Paying too much for PACER? You could get an email notice later this spring to join a class action that seeks refunds for several hundred thousand people who allege the electronic court service has charged excessive fees.A federal judge for the District of Columbia granted class certification this week in the case, [more]
Released 1/25/17 | Tags: Class Actions
A lawsuit that claims the public is being overcharged by the US government's website for accessing federal court records just took a major step forward. A federal judge overseeing the litigation against PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, just certified the case as a class action—meaning anybody who has used the service between 2010-2016 might be entitled to refunds if the government loses or settles. [more]
Released 1/25/17 | Tags: Class Actions
Paying too much for PACER? You could get an email notice later this spring to join a class action that seeks refunds for several hundred thousand people who allege the electronic court service has charged excessive fees. A federal judge for the District of Columbia granted class certification this week in the case, which alleges that the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, managed by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, overcharges for online access to court dockets and documents, often using the revenue to pay for other expenses such as audio systems and flat screens for jurors. The case, brought by appellate attorney Deepak Gupta on behalf of three Washington nonprofit organizations, alleges that the U.S. government has violated the E-Government Act of 2002, which allowed the federal judiciary to charge fees for PACER "only to the extent necessary." [more]
Released 1/25/17 | Tags: Class Actions
A lawsuit alleging that the federal court system substantially overcharges for online access to dockets and documents was certified as a class action Tuesday by a federal judge. [more]
Released 1/24/17 | Tags: Class Actions
A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday certified a class of potentially hundreds of thousands of PACER users in three nonprofit groups' suit alleging the government is illegally making a profit on the court records service, ruling nonprofits can adequately represent all PACER users. [more]
Released 1/24/17 | Tags:
A lawsuit alleging that the federal court system substantially overcharges for online access to dockets and documents was certified as a class action Tuesday by a federal judge. U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle said in an opinion she will allow anyone who paid so-called PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) fees between April 2010 and April 2016 to be part of the class in the suit, which alleges that the government is violating a 2002 law that says fees for using the system should not exceed the costs to operate it. [more]
Released 1/24/17 | Tags: Class Actions
A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday certified a class of potentially hundreds of thousands of PACER users in three nonprofit groups' suit alleging the government is illegally making a profit on the court records service, ruling nonprofits can adequately represent all PACER users.In a 19-page memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle granted the motion for class certification filed by plaintiffs the National Veterans Legal Services Program, the National Consumer Law Center and Alliance for Justice in their suit alleging PACER's fees violated the E-Government Act and seeking a refund of any overcharges. [more]
Released 1/24/17 | Tags: Class Actions, Veteran's Benefits
A Capitol Hill conference room erupted in cheers March 7 when Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin announced that he would start providing mental health services to "bad paper" veterans – men and women who, typically for minor disciplinary problems and often as a result of mental health issues that started in service, have been denied access to most VA care. [more]
Released 1/15/17 | Tags: Discharge Upgrades
Veterans will no longer be unlawfully taxed thanks to new legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in mid-December. Under the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 , the Defense Department will restore tax dollars improperly withheld from severance payments to veterans with combat-related injuries or for other purposes. [more]
Released 1/13/17 | Tags: Congressional Legislation
Thousands of veterans injured in combat could soon be able to recoup taxes erroneously collected from their disability severance pay due to a new law signed by President Barack Obama. About 13,800 veterans separated from the military due to their injuries might have been affected, the nonprofit group National Veterans Legal Service Program estimates. Due to an accounting error, as much as $78 million in taxes deducted over decades from the lump sum payments. [more]
Released 12/20/16 | Tags: Congressional Legislation