photo by Geoff Livingston
From the Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued the below Consumer Alert informing District residents about legal protections against excessive fees throughout the rental process, including caps on application fees and protections against “junk fees” after they sign a lease. Read More
photo by Phil
From the DC Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that the nation’s third largest tax preparation company, Liberty Tax, will pay $550,000 to more than 7,300 DC residents who were misled and overcharged for tax preparation services. As part of a settlement resolving the consumer protection lawsuit that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) filed against it, Liberty Tax must also pay $200,000 to the District and permanently end the deceptive marketing and pricing tactics it used across the US. Read More
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Schwalb today announced the resolution of an investigation into Lyft concerning its failure to provide proper notice to consumers about fines the company imposed when scooters were parked improperly. Under the terms of a settlement agreement, Lyft will provide full restitution and return nearly $90,000 to affected scooter users. Lyft will also pay $20,000 to the District and has already made changes to its systems to ensure users are notified about DC’s scooter parking rules and notified of any fines imposed for parking violations. Read More
From the The Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced a lawsuit against RealPage, Inc. (RealPage) and 14 of the largest residential landlords in the District for colluding to illegally raise rents for tens of thousands of DC residents by collectively delegating price-setting authority to RealPage, which used a centralized pricing algorithm to inflate prices, costing renters millions of dollars.
The defendant landlords are some of the largest providers of multifamily housing in the District, and the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation revealed that RealPage’s technology was used to set rents for more than 50,000 apartments across DC, in violation of the District’s Antitrust Act.
“RealPage and the defendant landlords illegally colluded to artificially raise rents by participating in a centralized, anticompetitive scheme, causing District residents to pay millions of dollars above fair market prices,” said AG Schwalb. “Defendants’ coordinated and anticompetitive conduct amounts to a District-wide housing cartel. At a time when affordable housing in DC is increasingly scarce, our office will continue to use the law to fight for fair market conditions and ensure that District residents and law-abiding businesses are protected.”
The 14 landlords named in the lawsuit are: Read More
photo by Jim Havard
“This is the largest environmental settlement in DC history.”
From the Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) will pay over $57 million to resolve allegations that it discharged toxic chemicals into the District’s land and waterways for decades, resulting in the persistent toxic pollution of the Anacostia River. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepco must pay $47 million toward cleaning up the Anacostia River and $10 million in penalties. The company also must clean up contamination at its Buzzard Point and Benning Road facilities and investigate the current and historical environmental impacts of the company’s underground, District-wide system of transformer vaults. Additionally, Pepco will pay for the District to oversee this work. Read More
From The Office of the Attorney General (OAG):
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued the below Public Safety Advisory to help educate District residents about DC’s “Red Flag” law, which can be used to keep residents and communities safe by removing firearms from potentially dangerous persons. Read More
photo by Diane Krauthamer
From The Office of the Attorney General (OAG):
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, in collaboration with the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) and Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), today issued the below consumer alert warning DC residents about home improvement scams and offering tips on what to look out for to avoid being scammed. Read More
From the DC Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued a Supplemental Business Advisory on restaurants’ legal obligation to adequately disclose all fees – including service fees – to customers. Given the recent increase in consumer confusion over restaurants’ fees, the advisory builds on the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) previous consumer alerts by including examples of compliant and non-compliant service fee disclosures, as well as illustrative menu disclosures. As with previous guidance, the Advisory is designed to help restaurants comply with the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) and help consumers understand their rights. Read More
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued the below consumer alert warning DC renters about rental scams and offering tips on what to look out for to avoid being scammed:
Are you a new renter looking online for a place to live in DC? The District is a great place to live and work, but finding housing can be difficult. Recently, there has been an increase in rental scams targeting out-of-town renters, short-term renters, and students. If you are looking for a new place to live, or know someone who is, you need to be alert.
Here’s how these scams work: Read More
photo by kristenstake
Thanks to M. for sending: “In my opinion, the guidance still permits a lot of complicated/confusing restaurant fee practices.”
From the office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia:
“You have dinner at a local DC restaurant with your family. You plan to pay the price listed on the menu, sales tax, and a tip. But when your bill comes at the end of the meal, there’s a vague 20% fee added on that you didn’t expect. How do you know if the fee is going to service workers? Are restaurants allowed to charge fees without telling you? Read More
