Sommers Schwartz, P.C.

Michigan Attorneys at Law

Commercial Law & Intellectual Property

Michigan Seeks to Amend Pyramid Scheme Laws

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As new business models continue to develop and existing ones evolve, it can be difficult for consumers to tell the difference between a legitimate business operation and an illicit pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal under federal and state laws. The federal Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) addresses pyramid schemes and sets forth… Read More

New Federal Rule Could Open Door for Class Actions Against Banks

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CALL US 1.800.783.0989 Free Consultation Consumers who are ripped off by big banks and credit card companies may finally get their day in court under a new rule recently released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The rule, which would go into effect next year, prohibits financial firms from requiring their customers to settle all… Read More

Distributors Claim LifeVantage Is Running an Illegal Pyramid Scheme That Puts Their Investments at Risk

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Distributors within LifeVantage Corporation’s sales network are raising allegations that the company operates an unlawful multilevel marketing scheme that doesn’t deliver on promised earnings and has cheated them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. What is LifeVantage? LifeVantage describes itself as “a burgeoning science-based nutraceutical company dedicated to helping people achieve healthy living through… Read More

Is Jeunesse a Pyramid Scheme That Lures Distributors with Deceptive Income Claims?

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Reports about Jeunesse Global, LLC paint an alarming picture of the skin care company and its alleged illegal multilevel marketing scheme to recruit sales distributors with misrepresentations regarding earning potential. In 2015, Truth in Advertising, Inc. (TINA.org), an independent non-profit that investigates and exposes false advertising and deceptive marketing claims, criticized Jeunesse over misleading income… Read More

Is Your Bank Secretly Opening Unauthorized Credit Accounts in Your Name?

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Consumers expect that major financial institutions treat them fairly, protect our most personal and private financial information, and refrain from elevating profit over our legal rights. All too often, however, banks violate this trust as they pursue sales, growth, and bonuses. The most recent example of this corporate greed is Wells Fargo Bank, one of… Read More

Jackson National Life Employees: Is Your Company 401(k) Plan Charging Excessive Fees?

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Employees of Jackson National Life Insurance Company beware – that variable annuity in your retirement plan may be benefitting the company more than helping you save for your future. Reports have surfaced that Jackson is setting variable annuity sales records and hitting you up for the excessive sales and management fees. Jackson describes itself as… Read More

What Employees Need to Know about the Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act

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On May 11, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) into law. One of the most significant pieces of intellectual property legislation in recent years, the DTSA gives the same federal protection to trade secrets as patents, copyrights, and trademarks – which can subject employees who misappropriate those secrets to severe penalties. What… Read More

Consumer Alert: Testing Shows CVS’s Aftersun Moisturizing Gel Contains More Antifreeze Than Aloe

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Health-conscious consumers who thought they were buying a quality product containing aloe should be outraged to discover that two of the ingredients in CVS’s Aftersun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel are commonly used to de-ice aircraft and produce cement. Propylene glycol, which is not even listed in the ingredients, is used in airplane de-icing applications, is… Read More

Robbing Your Retirement: Does Your 401(k) Plan Charge Excessive Fees?

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You’ve worked hard to save for your retirement and contributed to a 401(k) plan you thought was a well-managed, low-cost investment.  Unfortunately, the executives and investment advisors that manage 401(k) plans don’t always have your best interests at heart. The single biggest failure of plan administrators today is allowing excessive fees to creep into people’s… Read More