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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 […]

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 […]

This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) published a consumer advisory to help consumers protect themselves in instances of data breach. The advisory follows recent news of breaches with respect to consumer payment card and other data. Payment cards such as credit, debit, and prepaid cards are among the […]

In late December 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), together with authorities in 49 states and the District of Columbia, filed a proposed order requiring the nation’s largest nonbank mortgage loan servicer, Ocwen Financial Corporation, and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, to provide $2 billion in principal reduction to […]

On January 10, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) announced appointments to a newly-created National Commission on Forensic Science (“Commission”). Members of the Commission are charged with working to improve the practice of forensic science by developing […]

In late December 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered American Express to refund an estimated $59.5 million to 335,000 consumers for illegal credit card practices. The practices included unfair billing tactics and deceptive marketing with respect to credit card add-on products such as payment protection and credit monitoring. […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed its first lawsuit against an online loan servicer, CashCall, its owner, a subsidiary, and an affiliate, for collecting money that consumers did not owe. The CFPB charges that the defendants engaged in unfair trade practices, including unlawfully debiting consumer checking accounts for loans […]

The North Carolina Attorney General, in conjunction with the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks, filed suit against an out-of-state online lender that charged North Carolina consumers interest rates of over 300 percent on short-term loans. On December 16, 2013, the N.C. Attorney General and Commissioner of Banks […]

In this State Tort Claims Act case against DHHS, Martin & Jones proved that the negligence and wrongful conduct of employees and agents of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) caused the wrongful death of a gentleman who went to a state-operated alcohol and drug abuse […]

J.P. Morgan Chase and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached a tentative $13 billion settlement over the bank’s mortgage practices during the lead-up to the financial crisis. If finalized, it would be a record penalty and would resolve an array of state and federal investigations into the bank’s sale […]