Both state and federal laws protect consumers from false and misleading advertising and unfair and deceptive business practices. Consumer class actions can be filed when a large number of individuals are adversely affected by the same misconduct of a Defendant.
Head v. Transamerica Corporation.
Jaret & Jaret was co-counsel in a class action lawsuit filed in 1998 on behalf of a class of California senior citizens who were sold "reverse mortgages" by Transamerica Corporation through its subsidiary, Transamerica Homefirst, Inc., and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The Complaint alleges that Transamerica took advantage of senior citizens' need for income by devising a "reverse mortgage" scheme, which charged unconscionable fees from the home equity that senior citizens spent a lifetime earning, but which gave them relatively little in return for such unconscionable fees.
In the summer of 2003, the San Mateo County approved a settlement including a payment of $8 million, which included a plan of allocation of the proceeds to the borrowers.
Fields v. Great Spring Waters of America, Inc., et al.
Jaret & Jaret was co-counsel in a class action lawsuit which alleges that the defendants who bottled Calistoga, Arrowhead and Crystal Geyser Spring Water, did not comply with applicable federal and state definitions of "spring water", that the water was not from the geographic or geologic sources alleged to be represented, and that the superiority of the water had been misrepresented. Separate settlements were reached with Great Spring Waters of America (Calistoga and Arrowhead) in 2001 and Crystal Geyser in 2002. The settlements provided multiple components of relief, including assurance that water sources are producing spring water by monitoring water from all California sources, providing discounts to California consumers of $6.5 million, and by contributing $1 million per year for five years to various charitable organizations. The defendants also changed the labeling information to accurately state the geographic sources of its bottled water.
Foothill-De Anza Community College District v. Northwest Pipe Company
Jaret & Jaret was co-counsel in a class action lawsuit in 2004, Foothill-De Anza Community College District v. Northwest Pipe Company, filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose), which sought damages on behalf of their client Foothill-De Anza and others similarly situated for the Poz-Lok Sprinkler Fire Protection System, which had design and manufacturing defects resulting in leaks and other failures. A nationwide class was certified and a 14.5 million dollar settlement fund was established to pay claims for pipe repair, replacement and consequential damages.
