Blog

April 28, 2016 In Blog

A Year of Remarkable Voices & Victories

2015 was a banner year for Public Justice’s work to create real change in the lives of real people and communities throughout the country. The cases we took on – and the cases we won – will have positive, far-reaching consequences for years, and even decades, to come.

April 13, 2016 In Blog Civil Rights & Liberties

Justice for Rafael: An Update

When I met Maria Escamilla at her home in Laredo, Texas last year, one of the first things she said to me was, “I’ve been waiting so long.” In 2009, her son had died while in police custody at the Webb County Jail in Texas. More than 6 years later, no one had been held accountable. But on April 12, the Fifth Circuit ruled that charges against the jailers responsible for caring for Mr. Solis could move forward. At long last, those responsible for Rafael’s death can finally be held accountable.

April 12, 2016 In Blog Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights

Ninth Circuit Rejects Defendant’s Effort to Pick Off Named Class Representative

A powerful blow has just been struck by the Ninth Circuit today, as it’s rejected a corporation’s effort to escape from legal liability by paying off a few individuals to wipe away the claims of thousands. This is a gigantic victory for consumers and workers.

April 12, 2016 In Blog The Environment

A New Legal Frontier in the Fight Against Fracking

This morning, ‘Newsweek’ noted that our lawsuit taking on oil and gas fracking in Oklahoma is “the first U.S. lawsuit ever filed to prevent earthquakes.” We’ve added a fourth company – SandRidge – to the list of those we’re taking to court in order to stop the destruction fracking is causing in America’s heartland.

March 29, 2016 In Blog Consumers' Rights, Forced Arbitration

TransUnion Can’t Use Its Slick Website Design to Trick Consumers Into Giving Up Their Day in Court

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit announced that TransUnion – one of the three big credit reporting agencies and one of the most powerful corporations in America – went too far in trying to slip an arbitration clause past consumers in a way they wouldn’t notice.

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…