Payday Loan Defendant Settles FTC Charges; Illegally Tried to Garnish Borrowers' Wages

One of the owners of a payday loan and debt collection operation has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges for his role in a scheme that illegally tried to garnish borrowers’ wages and used other illegal debt-collection practices.

According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants, doing business as Ecash and GeteCash, offered loans to be repaid from borrowers’ upcoming paychecks. Online loan applicants checked a box indicating their agreement with loan terms, including an inconspicuous “wage assignment” clause that said that their wages would be garnished to cover delinquent loan payments. Then, using the name LoanPointe, the defendants attempted to collect on the offered payday loans.

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ABM Industries Settles EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit For $5.8 Million

Class of Hispanic Janitorial Workers Sexually Harassed, One Raped by Supervisor, Federal Agency Charged

LOS ANGELES — ABM Industries, Inc., along with two subsidiaries, ABM Janitorial Services, Inc. and ABM Janitorial Services Northern California, Inc. will pay $5.8 million and provide other relief to a class of 21 Hispanic female janitorial workers, settling an egregious sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The sexual harassment began around 2001, with the most severe forms involving sexual assaults of some women beginning in 2005 throughout California’s Central Valley region, according to the EEOC’s suit. The EEOC asserted that the 21 class members were victims of varying degrees of unwelcome touching, explicit sexual comments and requests for sex by 14 male co-workers and supervisors, one of whom was a registered sex offender. Some of the harassers allegedly often exposed themselves, groped female employees’ private parts from behind, and even raped at least one of the victims, the EEOC said. The EEOC’s suit charged that ABM failed to respond to the employees’ repeated complaints of harassment, which made for a dangerous and sexually hostile work environment. Many of the harassers continued to work despite the complaints.

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Industrias ABM Llega A Un Acuerdo Con EEOC Por Demanda De Acoso Sexual Por $5.8 Million

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ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $5 MILLION INVESTMENT TO FIGHT BRONX RIVER POLLUTION

BRONX, N.Y. (September 2, 2010) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he is dedicating an additional $2.5 million from the Bronx River Watershed Initiative to join local efforts in reducing water pollution in the river. The funding will be combined with $2.5 million in matching and leveraged funds, bringing the total to $5 million, which will go to 11 local entities for green infrastructure projects to clean up the river.

Green infrastructure projects rely on natural systems, like wetlands, or engineered systems that mimic them to intercept and treat polluted storm water before it reaches the river. These projects, in contrast to traditional infrastructure such as water treatment plants, use innovative approaches to control storm water runoff, such as permeable pavement, rooftop gardens and street planters that intercept or reduce rainwater runoff. Because green infrastructure relies on more natural systems, it can be more cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally-friendly than traditional infrastructure.

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Texas Chemical Plant to Pay Nearly $1.5 Million to Resolve Violations in the Transferring of Acid Waste

WASHINGTON – Air Products LLC has agreed to pay $1.485 million in civil penalties to resolve hazardous waste mismanagement violations at its Pasadena, Texas, chemical manufacturing facility, the Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Texas announced today. The settlement resolves Air Products’ Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations in transferring spent acid to the neighboring Agrifos Fertilizer Inc. manufacturing plant.

As part of the settlement, Air Products has agreed to continue to manage the spent acid on-site and not ship it to Agrifos or any other facility not authorized to accept it. Air Products is currently in compliance with the RCRA requirements specified in the settlement. Air Products has agreed to notify EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the event that the spent acid is either disposed of or sent off site.

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