| Volume 143 Number 67 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
As the Coronavirus continues to spread, you may be looking for ways to make money without ever stepping foot outside your door. Maybe you saw an ad online for a business coaching program you can do from your living room. Or maybe you got a call about getting paid to stuff envelopes from your dining room table. While these might look like easy ways to earn quick money and stay safe at home – most of these jobs are scams. Click here for more.
FDA adds to growing list of hand sanitizers that could be fatal to consumers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued another warning regarding potentially lethal hand sanitizers. The new warning specifically targets hand sanitizer products containing methanol (aka wood alcohol and ethyl alcohol).
Methanol may be great as a gasoline additive or to produce antifreeze, but it’s completely unacceptable in the FDA’s eyes as an ingredient in hand sanitizers. Whether it’s absorbed through the skin or ingested, a variety of adverse events have been reported in both adults and children who were exposed to the substance. These include blindness, seizures, comas, and even death.
Additionally, the agency has also witnessed an increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (aka ethyl alcohol) but which also test positive for methanol contamination. Click here for more.
Your Money
Procrastinators, your day has arrived. As you probably are well aware, the usual deadline for filing one's taxes – April 15 – was moved up this year to July 15. So if you still haven't done your taxes, and you're wondering what you need to know about Tax Day 2020, here are answers to your top questions. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
DTPA claim dismissed based on Texas Citizen Protection Act. Plaintiff sued under the DTPA, claiming the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas [RCAT] issuance of a private “license” to its members and any resulting advertising is misleading to the "unsuspecting public" because licensure is a term of art associated with an administrative function of the State of Texas. The court of appeals affirmed the dismissal of the suit under the TCPA, finding that RCAT's was exercising its right to free speech, which includes a communication made in connection with a “matter of public concern." The court noted that a matter of public concern includes issues related to "community well-being" or "goods products or services in the market.” Thoman v. Roofing Contractors Ass'n of Tex.,(Tex. App-Austin 2020) Click here for more.