A group of lawmakers wants to hand the nursing home industry a get-out-of-jail free card, in the form of HR 1215. The bill, which is deceptively titled the “Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017,” would cap the amount of “non-economic” damages a victim could obtain from a nursing home in a lawsuit at just $250,000 per case, no matter how many victims were hurt or how many people (or corporations) are responsible.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 985, the so-called “Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act.” This sweeping legislation would make it virtually impossible to bring a class action lawsuit, effectively locking the courthouse doors to millions of Americans. The final vote in the House represented a very narrow victory (220 – 201), setting the stage for a real battle in the United States Senate.
By Paul Bland Executive Director Lawmakers in Congress are about to vote on a bill that would seriously jeopardize Americans’ right to their day in court. We need your help to stop this dangerous legislation which will make it easier for corporations to break the…
For many families who are struggling, the real state of our union is precarious. President Trump can help turn that around by being the champion he promised them he would be. That starts with understanding that big banks and corporate lobbyists aren’t what will make America great again.
By Karla Gilbride Cartwright-Baron Attorney In his inaugural address, Donald Trump promised to transfer power from “the establishment” and “give it back to you, the people.” But just two weeks later, with another flourish of his very busy pen, Trump has stopped just such a…
Photo via IntelFreePress on Flickr By Brian Hardingham Kazan-Budd Attorney One Federal Communications Commissioner is proposing taking a major step to protect consumers against abusive fine print contracts. We at Public Justice strongly support this proposal. In 2011 and 2013, a pair of U.S. Supreme Court opinions…
In a case called Romero v. Department Stores National Bank, for example, a consumer received literally hundreds of robocalls from the banks that issue Macy’s-branded credit cards, despite the fact that she repeatedly told them to stop calling her. The consumer sued the banks for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act—a statute that prohibits unwanted robocalls to cell phones. But the trial court held that the consumer lacked standing to bring her lawsuit.
Image via Zach Copley on Flickr By Dani Zylberberg Thornton Fellow In its most recent update to its “User Agreement,” Capital Bikeshare—the hugely popular bike program in the Washington, D.C. area—has slipped in a forced arbitration clause and class action ban that significantly affects the…
The federal government says that court secrecy is preventing it from protecting consumers. To stop that, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued guidance that urges all judges, plaintiffs, defendants, and lawyers, as well as parties wishing to submit amicus briefs, to ensure that every protective and secrecy order and agreement “specifically allows for disclosure” to the “CPSC and other government public health and safety agencies.”
By Paul Bland Executive Director It’s bad enough that a ton of corporations require their customers and employees to submit all their legal claims to private arbitration, a secretive system that is rigged against the individual. But to compound the unfairness, a growing number of…