the step of warning consumers to be extremely skeptical of communication that appears to come from the company. In nearly every case, the message is from an imposter. The company says it is aware of texts that appear to be tracking documents from FedEx. The messages contain a tracking code and provide a link for consumers to set their delivery preferences. If you happen to follow the link, it will take you to a page that appears to be an Amazon satisfaction survey -- only it’s not. It’s a look-alike page set up by the scammer. Consumers are then asked to enter a credit card number in order to claim a free product. Click here for more.
Your Money
When you think about buying a house, you think about the plentiful cabinet space you hope to find in the kitchen, or ample bedroom size. You probably aren't thinking about the home appraisal. If you're selling a home, you're probably daydreaming about the home you plan on moving into next. You're probably wondering how much you can sell your home for, too. But whether you're selling or buying, you probably aren't thinking much about the home appraisal process. It isn't one of the most glamorous parts of buying or selling a home, and yet if home appraisals disappeared tomorrow, the real estate market would come crashing down. So if you're about to buy or sell a home and know little about appraisals, it's time to change that. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
One-year contractual limit bars wrongful death suit. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a suit accusing a home security company of causing a customer's death in a house fire, saying in that a contractual provision setting a one-year time limit for civil claims was valid and enforceable. The three-judge panel unanimously affirmed a Kansas federal judge's decision to grant ADT LLC's motion to dismiss in a suit accusing the company of causing the death of customer, who died of smoke inhalation in August 2016 as a result of an accidental fire at her home. Julie Frost et al. v. ADT, case number 18-3259, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Click here for more.