CL&P Blog

Industry Lawyer Fact Checks John Oliver on Robocalls

Earlier this week, we posted a link to a John Oliver segment on robocalls.  Eric J. Troutman fact checks Oliver here. Excerpt:

Assertion 5: Robocall Volume Exploded After A Court Decision Overturned the FCC’s Rules Expanding the TCPA

TCPAworld. com Accuracy Score: Liar liar pants on fire

This was the worst part of the bit.

Oliver states that robocalls exploded after ACA Int’l set aside the FCC’s expansion of the TCPA last year. He even throws up a blurry little graph to prove it. * * *

But wait a second. Take a close look at that graph.

What you’ll see is that robocalls actually exploded AFTER the 2015 Omnibus Ruling expanding the TCPA and BEFORE the court set aside those rulings. 

* * *

John Oliver on Pyramid Schemes

 

Or click here.

John Oliver on Debt Buyers

 

or click here. Brilliant. Best line (and one I'm planning to use in my forthcoming FDCPA article): No good guy business model has ever been based on the logic of "what, don't worry about people's legal rights. I'm pretty sure half these unsophisticated morons can't read, right guys?"

Revised List of Schools Teaching Consumer Law This Year

by Jeff Sovern

A few weeks ago, I posted a list of schools offering consumer law courses this year, prepared by my research assistant, Preston Postlethwaite. Because the list was drawn from law school web sites, it omitted some such courses as some web sites were not up-to-date or were inaccessible. A number of people wrote in with additions, and Preston has now prepared a more complete list. It appears below the fold.  As before, if you spot an inaccuracy, please let me know by posting a comment.  Altogether, 53 schools offer the basic course, 21 have a consumer law clinic, and 12 have both a clinic and a basic course. That leaves about two-thirds of the ABA-accredited law school with neither.

AARP, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and Consumer Attorneys of California file amicus briefs in Ninth Circuit Supple appeal

I recently discussed the Ninth Circuit appeal in Cabral v. Supple, a fascinating case about consumer fraud class actions, infomercials, snake oil, the placebo effect, and behavioral economics. Our opening brief was filed last week. Yesterday, three organizations filed amicus briefs supporting us: AARP focused on the effect of marketing techniques aimed at making false health-benefit claims to the elderly, Center for Science in the Public Interest focused on the underlying scientific evidence, and Consumer Attorneys of California focused on the importance of private enforcement and the objectivity of the "reasonable consumer" standard under California consumer-protection law.

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Colbert Report on the Gutierrez "Protect Payday Lenders" Bill

Earlier this year Representative Louis Gutierrez (D-IL) reversed his longstanding opposition to payday lending by sponsoring a bill that would authorize payday loans under federal law for the first time. Represntative Gutierrez is touting the bill as a crack down on payday lending, but a broad coalition of consumer advocacy organizations oppose the legislation because it would legitimize and entrench loans with interest rates of between 390 and 780 percent. The legislation also would reverse President Obama's promise of a national interest rate limit of 36 percent.

Stephen Colbert weighed in on the issue on his Comedy Central program yesterday. Colbert's perspective on the effects of payday lending industry campaign contributions may come as no surprise to CL&P Blog readers. But, fair warning: his remarks may leave you with a whole new perspective on pineapples.

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