Blog

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…

February 10, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration, Workers' Rights

Put an End to Fine Print Bullying: Urge Congress to Pass the FAIR Act

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…

February 5, 2021 In Blog Access to Justice, Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

Chamber Affiliate Recycles Flawed Methodology to Defend Forced Arbitration for Consumers

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 a report claiming that arbitration is actually better for workers than going to court.

January 12, 2021 In Blog Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

Firing Kathy Kraninger Must Be Part of President-Elect Biden’s Economic Agenda

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…

December 22, 2020 In Blog Access to Justice, Workers' Rights

McConnell’s Latest Corporate Immunity Proposals Are A Direct Sabotage To Our Democracy

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…