Law Commons^™

Complex Decision-Making And Cognitive Aging Call For Enhanced Protection Of Seniors Contemplating Reverse Mortgages, 46 Ariz. St. L.J. 299 (2014), Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin, Joseph Mikels, Amber Schonbrun Mcdonnell

Debra Pogrund Stark

This article analyzes the factors that affect the effectiveness of the current rules and counseling protocol in enabling seniors to make well-informed decisions on whether to enter into a proposed reverse mortgage in light of the cognitive barriers that consumers in general, and seniors in particular, face. The article then proposes further changes to these rules and the counseling protocol to better enable seniors to determine whether entering into reverse mortgages is in their best interest in light of their specific financial situations and goals. Section I provides an overview of the current status of the law relating to reverse …

"Dodd-Frank 2.0: Creating Interactive Home-Loan Disclosures To Enable Shrewd Consumer Decision-Making", Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin, Mark Leboeuf, Andrew Pizor

Debra Pogrund Stark

No abstract provided.

Dysfunctional Contracts And The Laws And Practices That Enable Them: An Empirical Analysis, 46 Ind. L. Rev. 797 (2013), Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin, Eileen Linnabery

Debra Pogrund Stark

While many courts refuse to strike down these clauses under the unconscionability test, this Article argues that the results from the Remedies Experiment should lead courts to adopt a different set of tests for ruling on the enforceability of limitation-of-remedy clauses in home purchase contracts. Part I of this Article highlights the relevant results from two empirical studies Professor Stark conducted regarding major problems with the fairness of purchase agreement forms used by residential real estate developers in Illinois. Part I also discusses the lack of home purchaser understanding of key relevant laws and legal documents examined in an empirical …

Dodd-Frank 2.0: Creating Interactive Home-Loan Disclosures To Enable Shrewd Consumer Decision-Making, 27 Loy. Consumer L. Rev. 95 (2014), Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin, Mark A. Leboeuf, Andrew Pizor

Debra Pogrund Stark

In Section I, we summarize and analyze the Dodd-Frank laws that were enacted to regulate home loan terms and the key changes made to the home loan disclosure rules and forms, critiquing in particular the changes made to the APR component of the new CFPB disclosure form. In Section II, we detail and report on the methods and results from two APR Experiments we conducted (one using eyetracking technology to see which areas of the disclosure form participants were looking at and for how long); we also report on the low level of financial literacy of the participants reflected in …

Does Fraud Pay - An Empirical Analysis Of Attorney's Fees Provisions In Consumer Fraud Statutes , Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin

Debra Pogrund Stark

The discretionary language in some consumer fraud statutes may cause consumers and lawyers to be less likely to decide to bring even a strong meritorious consumer fraud case, impeding the articulated legislative policy to promote the bringing of such cases. These statutes should be modified to eliminate such discretion by the courts. Part II of the Article sets out the economic dilemma a typical consumer faces in deciding whether to bring an action under the common law to be compensated for her losses when she has been defrauded (the "economic feasibility" issue). It then discusses the legislative response to the …

Does Fraud Pay? An Empirical Analysis Of Attorney's Fees Provisions In Consumer Fraud Statutes, 56 Clev. St. L. Rev. 483 (2008), Debra Pogrund Stark, Jessica M. Choplin

Debra Pogrund Stark

No abstract provided.

Still Chasing Chimeras But Finally Slaying Some Dragons In The Quest For Consumer Bankruptcy Reform, 25 Loy. Consumer L. Rev. 1 (2012), Jason Kilborn

Jason Kilborn

Consumer bankruptcy systems in Europe and the United States have witnessed especially robust and dynamic development during the past decade. The ever-rising volume of seeking entry to these systems now allows for cross-systemic comparisons of substantially differing “markets” for the relief that these systems offer. In particular, the distinct trend toward greater efficiency seen in other financial markets can be increasingly observed in most consumer bankruptcy regimes, with some notable exceptions. In this context, market performance can be gauged in part by the degree to which systems offer efficient and effective relief as a stimulus to deploying available debtor resources …

Behavioral Economics, Overindebtedness & Comparative Consumer Bankruptcy: Searching For Causes And Evaluating Solutions, 22 Emory Bankr. Dev. J. 13 (2005), Jason Kilborn

Jason Kilborn

No abstract provided.

