Blog

October 14, 2021 In Blog Class Action Preservation

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…

October 1, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice

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…

September 17, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice

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…

August 11, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice

Proposals to Eliminate Document-by-Document Privilege Logs Threaten Access to Justice

Possible Federal Rules changes could be green light for privilege abuse in discovery By Ellen Noble, Staff Attorney Corporations are once again trying to dismantle longstanding Federal Rules of Civil Procedure designed to ensure that the civil justice system is fair and transparent—that it uncovers…

June 22, 2021 In Blog

ExxonMobil Tried to Obstruct Depositions to Escape Human Rights Violation Allegations. A Change in the Federal Rules Could Help Others Get Away With It.

By Lucy Sears, Communications Associate Any trial lawyer knows how central the facts are to a case. What did a defendant know about whether a product (or some practice) might injure or harm people, and when did they know it? Whether it’s a billion-dollar antitrust…

June 17, 2021 In Blog Consumers' Rights

The Most Vulnerable Americans Should be Protected from Predatory Lending: Let’s Pass the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act

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…

May 18, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice

Ninth Circuit Upholds Roundup Verdict in Access to Justice Triumph

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….

May 4, 2021 In Blog Consumers' Rights

The Tax Code Keeps Legal Help Out of Reach for Harmed Consumers. A Bill Could Change That

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…

April 23, 2021 In Blog Gender & Sexual Violence

GOP to Trans Youth: We Know You Better Than You Know Yourselves

How institutional rejection harms transgender youth. By Adrienne Spiegel, Seneca Falls Fellow This story was originally posted by The Advocate. Legislation rejecting trans kids began to circulate in state houses this January. At the same time, online, sprung a meme: “Tell me you’re X without telling me…

February 16, 2021 In Blog Civil Rights & Liberties, Debtors' Prison Project

$500 Fine Imposed on Homeless Man Shows Why We Need the Excessive Fines Clause

Public Justice urges Washington Supreme Court to strike down unconstitutional fine By John He, Debtors’ Prison Project Skadden Fellow Last week, Public Justice’s Debtors’ Prison Project filed a friend-of-the-court brief in City of Seattle v. Long, an important case pending before the Washington Supreme Court…