| Volume 143 Number 44 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
If you have student loan debt, you’ve probably heard that the new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act gives some flexibility to federal student loan borrowers. Understanding these options can help you make more informed decisions about paying your bills and prioritizing your debts. Click here for more.
Automakers offer warranty extensions because of COVID-19
In a gracious gesture for its vehicle owners whose lives have been paused because of COVID-19, Porsche, KIA, and Hyundai are tacking on an extra three months to the warranty period for new vehicles. Extended warranties can be a can of worms, so consumers need to do their homework to pick the best one for them. Click here for more.
Your Money
Some mortgage lenders have tightened credit standards as they brace for a surge of delinquencies, defaults and forbearance requests due to the COVID-19 economic slowdown. Lenders are less willing to take on risk, in general, even if you have a steady income and a strong credit record. You'll face more scrutiny if you applied for a mortgage, but your hours were cut and your credit is weak. Here's how the coronavirus pandemic has changed getting a mortgage and what you need to know to improve your chances of approval. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
TCPA consent cannot be revoked. The Eleventh Circuit held that consumers who consent to receive Telephone Consumer Protection Act-barred robocalls through a binding contract can't later revoke that permission, even though federal regulations say consent can be revoked at any time. The panel let Dish Network off the hook for alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act finding the satellite provider had permission to continue robocalling a subscriber under that individual's service contract. Although onetime Dish customer Linda Medley and her legal team repeatedly reached out to the company to try to revoke her consent, the Eleventh Circuit said she can't withdraw permission built into a legally binding agreement. "Permitting Medley to unilaterally revoke a mutually-agreed-upon term in a contract would run counter to black-letter contract law in effect at the time Congress enacted the TCPA," the panel said. Linda Medley v. Dish Network, LLC, case number 18-13841, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Click here for more.