La Directiva 2005/29/Ce Relativa A Las Prácticas Comerciales Desleales: Su Aplicación En La Protección De Los Consumidores De Productos Alimenticios, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

Directive 2005/29/EC on Unfair Commercial Practices was adopted on 11 May 2005 to help consumers benefit from the Internal Market by removing regulatory barriers, deriving from divergent national rules, which discouraged firms from selling and undermined consumers’ trust in buying across the EU. It provides for a high level of consumer protection in all sectors and works as a “safety net” that fills the gaps which are not regulated by other EU sector-specific rules. As far as some practices are not regulated by specific Food Law rules, Directive 2005/29/EC ensures also that foodstuffs consumers are not misled or exposed to …

Responsible Lending Compliance: A “Common Sense” Approach, Francina Cantatore

Francina Cantatore

In the wake of the July 2013 Enhancements to the National Consumer Credit Protection Act it has been necessary for credit providers to review and update their responsible lending processes. A year later, it is timely to assess whether enough has been done, and to consider if lenders are compliant. Inevitably, some grey areas exist under the new law which lenders need to deal with, and this paper will address some of those issues. Responsible lending is not a new phenomenon. It has been in place for consumer credit loans for some time; however, the recent enhancements required a revision …

The Australian Consumer Law In The Digital Sphere, Francina Cantatore

Francina Cantatore

Extract: Application of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) Emerging issues – the Internet and Social Media Misleading or Deceptive Conduct (s 18) False or Misleading Representations about Goods or Services (s 29) Enforcement challenges and solutions

Saving For Homeownership

Patricia A. McCoy

No abstract provided.

Balancing Consumer Protection And Commercial Viability: The Impact Of The New Hardship Provisions In The Nccp Enhancements Act, Francina Cantatore

Francina Cantatore

This paper considers the impact of the new Hardship Provisions in the Consumer Credit Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Bill 2012 (“the Bill”) on credit providers. It focuses on, firstly, identifying the scope of the amendments, which are distinctly consumer orientated; secondly, it examines problematic issues arising from the wording and application of the new provisions, including a discussion of refusals of and disagreements on hardship variations; and, lastly, it considers the impact of complaint fees charged by the External Dispute Resolution schemes, Financial Ombudsman Services (“FOS”) and Credit Ombudsman Services (“COSL”) [now Credit and Investments Ombudsman (“CIO”)].

Avoiding The Pitfalls: Advertising In A Competitive Market, Francina Cantatore

Francina Cantatore

The consumer credit industry is a competitive market which is facing challenging times in view of more stringent regulation in recent times. Advertising is an essential ingredient in generating business in this environment, thus an awareness of acceptable advertising parameters is important for credit providers. Not only do organisations face civil and criminal sanctions for transgressions of the legislation, but directors and managers may be personally liable for misleading or deceptive advertising. This paper deals with a discussion of advertising legislation and current developments; advertising interest rates and requirements for comparison rates; false or misleading advertising and ASIC Guidelines; including …

Fatca Compliance Of The Mena Region, William Byrnes

William H. Byrnes

No abstract provided.

El Desperdicio De Alimentos En La Unión Europea: ¿Un Nuevo Desafío Para El Derecho Agroalimentario?, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

Resumen

La pérdida o el desperdicio de alimentos se producen a lo largo de toda la cadena alimentaria, desde la producción agrícola inicial hasta el consumo final en los hogares. En la Unión Europea (UE), los alimentos se desperdician de manera significativa en la etapa del consumo, lo que significa que se desechan (se tiran) incluso si todavía son adecuados para el consumo humano. También se detectan pérdidas importantes al principio de las cadenas de suministro de alimentos. En los países de ingresos bajos, los alimentos se pierden principalmente durante las primeras etapas y las etapas intermedias de la cadena …

España: Confusión Y Desconcierto Sobre La Información Relativa A Los Alimentos Que Se Presentan Sin Envasar Para La Venta Al Consumidor Final, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

El 4 de marzo de 2015, se publicó el Real Decreto 126/2015 por el que se aprueba la Norma general relativa a la información alimentaria de los alimentos que se presentan sin envasar para la venta al consumidor final y a las colectividades, de los envasados en los lugares de venta a petición del comprador, y de los envasados por los titulares del comercio al por menor.

La Norma mantiene los requisitos de información alimentaria que para los alimentos sin envasar ya establecía el Real Decreto 1334/1999, adaptándolos a los nuevos requisitos que fija el Reglamento (UE) Nº 1169/2011. Al …

Charging The Poor: Criminal Justice Debt & Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons, Neil Sobol

Neil L Sobol

No abstract provided.

Hello Barbie: First They Will Monitor You, Then They Will Discriminate Against You. Perfectly, David S. Olson, Irina D. Manta

David S. Olson

Nsfw: An Empirical Study Of Scandalous Trademarks, Megan M. Carpenter

Megan M Carpenter

This project is an empirical analysis of trademarks that have received rejections based on the judgment that they are “scandalous." It is the first of its kind. The Lanham Act bars registration for trademarks that are “scandalous” and “immoral.” While much has been written on the morality provisions in the Lanham Act generally, this piece is the first scholarly project that engages an empirical analysis of 2(a) rejections based on scandalousness; it contains a look behind the scenes at how the morality provisions are applied throughout the trademark registration process. We study which marks are being rejected, what evidence is …

Mandatory Arbitration For Customers But Not For Peers: A Study Of Arbitration Clauses In Consumer And Non-Consumer Contracts, Theodore Eisenberg, Geoffrey Miller, Emily Sherwin

Emily L Sherwin

We conducted a study of contractual practices by well-known firms marketing consumer products, comparing the firms' consumer contracts with contracts the same firms negotiated with business peers. The frequency of arbitration clauses in consumer contracts has been studied before, as has the frequency of arbitration clauses in non-consumer contracts. Our study is the first to compare the use of arbitration clauses within firms, in different contractual contexts.

