| Volume 23 Number 6 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Every state is different, but in Texas, a landlord cannot lock you out of your apartment even if you don¿t pay rent. The landlord may change the locks on the door but he must provide a key to allow you to come and go 24 hours a day.
11 Pharmaceutical Companies Settle Class Action Over Drug Prices
Eleven pharmaceutical companies recently settled a class action in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts concerning their alleged inflation of prescription drug wholesale prices for $125 million. In the litigation, consumers and insurance companies accused the companies of fraudulently inflating published average wholesale drug prices. Those wholesale prices led to higher consumer and insurance company payments for branded and generic drugs used to treat serious illnesses like cancer and HIV. Click here for more.
Have You Signed Away Your Right To Sue?
On job-related matters alone, the National Employment LawyersAssociation (nela) estimates that 30 million Americans, or roughly a fifth of the nonunion workforce, have been forced to sign away the right to bring civil claims before a judge or jury. Click here for more.
Donating a Vehicle to Charity
The ads are still out there: "Donate your car and get a tax break." Technically, the ads are true. But some people who give away an old auto might find their tax break smaller than they expected. And a few donors, thanks to the intricacies of vehicle gift guidelines, might be able to boost their deduction amounts. Click here for more.
8 "Hidden" Taxes
Consumers pay hundreds of billions of dollars in "hidden" taxes each year. It's estimated that our federal income tax represents less than HALF of the taxes we pay each year. Click here for more.
Your Money
Should my spouse work, too? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Class action fee award vacated. The Fifth Circuit stated the district court "abdicated its responsibility" to ensure the fee allocations were fair and reasonable using "flawed" procedures "inconsistent with well-established class action principles and basic judicial standards of transparency and fairness." Click here for more.