Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Westlake Village is an incorporated city located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half of the area surrounding Westlake Lake, and small neighborhoods primarily south of U.S. Route 101 and east of La Venta Drive. The population was 8,368 at the 2000 census. It is also the headquarters of the Dole Food Company. Westlake Village is known for its affluence and secluded character, and is considered one of the wealthiest communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Westlake Village is a planned community built around an artificial lake straddling the Los Angeles-Ventura county line; it is a master-planned suburb of lakeside condos and suburban homes. The original community was divided by the Los Angeles and Ventura County boundary and known simply as "Westlake". The area located in Ventura County, or roughly two-thirds of the community, was annexed by the City of Thousand Oaks in two portions, in 1968 and 1972. In 1981, the remaining third eventually incorporated as the City of Westlake Village.