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Access to Justice

  • Survivors of Sexual Assault and Harassment Deserve the Option of a Day in Court: And So Do All Workers and Small Businesses Harmed by Corporate Misconduct

    By Karla Gilbride, Public Justice Access to Justice Project Co-Director *Editor’s Note: On February 10, the Senate unanimously passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Harassment Act of 2021. In our extremely polarized nation, few issues enjoy bipartisan support. But on the question of what should happen when a worker suffers discrimination or…

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  • Public Justice Returns to U.S. Supreme Court in a New Fight for Workers

    By Leah Nicholls, Co-Director of the Access to Justice Project The proponents of arbitration claim that the system is preferable to litigation in court because it’s faster, streamlined, and more efficient. But those advantages disappear if a party can litigate a case in court before deciding that they might be more successful if the case…

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  • You Had to Sign a Contract in a Language You Don’t Speak? Tough Luck, Says Court

    By Anita Yandle, Access to Justice & Justice Catalyst Fellow If you signed a credit card contract that had a clause buried in the fine print saying that you had to change your religion, do you think a court would force you to convert? Of course not. That is because a decision to waive your constitutional…

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  • Public Justice Statement in Support of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act

    Updated January 31, 2022 “Too often, employers protect workplace harassers by forcing claims out of court into a secret, private tribunal that favors companies. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Harassment Act advocated for by survivors at the House Judiciary’s November 16 hearing represents a positive step forward in the fight to end…

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  • Public Justice Statement on FAIR Act Markup

    Public Justice applauds passage of the bipartisan #FAIRAct out of the House Judiciary Committee today. The Fair Act restores the original intent of what Congress tried to do with arbitration by giving employees and workers a choice in whether to settle a dispute through fair arbitration or by exercising one’s individual right to go to…

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  • The Corporate Campaign Against Class Actions – and Why Public Justice is Working to Preserve Them

    By Andrew Fernandez, Summer 2021 Communications Intern Hidden away from the ‘blockbuster’ cases that drew the most media attention in the October 2020 Supreme Court term, issues concerning economic justice and civil rights in the U.S. were at stake in a case that might have an impact on the future of class actions. In TransUnion…

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  • Ninth Circuit Ruling Ensuring Consent in Employment Contracts Signals Hope for Survivors Everywhere

    By Anita Yandle, Access to Justice & Justice Catalyst Fellow Following the MeToo movement, some state legislatures sought ways to bring light to claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. One of the barriers to shedding light on poor workplace behavior is the prevalence of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts. These hidden and ubiquitous…

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  • Stay in Your Lane: Case Against Car Rental Company Places Limits on Arbitration Overreach

    By Karla Gilbride, Senior Attorney You may have heard that pre-dispute arbitration clauses have gotten very popular with corporations, who include them in almost every transaction. From the online terms of use you are asked to “agree” to when signing up for a service or downloading an app, to the fine print in the manuals…

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  • This Labor Day, Workers’ Rights Are More Important Than Ever

    Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day serves as an annual celebration of the American workforce, the historic victories of the labor movement from which we all benefit today, and the contributions that workers have made toward our nation’s successes. Today, and every day, Public Justice recognizes and celebrates the impact workers have made…

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