Blog
Blog
HuffPost Piece: Fine Print of Starbucks Prepaid Cards Lacks the Holiday Spirit
A Huffington Post piece by Public Citizen's David Arkush examines the anti-consumer forced arbitration clause and class action ban, this time as used by coffee giant Starbucks.
If you're one of millions of Starbucks customers who might buy or receive a prepaid card this holiday season, you might want to take a moment to send Starbucks a message: Don't take away my rights!
Fair Arbitration NOW Coalition Supports Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011
Yesterday, the US Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing "Arbitration: Is It Fair When Forced?" The Fair Arbitration NOW coalition sent a letter to the Committee in strong support of the Arbitration Fairness Act.
In Post-Concepcion Era, Wireless Industry Escapes Accountability
Today Public Citizen released a report documenting unfair wireless industry practices and a number of ways that the industry escapes accountability for those practices.
Apple and Cell Phones
Today is a great day for wireless customers. Apple announced a new version of its iPhone and two U.S. senators introduced the Consumer Mobile Fairness Act, a bill that would ban forced arbitration clauses from cell phone contracts.
Columnist mocks a trial, access to justice
Jamie Leigh Jones is a former employee of defense contractor KBR, who, following an incident in Baghdad, Iraq, sued her employer alleging negligence, assault and battery arising from a gang-rape, negligent hiring, retention and supervision and false imprisonment. However, Jones' employment contract included a clause requiring employment-related claims into arbitration, which would deny the use of a public judge, jury or right to appeal.
Fighting for justice abroad, shut out from justice at home
When Captain Matthew Wolf of the US Army Reserves was called up for active military service from his New Jersey home, he decided to exercise a benefit Congress created for military men and women under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
To CFPB on Opening Day: Study It (Forced Arbitration), Then Ban It
For a long time, consumers needed help to fend off prevalent and predatory practices by players in the financial services industry (think abusive payday lending and illegal home foreclosures). Finally, we can all celebrate the official opening today of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which promises to serve as watchdog against bad behavior in the industry.
Movie reviewers as advocates against forced arbitration
Forced arbitration affects almost all consumers of goods and services and millions of employees who sign contracts where the fine print eliminates their right to seek justice in court. Yet forced arbitration remains an issue largely unknown to the public. That may change soon.
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 Introduced
Over the last year, the US Supreme Court has issued three disappointing decisions that expanded companies’ use of forced arbitration clauses in consumer and non-union employment contracts. Forced arbitration clauses are an abusive corporate tactic to stamp out consumers’ and employees' rights.
Access to justice? Not when corporations can write the rules.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court delivered an "unconscionable" blow to consumers when it preempted state law to say that corporations can ban class actions within the insidious forced arbitration clauses in their contracts with consumers and employees. As a result, corporations can force consumers and employees into individual arbitration while forbidding them to join their claims in class arbitration and class actions.