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.
Tonopah is a census-designated place (CDP) located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno. Its name was given to it by its founder, Jim Butler, and it is thought to be a Shoshone Indian word, pronounced "tow-nu-paw". Although the town previously had a variety of names, including Butler City, Jim Butler's name remained. It is said to mean "hidden spring". In the 2000 census the population was 2,627 and the CDP has a total area of 16.2 square miles (42 km), all land.