Topics: Your Money & The Law - 57 results

California’s top lawyer has filed a suit against JPMorgan Chase for fraudulent and unlawful debt collection practices. Attorney General Kamala Harris accused the lender of burying California courts in thousands of debt collection lawsuits without verifying the validity of the suits or even serving the defendants with court papers. The suit specifically alleges a widespread practice of robosigning — signing hundreds of pages of legal paperwork without reading them — in JPMorgan Chase’s credit card collection efforts. JPMorgan Chase was …

The trial over Michael Jackson’s alleged wrongful death continued last week with the testimony of his stylist, stating the pop star was in danger. Plus, a Neverland visitor is changing his tune of molestation accusations. The trial in a Los Angeles courtroom centers on allegations by Michael Jackson’s family that concert promoter AEG Live is responsible for the actions of the doctor who fatally overdosed the pop star with an anesthetic.   ‘Whatever It Takes’ The plaintiffs’ witness testimony so …

Alimony is money paid by one spouse to the other after a divorce. Today, it is often referred to as “spousal support.”  In most states, permanent spousal support is usually awarded only when one spouse has been economically dependent on the other spouse for most of a long marriage. Alimony laws in most states still allow for permanent awards, though former spouses can generally seek to modify the terms in court. In 2011, Massachusetts eliminated permanent alimony arrangements, and Florida …

While students get breaks on their loans in some ways, filing bankruptcy has never been one of them. But if a federal appellate opinion and action in Congress are any indicators, that could be changing.   Rural and Poor The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Apr. 10 held that a woman’s student loan debt fell under the “hardship exception” to the general rule that such debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. The exception is nothing new; what’s notable …

Last year had its share of big name bankruptcies including Hostess, maker of Twinkies, and The Kodak Eastman camera and film company. “Octomom” Nadya Suleman filed for personal bankruptcy. Plus, don’t forget in 1991, 1992, 2004 and 2009, Donald Trump filed corporate bankruptcies. (AP Photo credits: Suleman/ Damian Dovarganes and Trump/ Evan Agostini/ Invision.) The infographic below provided by the Doan Law Firm shows statistics, reasons people file personal bankruptcy and the signs that often precede bankruptcies. Created by Doan …