Fax: 714-854-7206
Call the firm: 714-854-7205 714-854-7205

Pending Lawsuits

HERE ARE SOME PENDING OR RECENT CASES OF INTEREST

  • Lawsuits against payday and installment loan lenders such as VIP Loan Shop, Everest Cash Advance and many others.  Go to this web page for details.
  • Money Mutual and TV celebrity Montel Williams are being sued for racketeering for help illegal payday lenders.
  • Numerous motelsare being sued for illegally forcing tenants in California to move out every 28 days.  This is called the 28 day Shuffle.  We already scored a major victory over the Evergreen Royalle.  See here for details.  We have cases pending against El Dorado Inn, Valencia Inn, Red Roof Inn and California Suites Hotel.
  • United Law Group was sued for illegal practices in connection with its loan modification services.  United Law Group failed in its efforts to have the case dismissed but has now filed bankruptcy.  We have permission from the Bankruptcy Court to pursue a judgment against United Law Group and are also proceeding against the former owners and managers. The lawsuit was approved to proceed as a Class Action on behalf of 5,000+ victims.  Check this web page for important news.
  • Bankers Warranty Group and related companies, which provide extended warranties on home electronics, was sued for failing to honor the warranties or service contracts.
  • Equity Trust, Sterling Trust and Trust Administration Services are being sued for mishandling IRA accounts allowing Bernie Madoff-type Ponzi schemes to flourish.
  • Extra Space Storage and Storage USA were sued for illegally selling California tenants’ property.
  • American Laser Centers was sued in California for illegally conducting unsupervised laser skin treatments and refusing to give refunds for unused services.  A monetary settlement for thousands of patients was obtained.  Go this web page for important news.
  • RCI, the time share exchange service, is being sued for breach of contract in connection with its practice of renting out vacation slots for its personal profit instead of making them available to members for exchange.
  • Delta Airlines was sued in California for advertising low fares and then refusing to honor them after the customer purchase the ticket.
  • Verizon was sued for falsely advertising consumers will get up to a certain download speed on DSL modems, even when it is not possible for them to get that speed.
  • Selection.com, HireRight, USIS, Intelius, Blackman Detective Services, Employers Choice Online,  and Corporate Screening Services were sued in California for illegally providing employment screening reports on job applicants.  The law carries a $10,000 penalty per violation.Go this web page for more information.
  • Overtime, minimum wage, meal and rest period violations by companies big and small are still all too common. We have pending lawsuits against Tuesday Morning Inc., Citibank, Vitamin World, 24 Hour Fitness, Hertz Rent-A-Car, and General Nutrition Corporation.
  •  Do you live in an apartment where you charged utility charges based on a percentage of the bill for the entire complex? This is called the RUBS method and it rubs us wrong and may be illegal.  A lawsuit against AIMCO, BRE and their billing company ISTA was recently settled.  Those companies agreed to pay refunds and change their business practices.  Go to this web page for further details.
  •  We have sued apartment complexes and credit bureaus like First Advantage Saferent and U. D. Registry for providing illegal credit reports on tenants.  Anyone whose application to rent an apartment in California was denied Essex Properties, Prometheus Management, CTL Management, FPI Management, Far West Management, Irvine Company, Lyon Apartments, Oakwood Apartments, VPM Management, Progress Management, Shea Properties, Fairfield Properties, or others should contact this office.
  •  First Advantage Corporation illegally provided thousands of employment screening reports to California employers between Fall 2003 and March 2005. If you were the subject of one of these reports, you may be entitled to receive a $10,000 penalty. If you applied for a job in California between Fall 2003 and March 2005, ask your employer to give you a copy of the report or at least the name and address of the reporting agency. If it is First Advantage Corporation, contact this office to investigate your case.
  • Experian has been sued for credit reporting violations. Crooked collection agencies are being allowed to access your personal information and place unjustified black marks on your credit reports. Experian fails to take adequate measure to prevent this. Meanwhile, your personal information (everything an identity thief needs to know) is sold indiscriminately from company to company.
  • Ongoing litigation against companies that provide financing for virtual terminals, website hosting or other Internet business opportunity scams.  Typically the vendor makes fraudulent promises and convinces the consumer to purchase some kind of license and/or software to operate a business over the Internet. The fee for this license is “financed” through companies like Leasecomm, Axin Financial Services, A-1 Leasing, or Duvera Billing Services and companies like I-Payment or E-Commerce Exchange are also involved, all of whom then deny any responsibility for the fraud. The original vendor then often disappears.
  • Predatory lenders charging nearly 100 percent interest on “auto pawn” loans have been targeted. Offenders include City Loan in Long Beach and Growth Resources Group.
  •  We sued Internet Matrix sites like EZ Expo and their payment processers which aid and abet them. The Matrix sites are generally defunct but cash settlements were made by PaySystems, Pay Request, Digital River and Paypal. For further information regarding the Matrix scams see https://www.matrixwatch.com/
  • Do you have an equipment lease such as for a photocopier or office furniture? Does the lessor pay the local property tax on the equipment and require you to reimburse it? It may also be improperly charging you a sales tax on the property tax. GE Capital was sued by this office for overcharging lessees for the sales tax and has agreed to a class settlement.
  •  Consumer fraud actions against Bank of America and Mercedes Benz Credit concerning legality of “lease acquisition fees.” If you have leased a vehicle from any dealership and paid an “acquisition fee,” contact this office.
  • This office prosecuted lawsuits against predatory home lenders like Ameriquest, Fremont Investment and Loan, Washington Mutual and Wells Fargo.  Most of these companies are now defunct.  We are also investigating claims against mortgage brokers for falsely stating the borrower’s income, a practice known as stated income fraud. If you lose your home in foreclosure or suffer other damages, you may be able to receive monetary compensation from the mortgage broker.
  • Class action against Verizon Wireless and Asurion for deceptive practices in the sales of cellular phone replacement policies.
  • Ongoing litigation against credit card processing services like Payment Systems Corporation, Cardservice International, E-Commerce Exchange or National Bank of the Redwoods which charge “termination fees.” If you are a small business and were charged a “termination fee,” contact this office. A substantial settlement against Cardservice was obtained in 2004.