Consumer Fraud in West Virginia
Charleston law firm advocating for fair business and marketing practices
Consumers face a daily onslaught of marketing campaigns designed to sell products, services and investment opportunities. Each day, businesses and schemers use television, radio, billboards, print, the Internet, social media and the telephone to entice the public to part with their money, often employing deceptive or fraudulent practices.
Founded in 1976, Calwell Luce diTrapano PLLC in Charleston advocates for consumers’ rights to transparency and fairness. Our attorneys hold corporations accountable for the false promises they make and the faulty products and services they produce. If you have been the victim of consumer fraud, we go after the companies to repay you for your losses.
Common consumer fraud schemes
Some incidents of consumer fraud are considered criminal and are prosecuted by federal and state justice agencies. Even when you have been identified as the victim of a crime, you must file a civil lawsuit to recover damages. Our law firm sues for illegal actions involving the following:
- Unauthorized and excessive banking, finance and insurance charges
- Misleading and deceptive marketing
- Prize promotions
- Inferior goods and services
- Investment fraud
- Pyramid and Ponzi schemes
- Loan and mortgage scams
- Debt consolidation and credit repair
- Counterfeit drugs
- Nondisclosure of pharmaceutical risks
Consumer protection legislation
The West Virginia and federal legislatures have passed numerous laws to protect consumers. Calwell Luce diTrapano PLLC institutes claims for financial compensation and injunctive relief according to the following laws:
- Consumer Credit Protection Act
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Truth in Lending Act
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
- Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
- Food Safety Modernization Act
Class action consumer claims
Often a fraud case is reflective of wider deceptive practices targeting multiple consumers. A group may benefit from filing a class action lawsuit by lowering litigation costs, expediting the legal process and increasing its power to fight large corporations. For example, a class action designation allowed Calwell Luce diTrapano PLLC effectively to represent West Virginia consumers who were sold hormone drugs without the manufacturer disclosing the true risks to patients and their doctors. The success of this case depended largely that it was a class action.
Class actions can also allow plaintiffs with smaller claims to move forward with a lawsuit. For example, you may decide that the expenditure of considerable time and resources outweighs the benefit of trying to obtain a few hundred or a few thousand dollars in compensation and decline to pursue your case against a large corporation that defrauded you. However, the inclusion of numerous plaintiffs in a class action may make your claim seem more worthwhile with the potential to recover substantial combined damages.
Consult our Charleston legal team about recovering damages in a consumer fraud claim
For more information about consumer fraud claims, call Calwell Luce diTrapano PLLC at 304-400-6558 or contact our law firm online to schedule an appointment.
