Author Archives: James Finger

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Students Subjected To School Lunch On The Floor

Food disaster

The Camden Board of Education has agreed to settle for $500,000 after a teacher forced 15 students to eat lunch off of tray liners on the floor.  This was done as a punishment for the 15 predominately hispanic students.  Even the students who were not present on the day were subject to the abuse as well. The punishment was administered after one of her students spilled some water while attempting to change the water jug in the cooler. In this community, there is high population of both African-American students, as well as Hispanic students. This punishment prompted the African-American students to taunt and poke-fun at the students sitting on the ground, further aggravating the tension between the African American and Hispanic populations in the community.

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$3.3 Million Settlement Reached Over Lack of Tuna in Tuna Cans

Not enough tuna

What had started out in 2010 as an investigation to make sure “what is on the label is what’s actually in the can” finally ended on August 3 in a settlement for California residents.  An increase in consumer complaints regarding the lack of tuna provided by the three major tuna companies Bumble Bee Foods, Tri-Union Seafood, and Starkist Co. has resulted in a $3.3 million settlement.   The investigation was conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Their research shows that these companies have been skimping on the actual amount of tuna held within the cans.  All three companies have failed to meet the federal “standard of fill” or “standard of identity.”  Instead they disguised the packed cans with oil, water, vegetable broth, and sometimes tuna.

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Ohio School Must Improve Anti-Bullying Efforts after Brutal Attack

Protect all students

On October 17th, 2011 a bully waited anxiously inside the doors of a classroom of the Union-Scioto High School in Ohio for Zack Huston, a fifteen year-old homosexual freshman at the school, to walk in. Upon Zack’s arrival, he was immediately met with fists. The bully assaulted Zach for no reason except that Zach was gay. He knocked him to the ground, and continually punched him. The video is difficult to watch.

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Big Pharma Company Settles with Idaho for $1.7 Million

A relieving settlement

Watson, which is among the top five generic drug companies in the world recently agreed to pay $1.7 million to the state of Idaho to settle allegations of consumer fraud. The consumer, in this case, being the government. Lawrence Wasden, the Idaho Attorney General, filed lawsuits in 2007 against various pharmaceutical companies, Watson included. These lawsuits were meant to recover taxpayer money, claiming the pharmaceutical companies earned extra money unlawfully by reporting an inflated price for their generic drugs.

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Illinois Law Firm Agrees to Reimburse Scammed Customers

Debt

Legal Helpers Debt Resolution, an Illinois company claiming to lower its customers’ debt interest rates, agreed to reimburse customers who paid for the company’s services in advance and yet did not receive any debt consolidation.  The company will have to pay a reported $2.1 million in a settlement with the state.  By law, debt consolidation companies are not allowed to charge an up-front fee.  Instead, a firm can only make money once they’ve actually reduced a customer’s interest rate or otherwise negotiated a reduced debt load.  Usually, this means making a contract for a certain percentage of whatever the deduction turns out to be.  This a necessary protection, as otherwise consumers can be duped into paying for a service that provides no actual benefit.  Only truly determined scum would then be able to take advantage of struggling families.  So how did Legal Helpers Debt Resolution get around this?

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