Wells Fargo last week agreed to pay $6.7 million to settle a class action lawsuit that accused the bank of illegally selling customers’ personal financial data to telemarketers.
As part of the settlement, Wells Fargo will pay $3.2 million to 81 charities and provide $3.5 million worth of online services to customers. Current and former Wells […]

Pennsylvania’s attorney general Jerry Pappert today filed a lawsuit against the nation’s largest manufacturer of bulletproof vest for police for failing to disclose potentially life-threatening flaws in its products.
The lawsuit, filed in a Commonwealth Court, accuses Second Chance Body Armor Inc. of violating Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
“It’s our position that Second […]

A consumer watchdog group is suing three of the nation�s top wireless companies over an alleged “handset-locking” scheme designed to prevent customers from switching companies.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights group filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against T-Mobile, AT&T and Cingular, alleging the companies insert software in the phones they […]

Current and former subscribers of Verizon Wireless will be get two vouchers, which include $30 off a new or renewed contract, a $24 credit on an existing contract, 1,500 free text messages and $15 off Verizon merchandise, as part of a settlement approved by a California judge Thursday.
The class-action lawsuit, Campbell v. AirTouch Cellular and […]

In an effort to curb the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs in Pennsylvania, Attorney General Jerry Pappert sued 13 major pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of unlawful and deceptive pricing and sales practices in a complex scheme to raise drug prices and capture market share by artificially inflating the cost of their drugs, some of which […]

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer accused Pharmacia, GlaxoSmithKline, and Aventis of bribing doctors and pharmacists to favor their products, costing consumers as much as $100 million a year. Spitzer�s lawsuits against the companies allege consumer fraud, commercial bribery and making false statements concerning wholesale prices to government-operated subsidized health plans.
“It is craven, it […]

Microsoft has agreed to pay up to $1.1 billion to settle class action lawsuits brought by California residents who claim the company abused its market position and overcharged for software. Microsoft admitted no wrongdoing under the settlement, and still faces smaller suits in other states. The settlement will be paid in the form of vouchers […]

MANHATTAN, NY — Southern District Judge Richard M. Berman Tuesday ruled a state law banning the direct shipment of out-of-state wines to consumers in New York unconstitutional. The New York law, similar to those in 29 other states, requires all alcoholic beverages shipped into the state be consigned to licensed distributors. Licensed wineries within the […]

SAN FRANCISCO - Qwest Communications International Inc. on Thursday was fined 20.3 million for switching customers’ long-distance telephone service without permission and for adding unauthorized charges on customer bills by the California Public Utilities Commission. Qwest has been ordered to provide refunds for the incidents and institute safeguards to prevent further occurrences, according to a […]