A consumer problem exists in California and elsewhere over a questionable practice of websites that automatically charge a customer's card for renewing a subscription to a service at the expiration of the membership period. It may be included somewhere in the fine print of the company's terms and conditions that a service will automatically renew at the end of the term and the credit card charged appropriately. Nonetheless, that is not transparent enough for most consumers, and the practice has fueled the initiation of consumer fraud class actions against many automatic renewal practices.
Merchants accuse credit card companies of consumer fraud
A dispute is emerging between merchants around the country and credit card companies that have implemented the new chip readers that are intended to cut down on identity fraud. The conflict is evidenced in California by a recent class action filed in federal court by three merchants against big credit card companies. The lawsuit generally raises issues of consumer fraud against defendant companies that include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and others.
$3.6 million award for employment discrimination by retaliation
A wrongful termination suit in California, which is filed on behalf of an employee against the former employer, may be based on federal or state law, depending upon the facts and issues involved. In some instances, the employee may base an employment discrimination case on both state and federal statutes that have been violated. One general principle of employment law is that it is illegal for the employer to retaliate against an employee who is a legitimate whistle blower or even one who simply tries to report illegality to the employer.
Sexual harassment of housekeepers brings $1 million settlement
Some employers have not learned that they must take sexual harassment claims by employees seriously. In California and all other states, an employer must immediately see to it that there is no possibility of the charges being repeated, even if that means transferring the accused supervisor to another department or location. The employing company must also must quickly make a thorough and objective investigation to determine whether sexual harassment did occur.
