On February 27, 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) called on the nation’s top credit card companies to make credit scores and related content freely available to their customers. A CFPB report found accuracy issues are the most common credit reporting complaint received from consumers. The CFPB also warned […]
$6.4 Million Settlement Reached in Wrongful Incarceration Case
The City of New York has agreed to pay $6.4 million to a man who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. David Ranta was convicted of the 1990 killing in Brooklyn of a Hasidic rabbi who had stepped into his car at dawn just […]
New Jersey Man Exonerated after Spending 19 Years in Jail
In December 2013, the Somerset County prosecutor filed a motion dismissing the indictment against Gerard Richardson, an individual who had spent 19 years in jail for a murder he did not commit. The dismissal of the indictment followed a ruling by a New Jersey Superior Court judge overturning Richardson’s conviction […]
New Jersey Increases Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration
The Governor of New Jersey recently signed into law a bill that will increase the amount of compensation that wrongfully convicted individuals can receive from the state for each year they were wrongfully incarcerated. Under the new law, exonerated individuals in New Jersey will be eligible to receive $50,000 for […]
Ohio Exoneree Files Wrongful Incarceration Lawsuit
A former Akron Police Department captain who was declared innocent after spending 15 years in jail for the 1997 slaying of his ex-wife has filed suit against his former colleagues. Former Akron Police Department captain Douglas Prade filed suit in an Ohio federal court against more than two dozen defendants, […]
National Registry of Exonerations Issues 2013 Report
The National Registry of Exonerations just announced that 2013 was a record-breaking year for exonerations in the United States. At least 87 people were exonerated and granted their freedom in connection with crimes they did not commit, the highest number since researchers began keeping track of exonerations more than 20 […]
CFPB Pursues Mortgage Insurer in Kickback Scheme
The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently initiated “administrative proceedings” against New Jersey based mortgage insurance company PHH Corporation and its corporate subsidiaries. The CFPB has alleged that an investigation revealed a quid pro quo kickback scheme where PHH would lend, or “originate” a mortgage, and then refer that mortgagor […]
JPMorgan Chase to Pay $614 Million for False Claims with Mortgage Loans
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on February 4, 2014 that JPMorgan Chase will pay $614 million for violating the federal False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting non-compliant mortgage loans submitted for insurance coverage and guarantees by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Administration […]
NC Attorney General announces $40 Million Whistleblower Settlement
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, on February 3, 2014, announced a multi-state and federal settlement with a medical device manufacturer that engaged in improper marketing and the payment of illegal kickbacks. CareFusion will pay $40.1 million to resolve allegations it improperly promoted and marketed its surgical preparation solution Chloraprep […]
US DOJ Seeks More than $2 Billion in Fines from Bank of America
The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) is seeking $2.1 billion in fines from Bank of America (“B of A”) related to mortgage fraud on the part of Countrywide Financial. The case involves mortgages sold in 2007 and 2008 to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-backed mortgage finance […]