A federal judge has rejected a request by Google to delay a potential class action lawsuit alleging that its social apps company Slide violated a consumer protection law by sending SMS messages without the recipient’s consent.

Google had asked U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California to stay the lawsuit pending a decision by the Federal Communications Commission about how to interpret the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  Judge Rogers said in a written opinion that delaying the lawsuit against Google was not appropriate.  “The court is not convinced that the FCC has agreed to issue a ruling, let alone issue a ruling on an expedited basis.” Read more…

Citibank, Discover Bank and The Student Loan Corporation are tricking former students into believing that their monthly payments have been cut when in fact only the payment toward principal has been lowered, generating greater interest income for the banks over the longer life of the loan, according to a complaint filed in federal court.  Lead plaintiff Justin Kuehn, who is paying off four student loans, claims the defendants “are engaged in a scheme to collect additional interest at the expense of borrowers of student loans.”

Mr. Kuehn claims the defendants are systematically breaching contracts and violating general business law. Read more…