The results are striking: in our sample, mandatory arbitration clauses appeared in more than three-quarters of consumer contracts and less than one tenth of non-consumer contracts (excluding employment contracts) negotiated by the same …

Bartnicki As Lochner: Some Thoughts On First Amendment Lochnerism, Howard M. Wasserman

Howard M Wasserman

No abstract provided.

The 2015 New Year’S Fatca Update, William Byrnes

William H. Byrnes

No abstract provided.

Wrecking Ball Disguised As Law Reform: Alec's Model Act On Private Enforcement Of Consumer Protection Statutes, Dee Pridgen

Dee Pridgen

The consumer protection statutes of every state are currently under attack by a proposed model law that would effectively eliminate the critical private enforcement provisions that give these laws their power. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has produced a purported law reform vehicle that is actually a wrecking ball to destroy one of the building blocks of consumer protection, namely the private enforcement of state unfair and deceptive practices acts. It does this by systematically weakening each and every provision of these laws, such as lower burdens of proof, special damages, and attorney’s fees, that were designed to provide …

Dirty Debts Sold Dirt Cheap, Dalie Jimenez

Dalie Jimenez

More than 77 million Americans have a debt in collections. Many of these debts will be sold to debt buyers for pennies, or fractions of pennies, on the dollar. This Article details the perilous path that debts travel as they move through the collection ecosystem. Using a unique dataset of 84 consumer debt purchase and sale agreement, it examines the manner in which debts are sold, oftentimes as simple data on a spreadsheet, devoid of any documentary evidence. It finds that in many contracts, sellers disclaim all warranties about the underlying debts sold or the information transferred. Sellers also sometimes …

Banks, Break-Ins, And Bad Actors In Mortgage Foreclosure, Christopher K. Odinet

Christopher K. Odinet

Directive 2005/29/Ec On Unfair Commercial Practices And Its Application To Food-Related Consumer Protection, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

Directive 2005/29/EC on Unfair Commercial Practices was adopted on 11 May 2005 to help consumers benefit from the Internal Market by removing regulatory barriers, deriving from divergent national rules, which discouraged firms from selling and undermined consumers' trust in buying across the EU. It provides for a high level of consumer protection in all sectors and works as a safety net that fills the gaps, which are not regulated by other EU sector- specific rules (i.e. Foodstuffs).

España - Proyecto De Ley Para La Defensa De La Calidad Alimentaria: Pronóstico Reservado, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

En el curso del mes de abril de 2015, el Gobierno de España aprobó el “Proyecto de Ley para la Defensa de la Calidad Alimentaria”. Si nos atenemos a lo que se indica en la primera parte de su “Exposición de Motivos”, la ‘misión básica’ del sector alimentario es proporcionar al ciudadano unos alimentos sanos, seguros y que además respondan a sus expectativas de ‘calidad’: «esta situación demanda ‘un modelo de calidad alimentaria´que incluya un conjunto básico de disposiciones legales y vele por el respeto a la competencia leal entre operadores».

En el curso de nuestra conferencia analizaremos diversos aspectos …

Desarmar Al Populismo, Un Nuevo Objetivo En La Unión Europea, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

¿De qué manera puede hacer frente el espíritu europeísta al creciente populismo que, en todo el continente, encuentra su principal argumento en el rechazo a la inmigración?

Soy europeísta y optimista (no creo que se pueda ser lo uno sin lo otro), pero he de reconocer que la UE comunica mal, o, utilizando una expresión más post-moderna, se vende mal… A ello contribuyen incluso los representantes políticos de todos los niveles que caen en la tentación de echar las culpas de todo a Bruselas, especialmente cuando lo practican los gobiernos nacionales y los partidos políticos por motivos políticos internos: esta …

Nuevas Reglas Para La Utilización De Las Menciones “Muy Bajo En Gluten” Y “Sin Gluten” En El Etiquetado Y La Publicidad De Los Alimentos, Luis González Vaqué

Luis González Vaqué

Sin duda alguna, el Reglamento de ejecución (UE) nº 828/2014 de la Comisión regula una materia muy sensible pues afecta a los celíacos, que padecen una intolerancia permanente al gluten: se ha demostrado científicamente que el trigo (es decir, todas las especies "Triticum", tales como el trigo duro, la espelta y el trigo khorasan), el centeno y la cebada contienen gluten y el gluten de estos cereales puede provocar efectos adversos para la salud en las personas intolerantes al gluten, que, por lo tanto, deben evitar consumirlo.

There is no doubt that Commission Implementing Regulation No 828/2014 regulates a very …