| Volume 143 Number 48 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do you think your economic impact payment has landed in the hands of an identity thief? You can report it to the FTC and the IRS at the same time. Here’s what to do. Click here for more.
COVID-19 may have permanently changed the way consumers buy cars
In the past 60 days, there has been a radical change in the way consumers purchase cars and trucks. Dealerships closed their doors but continued to sell cars to consumers who completed the deals online. On Kelley Blue Book’s website, for example, you can shop for cars in your local area and get price information for the make and model of your choice, as well as the color and other options you may want. That part hasn’t changed.
But in the past, a consumer would then head to the dealer to test drive the vehicle, complete the deal, and take delivery. In the post-pandemic world, the entire deal is completed online and the car is delivered to your driveway. Click here for more.
Your Money
If you're behind on payments, here are some debt relief strategies you can try, based on different financial situations. Ask your lender if any of these can work for you, or if they have other suggestions. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Consumer must individually arbitrate claim against debt collector. A federal judge in New Jersey granted a debt collector's request to force a woman behind a proposed class action over its collection letters to arbitrate her Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim on an individual basis. The court found she was bound by an arbitration provision in an underlying credit card agreement. Under the plaintiff’s credit card agreement with the South Dakota-based bank, "arbitration is mandatory for claims by 'you or us,' which explicitly includes FPB and 'the employees, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, beneficiaries, agents and assigns of you and us,'" the judge noted. The judge found that "The collection agreement — particularly the explicit authority to settle claims — makes Rushmore PBC's agent." "As an agent of PBC, Rushmore may enforce the arbitration agreement. ... And the individual defendants are unquestionably Rushmore's employees. Thus, all defendants may enforce the arbitration clause." Tailor et al. v. Rushmore Service Center LLC et al., case number 2:18-cv-13698, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Click here for more.