Consumer Laws

The United States Lemon Laws

Summary of the United States’s lemon law, which protect consumers and requires car dealers to either replace or refund the cost of a new vehicle with serious defects that can’t be fixed within one year. Automobile purchasers who acquiere a new vehicle that fails to conform to reasonably expected standards are protected, with a right to refund or replacement for defective cars.

The United States Antitrust Laws

General information on the United States’s antitrust protections, which are intended to protect consumers and foster competition, by discouraging larger businesses from acquiring competitors solely to get rid of the competition. There is also an overview of the statute of limitations in the United States for filing a complaint and cross-references to additional information and resources on related topics in the United States.

The United States Homestead Laws

Summary of Nevada’s homestead protection regime, which allow struggling property owners (elderly or disabled persons) to declare a portion of their property, when threatened with foreclosure or eviction, a “homestead” and therefore off-limits, in certain cases, to creditors.

The United States Interest Rates Laws

Overview of the United States’s law with regard to interest rates, usury regulations in the United States and the maximum amount of interest a lender may charge a borrower in the absence of a contract, and penalties in the United States for unlawful interest rates. With cross-references to additional information and resources on related topics in the United States.

The United States Fraud and Consumer scams

Basics of fraud in the the United States (and scams). There is also additional information and resources on related topics (such as consumer fraud) in the United States.

In order to protect consumers, the United States has regulations on businesses and certain criminal laws (dealing with cyber crimes like phishing) in place. the United States consumer laws and regulations, generally, are intended to protect citizens and entities in commercial transactions (such as deceptive business practices, liability, scams and dangerous products), and safegurd them from financial and computer-related harm. This subject area also includes laws protecting consumers in the marketplace. Federal and the United States laws address these matters.

This introductory entry covers the consumer laws of the United States, with descriptions of the legal regime protecting consumer rights. Choose a link below to learn more about state-specific laws on consumer issues in the United States.

Browse the United States Consumer Topics

Below you will find some information and cross references to the United States-specific laws on issues like lemon laws, the United States homestead laws, identity theft in the United States, fraud and consumer scams and others.

The United States Identity Theft Laws

An overview of the United States’s various laws and regulations handling the crime of identity theft in the United States, in which an individual’s personal identifying information is used to secure credit or purchase goods.

The United States Deceptive and Unfair Business Practices

General overview of the United States laws prohibiting businesses from engaging in unfair and deceptive trade tactics and practices, such as false advertising in the United States, bait and switch, or tampering with a car’s odometer, with cross-references to additional information and resources on related topics in the United States.

The United States Environmental Regulations

the United States laws regulating businesses include environmental regulations, such as waste and pollution controls.