Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader Plans to Open American Museum of Tort Law

Ralph Nader, the famous 79-year old consumer advocate, plans to open an American Museum of Tort Law. According to the Washinton Post, Nader got the idea from trial lawyers who were looking for a home for their trial exhibits. The article indicates that "[t]he museum will detail the history of tort law and host exhibits on significant cases such as the 1998 national settlement with tobacco companies. Nader said it may also host artifacts including a Chevrolet Corvair — the car featured in his 1965 book on the auto industry’s safety record, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” which made him a household name." Apparently, Mr. Nader has already raised $2 million for the project and hired a museum design firm to begin renovating a bank building in downtown Winsted, Conn. The plan is to finish the museum within the next 2 years. 

The State of Ohio Has Launched a New Site That Allow You to Track Agency Rule Changes and Receive Email Alerts

Ohio has launched a new website called RuleWatch Ohio that will allow you to track Agency Rules that affect you, your family, or your business. An OSBA News Release for the launch states that:

"RuleWatch Ohio allows individuals to track a specific rule they are interested in, or rules that cover a particular area of interest. By creating an account on the RuleWatch Ohio site, users can receive email alerts when there is activity on any of the rules they have selected."

Rule watchers may already be aware of the Register of Ohio online, which provides public notices of state Agency rule-making. However, RuleWatch Ohio proposes to be more user-friendly, and it may encourage more citizens to become involved in the rule-making process. 

Cleveland Law Library's Foreclosure CLE Should be Very Helpful and Informative

The Cleveland Law Library is sponsoring a CLE program on Foreclosures in 2 weeks on Friday, November 19, 2010. We have lined up experts in a lot of relevant areas, and we will be covering the role of the court in forecloures, foreclosure mediation, sheriff sales, foreclosure prevention, and the Cuyahoga Land Bank. If you would like to register for this program, which promises to convey a lot of helpful and informative information, please complete our Registration form.

Ohio AG Sues Conneaut Company That Allegedly Swindled Consumers in Foreclosure

The Ohio Attorney General has sued a Conneaut business called "Please Save My Home" for violations of 3 Ohio Acts: the Consumer Sales Practices Act; the Telephone Solicitation Act; and the Debt Adjuster's Act. The suit claims that the company promised to help consumers get out of foreclosure and save their homes, but allegedly never delivered. According to the AG's Press Release, the average consumer spent $650 for possible loan modifications, legal representation, and forebearance agreements he or she never received. The case was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Case No. CV 08 679588 on December 19, 2008. Click here to read a copy of the Complaint, and click here to access the docket in the case.

Smoking Ban To Be Tested at Columbus Hearing

Newsnet5.com reports that Ohio's new smoking ban will be put to the test at a hearing in Columbus on Wednesday. According to the news, a Columbus bar called Zeno's Victorian Village has been cited multiple times for violating the new law but has only paid $100 toward fines of over $3,000.00. The new anti-smoking law can be found at Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3794. See our prior post about the enactment. Click here for a summary of the law from the Ohio Department of Health.

Customers Suing Over Odometers

As part of an investigation, News Channel 5 has discovered possible inaccuracies in the way some car odometers measure mileage. Although the condition of your tires can apparently have an effect on whether your odometer records your miles accurately, the investigation revealed that lawyers are claiming that certain cars regularly overstate mileage by 4%. This has some consumers mad, and they have already brought suits against 2 big automakers. Some of their claims relate to consumers having to pay for extra miles over their limits when they turn in their cars. According to the article, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not regulate the accuracy of odometers.

Ohio AG Focusing on Unlicensed Colored Contact Sales

Yesterday, on behalf of the Ohio Optical Dispensers' Board, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann filed requests for TROs and injunctions against 6 businesses that are allegedly dispensing colored, cosmetic contact lenses without a license. Dann's office has issued a detailed Press Release on the actions, which name Two Cousins and Two Cousins Beauty Supply, both of which are located in Cleveland. The dockets in the cases (Nos. CV-07-639798 and CV-07-639799) can be viewed on the Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court's docket and have been assigned to Judges Eileen Gallagher and Joan Synenberg, respectively. According to the Press Release, four (4) other defendants have been sued in Athens, Canton, Columbus and Toledo.

Profs at OSU Sue Over Credit Card Offers

The Attorney General has sued 2 credit card companies, claiming that they baited hungry college students at Ohio State University with free food in order to get them to sign up for credit cards. According to Columbus Business First, the faculty members are suing Citibank (Case No. 07 CV 012591) and Campus Dimensions Inc. (Case No. 07 CV 012592) under Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act for failing to disclose the 'catch' that came with the free food they were offering at Potbelly Sandwich Works and OSU La Bamba, 2 restaurants in Columbus, Ohio near the OSU campus. In what sounds like a sting operation, the article reports that students and faculty at OSU's Moritz College of Law have been monitoring the credit card activity for over a year.

Only Nautural Persons Can Sue Under Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act

The Ohio Supreme Court has issued an opinion in Culbreath v. Golding Ents., LLC holding that only natural persons have standing to pursue a cause of action under Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act. The case was brought by a Columbus law firm that received an unsolicited fax from a "gentleman's club." The firm sued under both the federal Telephone Consumer Practices Act and the Ohio CSPA, and the Court held that it lacked standing under both sets of laws.

Ohio Attorney General Pursues Mortgage Lenders

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has sued 10 mortgage lenders as part of an initiative to enforce Ohio's predatory lending laws, which were effective on January 1, 2007. Dann's suit alleges that the lenders pressured appraisers to inflate property values, causing borrowers to pay more than their homes were worth. Dann is asking for injunctions, civil penalties, and reimbursement for affected consumers. Two of the lenders who were sued are from the Northeast Ohio area- First Ohio Banc & Lending Inc. of Independence and Island Financial LLC of Twinsburg. Five of the complaints were filed in Franklin County, 3 were filed in Belmont County, and 1 were filed in each of Butler and Hamilton Counties. Click here to read the Columbus Dispatch's article on the lawsuit. You can also check out the Crain's Cleveland Business article. Click here to reach Ohio's Office of Consumer Affairs.