What is Complex Civil Litigation?
Rockets involve complex calculations in weight, thrust, angles, chemistry, aerodynamics, metallurgy, and even weather. A miscalculation can be catastrophic. Pure oxygen with an exit door that wouldn’t open from the inside, an O-ring that became too cold, and a piece of foam killed 17 brave astronauts on Apollo 1, Space Shuttle Challenger, and Space Shuttle Columbia. Yet, these brave men and women have walked on the moon, lived in orbit, and done things our ancestors could only dream of doing. And the astronauts are only the most visible portion of the large teams at NASA, the Air Force, and contractors that design, build, fly and maintain these incredibly complex machines. These teams are led by engineers and scientists that make the dreams of our ancestors become possible.
Closer to home, insurance companies, financial institutions, and other businesses often devise new ways to increase their profits.
While most of this conduct is lawful, some methods are employed that involve illegal and deceptive practices. These practices come at the expense of unknowing consumers. These companies engage in deceptive practices which are difficult for the ordinary consumer to understand.
It is often difficult to understand the intricate web of emails, contracts, evidence, or promises. These practices and cases fall into the category of “complex litigation.” It is the legal equivalent of brain surgery or rocket science. And like neurosurgery and rocket science, complex litigation requires a team of lawyers, paralegals, computer technicians, experts, investigators, and legal assistants to litigate these cases successfully. A team like the Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor!
What Federal Statues are used in Complex Litigation?
There are an immense and powerful array of federal laws in effect which potentially combat some of these wrongs. These federal statutes are used in complex litigation to hold the wrongdoers to account in various circumstances. These include:
The Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”)
protects consumers from inaccurate and unfair billing and credit card practices. Under TILA, lenders are required to provide consumers with loan cost information so that consumers can compare the cost of the loan and price shop.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”)
protects consumers from abusive, deceptive and unfair debt collection practices by debt collectors. The FDCPA limits what debt collectors can do to try to collect a debt and how debt collection is reported in credit reports.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”)
protects consumers by requiring fair and accurate credit reporting. It is intended to protect consumers from an inaccurate credit history being used against them.
The Homeownership and Equity Protection Act (“HOEPA”)
protects consumers from abusive practices related to refinances and home equity loans. HOEPA requires special disclosures to make consumers aware of the cost of these loans as well as homeownership counseling.
protects consumers from discrimination when they are trying to rent or buy a home, get a mortgage or do other housing-related activities. The FHA prohibits discrimination due to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. The FHA also extends to mortgage lending.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”)
protects consumers from discrimination by creditors on a credit application based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age or because the applicant receives income from a public assistance program.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”)
a federal law designed to combat organized crime in the United States. It is most famous for being used against large criminal organizations like the Mafia or drug traffickers. Besides its criminal law application, RICO also allows private individual plaintiffs to sue for racketeering activity performed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise that damages private parties like customers.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”)
protects consumers by restricting telemarketing calls. The TCPA created the national Do-Not-Call registry and requires telemarketers to obtain written consent before “robocalling” consumers.
Additionally, North Carolina and South Carolina afford some of the strictest protections for consumers in the nation through the North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Trade Act, the South Carolina Unfair Practices Act, and their Predatory Lending Acts. Unfortunately, some lenders or their agents disregard these rules or skirt them by trying to stay one step ahead of the legal forms.
Trust our civil litigation attorney at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor for the help you need combating these unfair practices. We can be reached at (800) 351-3008.
We are Committed to Protecting Your Rights as a Consumer
Consumers may lose hundreds of millions of dollars every year through corporate violations of these acts. The methods by which consumers are financially harmed cover virtually a limitless landscape of wrongful practices.
For example, a bank might exact unlawful charges on credit card or checking accounts. A mortgage company might impose hidden, illegal fees. A payday lender might extract grossly excessive interest charges. A financial institution might engage in “flipping” mortgage loans, throwing unsuspecting borrowers into a spiraling sea of debt. A car dealer might deceive customers by concealing the true purchase cost. A hospital might bill uninsured patients at rates far exceeding reasonable charges.
The consequences of these acts include mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcies, and financial hardship on innocent consumers. Our civil rights lawyer fights to protect our clients.
We offer Serious Legal Assistance for Complex Civil Matters.
Sorting through the complexities of the many consumer protection statutes and regulations, along with the volume of documents usually involved and the technicalities of the transaction is a challenging undertaking. Over the years, the civil litigation lawyers at our firm have developed strong relationships with consumer advocates around the country to render thorough and knowledgeable opinions on the merit of potential claims. Please contact us if you have been harmed and see what we can do to help you.
The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor welcomes the opportunity to evaluate cases where consumers have been financially harmed by the unlawful and deceptive acts of corporate wrongdoers. Call us today at (800) 351-3008 or schedule a free initial consultation online.
