Consumer Law is certain kind of general civil litigation i.e. a certain kind of civil case. They generally involve some form of fraud or sharp business practices, like the mechanic who overcharges for the repair, the landlord who won't return the deposit and the builder who ignores the code.

Some common issues in consumer law are:

• Breach of Contract:
  where the landlord won't return the deposit even though the apartment is in good condition or the builder does not finish the house on time.
• Lemon Law:
  this is for vehicles only, it is where a car was built so badly that it is undrivable even after repair.
• Fraud:
  where someone cheats the customer, for example, charging for work not done or lying about a car's condition.
• Consumer Fraud:
  this is fraud but under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and so is easier to prove than regular fraud.
• Re-aging:
  a particularly nefarious (but legal) issue where an old debt is kept on a consumer's credit report until paid, even though past the statute of limitations.
• Breach of Warranty:
  here the person making the warranty simply refuses to honor the terms of the warranty. It can apply to any consumer product, not just cars.
• Being sued:
  when a consumer is sued, they should never just ignore the case against them, they should at least consult with a lawyer. If he or she can't help them, than at least they will say so.

The list above is by no means exhaustive. Harassment by debt collectors and false reports to credit bureaus are two more common examples. Many consumer cases have a valid defense or at least an argument over damages (how much the consumer owes) and it is a lot easier to raise a defense or argument about the amount when the case is still pending instead of winning a motion to reopen (never easy) and then arguing about defenses or damages.

Consumer Law