| Volume 143 Number 69 |
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
Facemasks and other types of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been in high demand since the COVID pandemic began. Many people have flocked to online retailers to place orders. According to the FTC, some people have paid money and waited, and waited, and waited. Click here for more.
IRS offers last-minute advice with July 15 tax-filing deadline quickly approaching
With the new July 15 tax-filing deadline looming large, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) wants Americans to know that they’re not being left out in the woods and that there are tools and services aplenty to help them file and meet their responsibility as a taxpayer.
At the top of the service list is the reminder that the IRS provides tax help 24/7 online at IRS.gov. It doesn’t matter if a taxpayer has a question about how to make a payment or if they’d like an extension; the IRS thinks its website can help last-minute filers on just about everything related to taxes. Click here for more.
Your Money
Tapping home equity can be a lifeline as emergency savings dry up for many Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. Closing quickly on a home equity loan is easier now, but approval may be harder as lenders seek to limit risk. A new rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau speeds up home equity loan closings if homeowners are struggling because of the COVID-19 crisis. But the pandemic has led some lenders to pause applications for home equity loans, and others have enacted stricter lending standards. A surge in layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours could make qualifying for loans tough for consumers. If you've built home equity and face pandemic-induced financial strain, here's what to consider before you apply for a home equity loan. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Court holds veterinarian exempt from DTPA. The Texas Occupations Code states: Subchapter E, Chapter 17, Business & Commerce Code, does not apply to a claim against a veterinarian for damages alleged to have resulted from veterinary malpractice or negligence.122 This provision appears to require negligence or malpractice. Consumer sued her veterinarian alleging negligence and DTPA misrepresentations. The Austin Court of Appeals held that the exemption applied, despite the fact that there was no evidence of negligence or damages produced by negligence, and summary judgment was entered on this claim. An interesting question arising in the application of this provision is whether there must actually be “negligence” to bar the DTPA claim, or is a mere “allegation” sufficient? Should consumer be careful about adding a negligence claim in a suit against a veterinarian? Connor v. Hill Country Animal Hosp.,2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 9133 (Tex. App. 2019, no pet. h.) Click here for more.