Public Justice

March 24, 2020 In Blog Consumers' Rights

Being Arrested Doesn’t Take Away Your Consumer Rights

Appeals Court Deals a Blow to the Prison-Industrial Complex By Karla Gilbride Cartwright-Baron Staff Attorney On any given day in the United States, some 2.3 million people are locked up between state and federal prisons, local and county jails, and immigration detention centers. That’s more…

March 19, 2020 In Blog Access to Justice, Federal Preemption

Fighting to Protect Injury Victims from Roundup, the Cancer-Causing Weedkiller that Monsanto Just Can’t Quit

By Leslie Brueckner Senior Attorney “[We] cannot say that Roundup does not cause cancer [because] we have not done carcinogenicity studies with Roundup.” That’s what Monsanto toxicologist and chief glyphosate spokesperson Donna Farmer said in 2009 about the risks of Roundup, Monsanto’s best-selling weedkiller. Six…

February 19, 2020 In PJ Action Consumers' Rights

Call Congress: Protect Wronged Consumers from Ending Up in the Red

Congress has repeatedly recognized that some laws depend on everyday people being able to enforce them in court, but doing so would often be impossible without the assistance of a qualified and knowledgeable attorney. That’s why in many cases – from discrimination, labor abuses, environmental…

December 19, 2019 In Blog Access to Justice

The Double Taxation of Attorney Fee Awards Leaves Wronged Consumers In the Cold. Help Us End It.

Ask Your Senators to Support S. 2627 Russell and Jennie Kinney thought they had achieved the American Dream. Although they are of modest means and rely on what Russell is able to make as a mechanic in their small town in rural Maine to get…

December 16, 2019 In Updates

Public Justice Calls on California Supreme Court to Change Bar Admission Score

In 2018, only about 40% of test-takers for the California bar exam passed – the state’s worst pass rate since 1951. California’s pass line, or cut score, is 144, the second-highest nationally only behind Delaware. While California is in the midst of a review of…

December 10, 2019 In Blog Forced Arbitration, Workers' Rights

Migrant Worker Defeats Corporate Arbitration Clause by Using Employer’s Practices Against It

By Rodolfo Padilla Legal Fellow Current federal law strongly favors enforcing arbitration clauses against workers. But there are limits, and Judge Edward M. Chen of the Northern District of California found they were reached in this case. The court held that an arbitration contract between…

September 9, 2019 In Blog Access to Justice, Class Action Preservation, Forced Arbitration

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

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…

September 3, 2019 In Blog Food Project

Public Justice Fights Unconstitutional NC “Anti-Sunshine Law”

Imagine your elderly family member, placed in the care of a nursing home, being abused by their caretaker. Imagine your six-month-old child spending the day at a trusted daycare, and being punished by their daycare worker – who breaks the child’s leg. Imagine a major…

August 7, 2019 In Updates

Beth Terrell Named Public Justice President

The new president of Public Justice, Beth Terrell, knew even before she started her legal education that she wanted to use litigation to promote justice for those in the greatest need. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, Terrell developed an independent streak and a strong work ethic that she has consistently directed towards helping others.

July 30, 2019 In Updates

20-Year-Long Case Fighting Dark Money in Politics Awarded Public Justice’s 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award

Public Justice’s 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year award was awarded to the legal team who represented a class action beginning almost twenty years ago, earning a settlement for consumers and shedding light on corruption in politics. The award was presented on the evening of…