| Volume 143 Number 36 |
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
Have you been video conferencing during these days of social distancing? It's a good idea to review some basic tips to stay safe while doing it. Click here for more.
Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles recalled
Chrysler is recalling 425,588 model year 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles. The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver's visibility in certain weather conditions. Click here for more.
Your Money
Social distancing leaves many small businesses across the country fighting to stay alive. As they scramble to meet payroll and make debt payments, the U.S. rescue fund for small businesses has run out of cash. The CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration to back Paycheck Protection Program loans of up to $10 million for qualified small businesses and nonprofits. PPP loans are forgivable when used to keep workers on payrolls.SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans offered up to $2 million in direct disaster loans for businesses, with loan advance grants of up to $10,000 per business. Both PPP and EIDL programs can no longer accept applications because of a lapse in funding. For small businesses that still need financial assistance to survive the COVID-19 crisis, it's not clear when or if the SBA will deliver more PPP or EIDL funding. But there are other options. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
DTPA implied warranty claim against remote manufacturer permitted. A U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has allowed a DTPA implied warranty claim against an automobile manufacturer to proceed, notwithstanding Texas Supreme Court language that appears to prohibit such suits. The court noted that in PPG Indus., Inc. v. JMB/Houston Ctrs. Partners Ltd. P'ship, the Texas Supreme Court explained that "a downstream buyer can sue a remote seller for breach of implied warranty, but cannot sue under the DTPA." 146 S.W. 3d. 79, 87 (Tex. 2004) (emphasis in original). The court continues, however, to note that “BMW mischaracterizes the holding of this case in its application here”. Click here for more.