Student Trials During a Pandemic The bulk of this issue focuses on lawsuits affecting the education industry. Thankfully, summer is almost upon us, but for many students, it’s been a struggle to get to this point. Issuing high school Advanced Placement exams at home turned out to be a major debacle, student loans are allegedly being mishandled under the CARES Act and certain HP printers aren’t working as advertised. In this issue, we’ll also take a look at a problem being reported by Audi drivers over the automatic start-stop technology in certain vehicles. Congratulations to all those graduating during these trying times – and keep reading for more. - Ty Armstrong, Writer/Community Manager |
| Automatic start-stop technology was designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by allowing a vehicle’s engine to shut off when the car comes to a stop, such as at a stoplight or in traffic. The feature allows for the engine to seamlessly turn back on once the driver releases the brake pedal – at least that’s what it should do. Some Audi drivers, however, are reporting that there’s a delay between the time they take their foot off the brake and the time the engine turns back on. During this time, the driver can’t move the steering wheel or accelerate his or her vehicle. When the engine finally does turn back on, they say the vehicle jolts forward rather than picking up speed gradually. If you drive a newer Audi Q8, Q3, A7 or A8 vehicle and had a similar experience, share your story with us. |
At-Home AP Exam Leaves Students Frustrated For high school students, taking the Advanced Placement (AP) exams for a chance at college credit can be stressful enough – doubly so when the testing format has changed completely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the College Board, which helps to administer the annual exams, is facing legal action for its failure to properly account for the logistics of thousands of students taking the hours-long tests from home rather than in a classroom. The suit claims the skewed quality of testing environments has put some students at a disadvantage, particularly those who live in low-income areas, lack internet access, have a disability or have to take the test in a not-so-quiet workspace. In addition, the suit says, technical glitches left a number of students unable to submit their responses through the at-home testing platform – while some weren’t able to log on at all. The full story can be found here. |
 Our settlements page is always being updated. Have you checked to see if you're covered by any open settlements? You can also check out the latest settlements as they happen by following us on Twitter. |
| Latest Settlements - U by Kotex Tampons
If you bought one of several U by Kotex tampon products between March 8, 2013 and November 19, 2019, you may be included in this settlement. - Massage Envy (Missouri)
If you purchased a massage session at a Massage Envy location in Missouri between January 31, 2012 and April 13, 2020, you may be included in this settlement. - Roundup
If you purchased Roundup weed and grass killer products during a certain time period, you may be covered by this settlement. | | |
To view a complete list of settlements and to find out how you can file a claim, click here. |
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| | ~ In Other News ~ | Student loans come with plenty of stress and worry for those who have thousands of dollars left to repay for their education, but the CARES Act was put in place to help mitigate the additional hassle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services and the three main credit reporting agencies have now been accused, however, of inaccurately reporting information regarding student loan payments that were suspended through September 2020 under the CARES Act. The recently filed lawsuit claims that while the loans don’t need to repaid during this time, millions of former students are taking negative hits to their credit scores, as their loans are showing up as “deferred” rather than “current” at a time of unprecedented economic hardship. Head over to our blog for the full story. |
| While students probably aren’t printing as many documents while schools are operating remotely, we can’t deny that printer ink cartridges – particularly colored ones – are expensive. This expense is compounded when you find out your printer won’t even print in black and white unless the color cartridge is full and working. Now, HP Inc. is facing a proposed class action lawsuit from OfficeJet printer owners who unexpectedly ran into this very issue. The case claims that HP knowingly hid this pertinent piece of information from customers, many of whom have been left with inoperable printers as soon as their color ink supplies ran dry. Consumers wouldn’t have bought the printers had HP informed them of this crucial detail – or they would have paid significantly less for them, the suit claims. Details of the case and a list of affected models can be found here. |
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