Practice Area: Consumers' Rights

August 29, 2016 In Blog Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

Protecting Consumers from the Fine Print

Public Justice Files Comments Supporting CFPB Rule to Limit Abusive Forced Arbitration Provisions By Karla Gilbride Cartwright-Baron Staff Attorney With big banks making millions in profits while wages stagnate and the wealth gap continues to widen, many Americans feel that the system is rigged and…

July 20, 2016 In Blog Consumers' Rights

Public Justice Defends Rights of Generic Drug Victims in California Supreme Court

This case is a vivid example of why it’s important to allow lawsuits against brand-name drug companies for injuries caused by generic drugs. If the California Supreme Court lets Novartis off the hook, then the world will be a much more dangerous place.

July 14, 2016 In Updates Consumers' Rights

Paul Bland Comments on Takata Airbag Recall

Paul Bland recently spoke to the Sinclair Broadcasting Group about the Takata airbag recall, which affects over 17 million cars. In some airbags, the device becomes defective and causes sharp shards to explode in the face of the passenger during a crash. These airbags have been linked to 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

May 18, 2016 In Updates Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

Public Justice Speaks Out for Consumer Rights and the CFPB on Capitol Hill

Two weeks ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a new rule that would prohibit lenders from including forced arbitration clauses with class action bans in their lending contracts. Today, Public Justice’s Executive Director, Paul Bland, will testify in front of the House’s Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee in support of this rule.

May 17, 2016 In Blog Consumers' Rights

California Supreme Court to Hear Drug Company Challenge to Personal Jurisdiction

One of the first things I learned in law school was that a corporation’s “continuous and systematic” economic activities in a particular state were sufficient to subject the company to personal jurisdiction in that state. That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court held way back in 1945. And that that remained essentially undisturbed for over 70 years. In 2014, however, the Supreme Court gave corporations a brand-new defense that they are now employing with great gusto in courts across the country. Public Justice is challenging that in a newly filed amicus brief, taking on corporations that are attempting to limit injured plaintiffs’ access to justice by advocating a narrow reading of Supreme Court precedent to effectively deny injury victims access to state courts.

May 5, 2016 In Updates Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

New Rule: Fighting the Fine Print

After years of discussions and debates, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is unveiling a major new rule that will prohibit lenders from including forced arbitration clauses with class action bans in their lending contracts.

April 12, 2016 In Blog Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights

Ninth Circuit Rejects Defendant’s Effort to Pick Off Named Class Representative

A powerful blow has just been struck by the Ninth Circuit today, as it’s rejected a corporation’s effort to escape from legal liability by paying off a few individuals to wipe away the claims of thousands. This is a gigantic victory for consumers and workers.

March 29, 2016 In Blog Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

TransUnion Can’t Use Its Slick Website Design to Trick Consumers Into Giving Up Their Day in Court

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit announced that TransUnion – one of the three big credit reporting agencies and one of the most powerful corporations in America – went too far in trying to slip an arbitration clause past consumers in a way they wouldn’t notice.

March 23, 2016 In Blog Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights, Workers' Rights

Tyson Foods Loses Bid to Reverse Worker Class Action in U.S. Supreme Court

And now for some rare but good news on the class action front from the U.S. Supreme Court:

For months now, Supreme Court watchers have been waiting with bated breath to see whether food industry giant Tyson Foods, Inc. would succeed in its bid to reverse a $5.8 million judgment in favor of Iowa meat processing employees who were not paid for their time “donning and doffing” protective equipment.

Well guess what? Tyson Foods lost.

March 1, 2016 In Blog Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

States Are Mobilizing to Protect Consumers from Forced Arbitration

As the New York Times recently reported, corporations have been taking away Americans’ ability to sue in court if the company harms them, without most people even being aware that they have given up their Constitutional rights. Corporations do this by slipping provisions into “terms and conditions” on the back of product packaging, or on the bottom of webpages, or buried in dense contracts that patients must sign before entering a hospital or nursing home.