March 2015 - Public Justice

March 30, 2015 In Blog

Let’s Improve the Federal Rules on Class Actions

March 26, 2015 In Blog

CFPB’s Proposed Payday Lending Rules: A Big Step in the Right Direction

Photo via Scurzuzu on Flickr By Sarah BeltonCartwright-Baron Attorney Reckoning day for payday lenders has finally arrived. To quote President Obama’s prepared remarks for his speech in Birmingham, Ala., “if you’re making a profit by trapping hard-working Americans in a vicious cycle of debt, then you…

March 18, 2015 In Blog

Trans Fat by Any Other Name: Court Reinstates False Advertising Lawsuit in Food Safety Win

photo credit: Mykl Roventine via Flickr By Leslie A. BruecknerSenior Attorney If you care about food safety and consumer rights, then I have good news for you. On Friday, March 13, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a satisfyingly pro-consumer decision reinstating…

March 11, 2015 In Blog

CFPB Hearing: Data on One Side, Empty Rhetoric on the Other

photo credit: cfpb 36794 via photopin (license) By Gabriel HopkinsThornton-Robb Attorney In today’s era of Big Data, analytics, and sabermetrics, the cheeky motto “in God we trust, all others must bring data” has never seemed more relevant. Well, in the arena of mandatory arbitration provisions…

March 10, 2015 In Updates

CFPB Report Finds Forced Arbitration is Bad for Consumers

photo credit: plastic please via photopin (license) By Aidan O’SheaCommunications Specialist A report released today by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found that forced arbitration clauses – language in consumer contracts that pushes any customer dispute out of court and into a private, secret,…

March 5, 2015 In Blog

Payday Lending: Boon or Boondoggle for Tribes?

By Leslie BaileyStaff Attorney Earlier this week, the Washington Post published a fascinating piece profiling the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, a small Native American tribe that ostensibly went into the payday loan business in a quest for much-needed funding for…

March 4, 2015 In Blog

Trinity Guardrails Court Files Must Be Open, Court Rules

An image from the Harman v. Trinity complaint. By Leah NichollsStaff Attorney Good news! Yesterday, in a high-profile case involving the safety of highway guardrails, Harman v. Trinity, the court ordered that all the court records in the case be made open to the public….