Author: LawtonCates
A common complaint among consumers is that when they fall behind on their payments, their phone rings off the hook with creditors calling all the time to discuss the bill or demand payments. Many creditors have a system in place that requires their employees to call multiple times in a day, even if the debtor […]
If you own a credit card, you have probably given up your right to a trial in the event of any dispute with the credit card company. You probably didn’t know that when you signed up for the card because the information was buried in the fine print. You most certainly did not know that the “arbitration” […]
It is amazing how much our country, and the world, has changed within the last 1 to 2 weeks. A short time ago I was in a contested workers compensation hearing with a client who had been waiting approximately three years to get her case resolved. The next day it seemed like the entire world […]
During emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak, it is not unusual for unscrupulous businesses, profiteers and scam artists to prey on consumers. Governor Evers has declared a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Wisconsin and that means Wisconsin’s Anti Price Gouging Law is in effect. The law prohibits sellers from selling consumer goods […]
Contractors have the ability to use liens to protect their ability to get paid for the work they have done. Generally speaking, a lien is a legal interest in someone else’s property that a creditor, in this case the contractor, possesses until the debt is paid. Various parties involved in a construction project can get […]
A lot of misinformation is being spread about malpractice and the need for tort reform to protect doctors. Some of the popular myths are that patients file frivolous claims, that the threat of malpractice is driving doctors away from the practice, and that malpractice claims drive up the cost of health care. In Wisconsin, there is a special […]
Today, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, the state agency that, in part, has a role regulating certain businesses in this state, released an important press release on the growing problem of collections fraud, specifically collectors or persons acting as collectors making phone calls to attempt to collect a debt that may never have existed, […]
On August 7, 2019 LawtonCates filed a lawsuit that will seek class action status to obtain protection and remedies for Wisconsin consumers affected by the Capital One data breach. The suit alleges that Capital One violated the Wisconsin Consumer Act when it failed to provide adequate protection for personal private information submitted by people who […]
On June 30, 2013, Governor Scott Walker signed into law substantial changes to Wisconsin’s statutes governing the extraction and use of Deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”) information from people forced into the criminal justice system. These recent changes in the law raise interesting policy issues such as to what extent does our interest in apprehending and punishing criminals […]
Check out my latest video where I do my best to answer some questions that I have received related to the entry and search of college dorm rooms. For example, can the cops enter and search your room without a warrant? What about a RA or other University employee? I answer those questions and a […]