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.
Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964. Located in the western part of the Willamette Valley along the South Yamhill River, the city is at the base of the Northern Oregon Coast Range west of the county seat of McMinnville along Oregon Route 18. This highway, along with Oregon Route 18 Business that connects west to neighboring Willamina, both run east-west through Sheridan along with the river, with Sheridan Bridge the only bridge crossing the river in town. The population of the city was 3,570 at the 2000 census, and the 2008 estimate is 6,020 residents. This farming and timber community's largest employer is FCI - Sheridan, a federal minimum and medium security prison. The city has a mayor-council form of government, with daily operations run by a city manager. The community has its own school district, with a single traditional high school. The main events each year in town are Phil Sheridan Days and the Mud Drags, both held in June. Sheridan was named in honor of the American Civil War general Philip Henry Sheridan.