September 2014 - Public Justice

September 29, 2014 In Updates

Student Raped After School Uses Her as “Bait” in Sting Operation

A 14-year-old was raped when an Alabama public school used her as bait in a botched plan to catch a boy “in the act” after she reported his sexual harassment. She believes the school bears responsibility for her suffering, and is seeking to hold it…

September 29, 2014 In Updates

Executive Director Paul Bland Featured in Alliance for Justice Forced Arbitration Film

Public Justice Executive Director Paul Bland is featured in the new Alliance for Justice short documentary Lost in the Fine Print, about the prevalence and impact of forced arbitraton clauses on consumers and workers. Watch the full film below, and read more at the Alliance for…

September 24, 2014 In Blog

Issue Resolved: Cy Pres Awards Are Not Unclaimed Property

photo credit: rcbodden via photopin cc By Arthur BryantChairman The Supreme Court of Texas recently issued an important decision properly viewing – and preserving – a valuable tool for doing justice: cy pres awards in class actions. The Court got it right. In many class…

September 23, 2014 In Blog

Saving Craft’s Run for a Cleaner Future

By Richard Webster Staff Attorney When I first visited the Coresco Coal Ash Dump near Morgantown, W.Va., I was shocked to find that Craft’s Run, the stream that drains the dump, ran orange in its lower reaches. It turned out this was due to a…

September 15, 2014 In Blog

It Takes a Lawsuit: Regulators Aren’t Doing Enough to Ensure Our Vehicles Are Safe

A video on Bookout v. Toyota, one of the finalists for the 2014 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. By Leah M. NichollsStaff Attorney Today, The New York Times ran a front page article concluding that the National Highway Traffic Safety Association—the federal agency…

September 10, 2014 In Blog

CFPB Forced Arbitration Study to Go Forward as Consumer Survey Approved

photo credit: _setev via photopin cc By

September 9, 2014 In Blog

“An Abundance of Caution” Doesn’t Trump the Public’s Right to Know

Image courtesy Jason Comely on Flickr. Main page image E. 38th St and Mass Ave. by stallio, CC by 2.0 By Sarah Belton Cartwright-Baron Attorney We’re emerging from a summer where payday lending was the topic of a terrific rant by John Oliver and a Shark…

September 9, 2014 In Updates

Court Approves $1.25 Million Settlement for Family of Deceased Prisoner Francisco Castaneda

Francisco Castaneda Settlement is with two California medical employees; family’s total recovery in case is $3.2 million. A federal judge in Los Angeles yesterday approved a $1.25 million settlement in the long-running case filed by the family of the late Francisco Castaneda against two California…

September 4, 2014 In Blog

Court Records in Trinity Guardrail Whistleblower Case May Be Unsealed

By Leah Nicholls, Staff Attorney Leslie Brueckner, Senior Attorney Today we have both good news and bad news about our motion to unseal the court records in Harman v. Trinity, a federal whistleblower case involving defective highway guardrails. First, the good news: In response to our…

September 4, 2014 In Blog

Green Light to Constitutional Challenge to Idaho Ag-Gag Law

photo credit: Farm Sanctuary via photopin cc Federal Court Denies Idaho’s Effort to Dismiss Challenge By Leslie Brueckner Senior Attorney Huge breaking news: We just received word that a federal district court in Idaho has denied the state’s motion to dismiss our constitutional challenge to…