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☆ Why U.S. renters are taking corporate landlords to court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Carlos Waters | In Carloswaters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Equity Residential purchased Portside Towers in 2019. A group of renters in the U.S. say their landlords are using software to deliver inflated rent hikes. Renters told CNBC they discovered how revenue management software is used in real estate after reading a 2022 ProPublica investigation. Equity Residential investor materials show that the company started to experiment with Lease Rent Options between 2005 and 2008. Equity Residential and other defendant landlords declined to comment on ongoing RealPage litigation.

Persons: RealPage, District of Columbia Brian Schwalb, We've, Kevin Weller, There's, Jeffrey Roper, Thoma, Thoma Bravo, Harry Gural, Gural, we're, Mark Parrell Organizations: Washington , D.C, District of Columbia, CNBC, Equity Residential, Towers, World Trade, RealPage, U.S . Department of Justice, Equity, U.S, Thoma Bravo, U.S . Locations: Washington ,, RealPage, Jersey City , New Jersey, Portside, U.S, Miami, Van Ness, Jersey City, Atlanta, Austin , Texas, U.S . East

☆ Tenants and a top prosecutor have accused major landlords and a popular apartment-pricing site of colluding to inflate rents. A legal expert says it shows algorithmic collusion is no longer 'science f
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementYou're probably aware that a severe housing shortage has driven rents and home prices through the roof in recent years. Now, several lawsuits filed across the country contend that the algorithmic software some big landlords use to determine rents has artificially inflated prices. This allegation is unusual, given that RealPage doesn't have any market power over its clients, Stucke said. AdvertisementProsecutors also allege that RealPage monitors the rents that its clients charge and disciplines landlords who don't adhere to its recommendations.

Persons: —, Brian Schwalb, RealPage, They're, Maurice Stucke, RealPage didn't, Axios, Department —, Donald Trump —, Steve Winn, ProPublica, Stucke Organizations: Service, University of Tennessee, DOJ, The, Department, Prosecutors, Department of Justice, Democratic, Federal Trade Commission, Computer Locations: Washington, DC, RealPage, Texas, Seattle , New York, Boston, Colorado, Nashville

☆ D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb probes alleged rent-fixing scheme by landlords
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailD.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb probes alleged rent-fixing scheme by landlordsHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Brian Schwalb, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

☆ Major landlords, RealPage sued in DC for alleged rent-fixing scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Laya Neelakandan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The alleged collusion violates the District of Columbia's Antitrust Act, the office said. Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb's office said Tuesday that it's suing RealPage, a property management software company, and 14 of the district's largest landlords for allegedly colluding to raise rents. In a statement to CNBC, a company spokesperson for William C. Smith & Co. said the company does not comment on pending litigation. The software uses proprietary, nonpublic data and statistical models to estimate supply and demand and generate a price to maximize the landlord's revenue. RealPage has previously been sued by renters in the Southern District of California and Tennessee over the past year.

Persons: Igor Golovniov, Brian Schwalb's, it's, RealPage, William C, Smith, didn't, Schwalb, Jennifer Bowcock, Berkshire Hathaway Organizations: Inc, Getty, Columbia's, Washington , D.C, CNBC, Southern District of, D.C, National Association of Realtors, CNBC PRO Locations: Washington ,, Southern District, Southern District of California, Tennessee, Seattle , Texas, Boston, Missouri, Berkshire

☆ States sue Instagram-parent Meta over 'addictive' features and youth mental health harms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Dozens of states sued Instagram-parent Meta on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of harming young users’ mental health through allegedly addictive features such as infinite news feeds and frequent notifications that demand users’ constant attention. In a federal lawsuit filed in California by 33 attorneys general, the states allege that Meta’s products have harmed minors and contributed to a mental health crisis in the United States. “Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable. Battle lines renewedTuesday’s multipronged legal assault marks the newest attempt by states to rein in large tech platforms over fears that social media companies are fueling a spike in youth depression and suicidal ideation. In some cases, the tech industry has challenged those laws in court — for example, by claiming that Arkansas’ social media law violates residents’ First Amendment rights to access information.

Persons: Instagram, Meta, ”, Letitia James, Brian Schwalb, ” Meta, “ We’re, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers Organizations: CNN, “ Social, Meta, District of Columbia, Google Locations: California, United States, New York, Arkansas, Louisiana, District, Colorado , Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky, Maine , Maryland , Michigan, Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska , New Jersey , New York, North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oregon , Pennsylvania, Rhode Island , South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia , Massachusetts , Mississippi , New Hampshire , Oklahoma , Tennessee , Utah, Vermont

☆ Attorney generals around the country file lawsuit against Meta alleging addictive features
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAttorney generals around the country file lawsuit against Meta alleging addictive featuresBrian Schwalb, attorney general for Washington DC, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the lawsuit against Meta for deceptive practices, the harm that Meta's platform poses to children, and the evidence to support the attorney general's case against Meta.

