Over and over again I have personally witnessed a lemon law plaintiff tear up or actually begin to cry while recounting the numerous repairs involved with their vehicle. Back when I defended lemon law cases, I can recall being amazed at how emotional these people became. I understood that numerous…
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced its list for the safest vehicles of 2007. Not surprisingly, its “Top Safety Picks” did not include a single small car. Four cars, seven SUVs and two minivans made the list which, sadly, also did not include a single domestic brand vehicle.…
Wynn Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn yesterday filed a lawsuit against insurance company Lloyds of London. I can’t help but comment on this lawsuit, not because I have anything of value to say about the law involved, but because the facts giving rise to the lawsuit are so humorous. Wynn is…
Many Hoosiers don’t know that forgiven, or canceled, debt is considered income by the IRS and must be reported as such on an individual or business tax return. Let’s say, for example, that you have $80,000 of credit card debt and are able to negotiate the payment of these accounts…
I recently came across a survey conducted by the California Public Interest Research Group and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2000 and included 66 identity fraud victims who were selected because they had contacted these agencies. Since millions of people have been victims…
Many people don’t realize that the biggest problem with identity theft is not usually liability for the fraudulently incurred debt. Victims of identity theft seldom are saddled with any significant debt as a result of the fraud. The credit card companies and other businesses who deal with the perpetrators usually…
This blog post is going to be short, because there’s really no discussion necessary. When you purchase a car at a dealership, HAVE YOUR FINANCING LINED UP BEFORE YOU VISIT THE DEALERSHIP. Period. It’s that simple. This will help you avoid the possibility of being a victim of a host…
Revised provisions of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act went into effect January 1, 2007. The revisions aren’t significant, but this Act is. It is designed to protect consumers from “deceptive and unconscionable sales acts.” Some deceptive acts are specifically outlined in the Act, such as: 1. Falsely claiming that…
If you watch much Court TV, you know that it’s not uncommon anymore for police to seize an accused’s computer and use information obtained from the hard drive against the accused. But the hard drive is not the only repository of information concerning the computer user’s activities. I just read…
Incoming Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has announced his intent to hold hearings in 2007 aimed at the credit reporting industry. Frank believes that the 2003 Fact Act that provided consumers easier and cheaper access to their credit report may not have gone far…