Consumer Fraud – Unfair and Deceptive Business Practices
Unfortunately, far too many companies engage in deceptive and unfair business practices, known as consumer fraud to increase their profit margin at the expense of consumers. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. can help you evaluate whether the harm that was caused to you may be protected by state, federal, or local laws – whether in New York, California, Florida, or elsewhere around the country. Many times, customers are harmed by companies in meaningful ways but customers do not feel like they have recourse. However, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. often helps its clients utilizes legal protections like class-action lawsuits or arbitration procedures to help victims who have suffered similar damages to obtain financial compensation from greed-driven companies. For many of these types of cases, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. takes them on contingency and does not have to charge its clients – until the case reaches resolution.
For the past half of a century, American consumers and small businesses have used class and mass action litigation as a means to act as private check on corporate power. As a result, each time a corporation sells a product into commerce in the United States, class and mass action litigation acts as a deterrent for corporate malfeasance.
At Leeds Brown Law, P.C., we deeply believe in the justice that Courts deliver to everyday people who are deceived or treated unfairly in the marketplace. We have a deep reservoir of experience and knowledge to skillfully challenge corporate malfeasance whenever and wherever it may run afoul of the antitrust statutes, privacy regulations and consumer protection laws.
If you think you were a victim of consumer fraud or deceptive business practices, contact Leeds Brown Law, P.C. at 516.873.9550 or Contact Us below. We can evaluate your case and help you seek justice, including through arbitration or through a class action suit with other victims of the same company.
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Several of the primary areas of Consumer Fraud, Unfair, and Deceptive Business Practice are listed below.
Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Food
According to two published Congressional Reports available here and here, many popular baby food brands – like Walmart’s Parent’s Choice, Plum Organics, Sprout, Gerber, and several others – may have contained dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals. After those reports were published and its findings came to light, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. coordinated with a number of firms across the country to bring protective class action for its clients and their families. Those cases are moving through the various court systems.
If you are concerned about your family’s rights and the implications of these lawsuits, please contact Leeds Brown Law, P.C. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. is dedicated to holding unethical baby food companies accountable for their greed-driven business practices. If your child were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder after consuming food contaminated with chemicals, we want to help you secure justice and compensation from the companies that endangered your child’s mental and physical development.
Car Purchase or Financing Schemes
If an auto dealership engages in deceptive practices when trying to sell you a vehicle, you have the right to hold them accountable by seeking financial compensation. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. has investigated numerous deceptive and discriminatory business practices at car dealerships, including those associated with (i) selling certified used cars that have not actually been certified, (ii) misleading customers about their credit scores and the rates that they qualify for, (iii) not disclosing rebates to customers and then keeping the rebates for themselves, (iv) adding on after-market products like warranties and various protections that were either worthless or were added on to the purchase price to cover for other fraudulent schemes, (v) kick trades, and (vi) various other schemes that disadvantage customers.
Sometimes these types of schemes are imposed on all customers, and other times they are directed at specific subgroups of customers – like minorities or other protected groups. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. has brought cases against companies where it was alleged that non-minority customers received lower interest and APR rates than minority customers – who had the same credit scores and were purchasing the same types of automobiles.
If you have a suspicion that the dealer you purchased a vehicle may have engaged in deceptive business practices, the attorneys at Leeds Brown Law, P.C., may be able help.
Auto Repair Fraud
Has an auto repair shop or a dealership ripped you off with undisclosed charges, unnecessary repairs, bait-and-switch advertising, fabricated parts that are not new, and other dishonest practices? Trusting your car or truck to the services of an unethical auto-repair shop can result in monetary loss, injuries, and even death. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. has brought claims for customers that alleged they received inflated estimates that failed to disclose cash kickbacks to automobile adjusters and refurbished parts when they paid for brand new parts – among numerous other schemes.
At Leeds Brown Law, P.C., we fight to bring justice and financial compensation to auto repair fraud victims who have been defrauded by unprincipled mechanics and car dealerships throughout the U.S.
College Tuition and Fees Refund Litigation
If your college or university replaced in-person classes with online classes, with minimal assistance to faculty, no access to in-person educational facilities (libraries, computer and science labs) and services you had initially paid for, you may be entitled to a tuition refund.
Leeds Brown Law, P.C. and its team of co-counsel across the country are currently pursuing cases against:
– University of Georiga
– University of Kansas
– Molloy College
– University of La Verne
– Syracuse University
– Louisiana State Univ.
– Mercer College
– Middlebury College
– Emerson College
– The Academy of Art
– University of Oklahoma
– Tulane Univ.
– Rice Univ.
– Southern Methodist Univ.
– California Baptist
– California Lutheran
– St. John’s Univ.
– Brigham Young University
– University of Florida
– Florida State Univ.
– Notre Dame Univ.
– Univ. of Mass.
– Univ. of Maine
– City Univ. of New York
– among numerous others
Tuition for in-person classes is much higher than online educational programs. If your educational institution has retained the full tuition and full fees despite breaching their contract and providing less than the full amount of services, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. will fight for a refund for you.
