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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 23, 2016 In Blog

Buried in the Fine Print: A Special Investigative Report on Arbitration

Earlier this month, Al Jazeera America aired ‘Buried in the Fine Print,’ a special investigative report on the dangers of arbitration. The program, which also features our executive director, showcases just a few example of arbitration’s impact on consumers, workers and others. We’re excited to…

March 17, 2016 In Blog Forced Arbitration

Don’t Trust the Chamber of Commerce When it Tells You That Arbitration is Good for Consumers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the country’s largest corporate lobbying organizations, wants American consumers to believe that it has their best interests at heart. This is a myth.

In a recent blog post, the Chamber argues against a proposed rule being considered by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The rule would prohibit contracts for consumer financial products from combining arbitration clauses that prevent consumers from going to court with terms that ban consumers from bringing or being a part of a class action. The Chamber argues that when consumers have been cheated by banks or debt collectors, it’s in the consumers’ best interest to bring those companies to individual arbitration, rather than banding together in a class action. This position, however, is completely disingenuous.

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.

February 24, 2016 In Blog

New Look. New Home.

Today, we’re unveiling a whole new look for Public Justice. Our new website, and our new logo, are part of an all-new brand designed to highlight the work we do, and the communities we serve. After many months of development, we’re excited to finally share…

February 3, 2016 In Blog

One (Really) Good Class Action

Over 320,000 homes completely re-plumbed, repaired, and inspected at no cost to the homeowner. A 96% homeowner satisfaction rate. Over $1.14 billion spent in settlement, with 92% paid directly to homeowner relief and only 8% consumed by administrative costs and attorneys fees. Fifteen years of court-supervised administration without a single instance of court intervention.

Sound too good to be true? That is the power of a really good consumer class action–in this case the Polybutylene (PB) plumbing class action spearheaded by Public Justice in 1993 and achieving settlement in 1995.

February 2, 2016 In Blog Consumers' Rights

No, You Can’t Just Write a Contract that Says No Federal Law Applies

When James Hayes took out a loan for $2525 via the Western Sky lending company, he probably expected, like most consumers do, that he would be charged some interest. But by any reasonable standard, the 139.12% rate he was effectively charged—turning his initial $2525 loan into a $14,093 debt—was jaw-dropping.

January 19, 2016 In Blog Civil Rights & Liberties, Food Project, The Environment

First Round Goes to Citizens in Federal Court Fight Against Wyoming Ag Gag Laws

In late December, we won the first round in our federal constitutional challenge to Wyoming laws that make it a crime for citizens to gather data about environmental pollution from public land. U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl denied the State’s motion to dismiss the suit challenging the laws, citing “serious concerns” about the statutes’ constitutionality.

January 12, 2016 In Blog Court Secrecy

Same Story, New Ending: Court Overturns Order Sealing Chrysler Defect Records

photo credit: dharder9475 via photopin cc Jennifer Bennett Budd-Kazan Attorney It’s the same story, over and over again: Corporation conceals deadly defect. Someone dies, and their family sues. Corporation settles quietly. Court records are sealed. Nobody finds out. More people are hurt; more people sue;…

December 16, 2015 In Blog Consumers' Rights, Court Secrecy

A Payday Lender’s Race to the Bottom

by Gabriel Hopkins Thornton-Robb Attorney Scott Tucker loves fast cars. That might be why he raced to the bottom as the owner and operator of a payday lending business whose complicated and lopsided repayment plan duped millions of consumers. Now the details of this operation…