Persons: Brian Schwalb Organizations: Meta, Washington DC

Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint says. Almost all teens ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform, with about a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center. Other measures social platforms have taken to address concerns about children’s mental health are also easily circumvented. TikTok, Snapchat and other social platforms that have also been blamed for contributing to the youth mental health crisis are not part of Tuesday’s lawsuit. “They’re the worst of the worst when it comes to using technology to addict teenagers to social media, all in the furtherance of putting profits over people.”In May, U.S.

Persons: Meta, ”, Letitia James, “ Meta, ” “ We’re, Instagram, Frances Haugen, Rob Bonta, TikTok, Brian Schwalb, they’re, “, Vivek Murthy, Press Writers Michael Casey, Michael Goldberg, Susan Haigh, Maysoon Khan, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: Meta Platforms Inc, Facebook, Meta, D.C, “, New, The Wall Street, Associated Press, Pew Research Center, Washington D.C, U.S, Press Writers Locations: California, New York, Washington, California , Florida , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Nebraska , New Jersey , Tennessee, Vermont, British, U.S

☆ Meta sued by 42 attorneys general for addictive features targeting kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general is suing Meta over addictive features aimed at kids and teens, the AGs announced Tuesday. The support from so many state AGs of different political backgrounds indicates a significant legal challenge to Meta's business. Besides New York, the states that filed the federal suit include California, Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin. It's also not the first time a broad coalition of state AGs have teamed up to go after Meta. Meta was well aware of the negative effects its design could have on its young users, the AGs allege.

Persons: Letitia James, It's, Meta, James, –, Frances Haugen, Instagram, Haugen, Brian Schwalb, Schwalb, Andy Stone, We're, Joe Biden, Jim Cramer Organizations: AGs, Meta, Northern District of, New York, Federal Trade Commission, Facebook, Street, CNBC, State Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, New York, California , Colorado , Louisiana , Nebraska, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin, America

☆ Fertility app fined $200,000 for leaking customers health data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The company behind a popular fertility app has agreed to pay $200,000 in federal and state fines after authorities alleged that it had shared users’ personal health information for years without their consent, including to Google and to two companies based in China. Wednesday’s proposed settlement targeting Premom highlights how regulators have stepped up their scrutiny of fertility trackers and health information in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision last year striking down federal protections for abortion. In addition, Premom allegedly shared location information and device identifiers — such as WiFi network names and hardware IDs — with two China-based data analytics companies, known as Jiguang and Umeng, according to the complaint. That information, the FTC alleged, “could be used to identify Premom’s users and disclose to third parties that these users were utilizing a fertility app,” according to an FTC complaint filed against Easy Healthcare, Premom’s parent company. “We will vigorously enforce the Health Breach Notification Rule to defend consumer’s health data from exploitation.”

☆ Juul settlement: E-cigarette maker to pay $462 million in several states for marketing nicotine for youth vaping
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Juul Labs Inc. will pay $462 million for its role in the youth vaping surge. The settlement includes restrictions on Juul's marketing and distribution of vaping products. Like some other settlements reached by Juul, this latest includes restrictions on the marketing and distribution of the company's vaping products. For example, it is barred from any direct or indirect marketing that targets youth, which includes anyone under age 35. The spokesperson added that underage use of Juul products has declined by 95% since 2019 based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

☆ Washington Commanders and District of Columbia Settle Over Ticket Deposit Claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The District of Columbia has reached a settlement agreement with the Washington Commanders football team. The District of Columbia has reached a settlement agreement with the Washington Commanders football team over allegations that the team systematically withheld fans’ ticket deposits, made the reimbursement process intentionally difficult and redirected those funds for the team’s own purposes, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said Monday. Under the agreement, the team’s ownership corporation, Pro-Football Inc. will pay $425,000 to the District for restitution, attorneys’ fees, costs associated with the investigation and contributions to D.C.’s litigation support fund, the attorney general’s office said.

☆ Washington Commanders to pay $625,000 to settle D.C. AG's claims of mishandling fan ticket deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A detailed view of the new Washington Commanders uniforms following the announcement of the Washington Football Team's name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. The NFL's Washington Commanders will pay $625,000 to settle allegations brought by the Washington, D.C., attorney general that the organization failed to return fans' ticket deposits, the AG's office announced Monday. Former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sued the Commanders in November, alleging the team cheated residents out of their security deposits collected from season ticket holders and used the money for its own purposes. Racine alleged the Commanders sold premium seating tickets to D.C. fans since 1996, which sometimes required a security deposit. The Commanders have been hit with several claims of misconduct from inside the team's front office in recent years.

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