| Volume 143 Number 62 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do you wear contacts? If so, read on. You have the right to get your contact lens prescription from your eye care prescriber — whether you ask for it or not — at no extra charge. Click here for more.
Used cars just got cheaper, thanks to Hertz
The wholesale cost of used cars has plunged since February due to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They’ve gotten even cheaper now that Hertz has declared bankruptcy.
As it seeks to raise cash, the struggling car rental company is increasing the number of its cars it is selling into the used car market. But unlike the wholesale market, where dealers may not pass on lower prices to buyers, Hertz sells its cars directly to consumers.
HertzCarSales.com is a portal where late-model vehicles are offered to the public after they reach a certain mileage limit and need to be retired from the fleet. Since current rental cars are sitting unused during the big drop in travel, and since Hertz is in desperate need of cash, some of these cars are also being offered for sale. Click here for more.
Your Money
Rent-to-own homes can offer an alternative path to home ownership for people who can't qualify for a mortgage or lack a down payment. Under a rent-to-own agreement, you can move in and rent a home, with the option of buying it later – but this strategy can be risky. Less scrupulous sellers may take advantage of the fact that rent-to-own tenants may not have as many rights as homeowners. Depending on the terms of the rent-to-own agreement, the seller may have the right to evict a tenant, keep the money that was put toward the purchase and then rent the home to a different tenant. Here's what to know if you're considering a rent-to-own agreement. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Punitive damage award under Fair Credit Reporting Act reversed. The Eleventh Circuit ruled that the credit reporting company's actions misreporting a consumer's credit history were not willful violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and did not warrant punitive damages. The court found that, though Experian Information Solutions Inc. acted negligently with regard to consumer Shaun Younger — whose disputed debt the company refused to investigate — there was no proof at trial demonstrating that this action was something other than just careless. The verdict of willfulness cannot stand on this record.” Younger v. Experian Information Solutions Inc. LLC, case numbers 19-11487 and 19-11940, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Click here for more.