The FCC has issued a Declaratory Ruling extending the emergency purpose exemption in the TCPA to include calls and texts from both utility companies and schools. The Ruling, in effect, expands the scope of “prior express consent” for these organizations to consumers and parents who have previously provided a wireless number. This latest Declaratory Ruling […]

Automated calls, texts, and similar communications are not allowed under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) unless “prior express consent” has been given to the company behind them. But what is “prior express consent” and can it be revoked? Prior express consent has been defined by the courts as “unambiguous written consent.” That seems fairly

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: June 27, 2016 The FTC recently issued a challenge to software developers: find a solution to effectively and easily block robocalls and receive a $50,000 prize. The challenge garnered over 800 submissions, but only two made the final cut. Serdar Danis and Aaron

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: June 20, 2016 HSBC has agreed to pay $1.58 billion to settle a class action lawsuit – now in its 14th year – regarding alleged misleading business practices during the subprime lending crisis. The settlement has not yet been approved by the courts,

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: June 13, 2016 A federal judge in Atlanta has approved a class action lawsuit against CapitalOne filed by consumers who claim to have been bombarded by robocalls from the banking giant. According to the plaintiffs, CapitalOne robocalls were so persistent, phones were rendered

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: June 7, 2016 The TCPA prohibits non-emergency calls from autodialers to cellphone numbers unless “prior express consent” is given by the owner of the number. But what exactly is “prior express consent” and are some companies abusing this relatively vague term to harass

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: June 3, 2016 On June 2nd, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed new regulations to protect consumers against “debt traps” created by short-term lenders. Often simply called “payday” or “auto-title” loans, these high-interest loans typically have the largest impact on men and

In May, the Obama administration signed into law a bill that extends overtime pay to more than 4.2 million Americans. Currently, if you make under $23,660 a year, you are automatically eligible for overtime pay. As of December 1, 2016, this benefit will be extended to salaried employees who make up to $47,476 a year

Consumer Rights Law Firm Serving Clients in Chicago, Illinois, and Nationwide Posted: May 31, 2016 A new law has opened the door to robocalls to cellphones from debt collectors acting on behalf of the federal government. With its passage, this law allows automated collection calls to the cellphones of people with student loans, back taxes,