Automatic Renewals: Credit Card Charges without Warning
Companies often fail to disclose their auto-renewal policies clearly and conspicuously to it customers, including when the monthly or annual prices will increase. Many states protect customers from being charges on their credit cards without proper notice. If your subscription service goes from a few dollars a month to almost double or triple that amount – without notice – then you may be protected under various laws. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. is currently investigating or prosecuting Automatic Renewal lawsuits.
If you have been a victim of unfair and illegal auto-renewals practices, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. can pursue justice and financial compensation from the company that violated auto-renewal laws through a class action lawsuit. Contact our Leeds Brown Law, P.C. to learn more, including at 516.873.9550 or the Contact Us form on the left side of the page.
Defective product cases (Efficacy)
Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are legally obligated to ensure their product’s safety. If a product’s defects cause substantial harm, you have the right to hold those at-fault parties accountable for their negligence. With a product liability claim or a lawsuit, you can recover damages for medical expenses, wage loss, disability, mental distress, and pain and suffering.
New York Product liability attorneys at Leeds Brown Law, P.C. are ready to help you seek financial reparation for the expenses you’ve sustained from using a defective product in good faith.
Misleading Product Labeling Litigation
As a consumer, reading a product’s label is often an indispensable part of your decision-making journey. They are powerful communicators of what to expect from a product. Many companies may misuse this vital piece of real estate by using misleading labels, such as “all-natural,” “organic,” or “grass-fed,” solely to drive sales.
If you or a loved one has suffered harm due to misleading or deceptive product labeling practices, you may be entitled to compensation from the product’s company. Our experienced team of litigation lawyers at Leeds Brown Law, P.C. are here to protect your consumer rights and help you pursue product labeling lawsuits against those liable for your suffering.
“All-Natural” Labeling Cases
With the consumer demand for healthy and clean foods rising, many food manufacturers falsely market their products as “all-natural” even when they’re not. Many “natural” products are fraught with additives, synthetic chemicals, and pesticides.
If you have purchased a food or beverage that was falsely labeled as “all-natural” or “natural,” you may be eligible to file a legal claim or lawsuit against the company that manufactured or misbranded that product. We can represent your case against local and national food brands. Contact Leeds Brown Law, P.C. to explore your legal options.
“Organic” Labeling Cases
Many consumers are reaching for organic products for health, environmental, and animal welfare-related reasons. They are even willing to pay the premium price tag of organic products. To stay competitive in the current market, some food manufacturers are labeling their products as ‘Organic’ when it does not meet USDA’s requirements for organic labeling.
As a consumer, you have the right to fight back against fraudulent, deceptive, and dangerous practices such as selling non-organic products under the guise of organic. Leeds Brown Law P.C. represents thousands of claims against food brands cheating consumers with fraudulent labeling methods.
Data Privacy Issue
As a customer, we expect businesses to do their part to protect the information we entrust them with. Even though companies are bound by several federal regulatory bodies to safeguard customer data, some companies fail to comply with the laws, which is why data breaches have become so prevalent.
Victims of data breaches face risks of identity theft, financial losses, harassment, and many other crimes. If you suffered financial or reputational harm from a company’s failure to sufficiently protect your sensitive data, Leeds Brown Law, P.C. could help hold the company accountable for its negligence.
Biometrics
Fingerprints, facial recognition, and handprints are valuable pieces of information about your identity. If a company collected your biometric data without your consent, sold the said data for profit, or violated any of the provisions set forth by Biometric Information Privacy Act’s (BIPA) or other similar state-specific biometric protections, you have the right to pursue legal action.
Medical Devices
A medical device is expected to be safe when used for its intended purpose. When a medical firm releases a poorly tested product or one that has a design or manufacturing flaw, it can result in serious injuries or even death. Some defective medical devices that can have debilitating repercussions in patients include pacemakers, hernia mesh, insulin pumps, and surgical staplers.
If you are a victim of a medical device failure, you can seek financial reparation to cover your medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering, and other damages. Leeds Brown Law, P.C. has helped victims of faulty medical devices procure monetary compensation from manufacturers, distributors, and marketers.
Elmiron
If you or a loved one has suffered vision loss or another eye disease or damage from taking Pentosan (Elmiron), you can help you seek justice and monetary compensation for your losses. Drug manufacturers are obligated to warn consumers of a drug’s potential side effects, so they can work with their physicians to make an informed decision.
Elmiron — the only FDA-approved drug to treat Interstitial Cystitis (Bladder Pain Syndrome) — is now believed to cause vision loss and other eye diseases.
If you have sustained blindness, pigmentary maculopathy, and other eye disorders from exposure to Elmicron, we can represent you by seeking financial restitution from the drug manufacturer for failing to warn you about the drug’s life-altering side effects.
Mortgage Fraud
The mortgage transaction chain is composed of multiple entities — mortgage broker, real estate broker, loan auditors, and more. When these entities engage in fraudulent practices, it can make an already expensive process even more financially demanding for the homeowner, costing them thousands of dollars and sometimes even loss of home and bad credit.
Leeds Brown Law P.C. fights for victims of predatory lending practices, mortgage loan fraud, unscrupulous mortgage loan modifications, and other abusive lending procedures. We can help you seek justice and financial compensation from banks and lenders that violated your consumer rights.