By Leah M. Nicholls, Senior Attorney In 2006, Congress passed the Military Lending Act (MLA) with bipartisan support. The MLA addressed what military leadership saw as a substantial problem: the targeting of members of the military and their families by predatory lenders charging exorbitant interest rates and fees, rates of 400 percent or more. Getting…
By Leslie Brueckner, Senior Attorney Throughout its nearly 40-year history, Public Justice has specialized in taking on corporate behemoths on behalf of consumers, workers, and others who are determined to fight back against dangerous products, dangerous workplaces and dangerous attempts to block the courthouse doors. Late last week, we scored a major victory against one…
By Christine Hines National Association of Consumer Advocates Paul Bland Public Justice Executive Director Fee-shifting provisions in statutes serve to make so many legal actions on behalf of wronged consumers possible, but a serious issue with America’s tax laws is critically undermining them. A critical feature of many state and federal consumer protection laws, fee…
Today, Public Justice joined three dozen groups and individuals in warning against a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that would roll back investor rights and unleash corporate misconduct. Oral argument in the case is scheduled for Monday, March 29. Below is the joint statement: It has…
View PDF March 10, 2021 The Honorable Patty Murray Chair, Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Richard Burr Ranking Member, Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Nomination of Julie Su as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor…
By Karla Gilbride Cartwright-Baron Senior Attorney What Leo Tolstoy said in Anna Karenina about unhappy families could also be said about consumer transactions or employment relationships that turn sour: each one “is unhappy in its own way.” For some types of disputes, a worker or consumer may want a public reckoning in court; in other situations, a…
In 2019, Congress held hearings on the FAIR Act, a bill that would make it illegal to force employment, consumer, antitrust and civil rights disputes into arbitration. The Institute for Legal Reform, an affiliate of the nation’s chief big business lobby - the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - tried to influence that legislative debate with…
By Paul Bland Executive Director It is no accident that many of President-Elect Biden’s first personnel announcements have been key appointments aimed at strengthening the country’s economy. Biden is sending a clear message that important “pocket book issues” will be a central part of his White House agenda. Steering the economy through the COVID pandemic,…
By Lucy Sears Communications Associate With less than two weeks until the new year, it appears that Congress has finally settled on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, following many months of negotiations that were largely attributed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s continued refusal to back down on several proposals seeking to grant temporary…