Public Justice

October 9, 2013 In Blog

Will the Supreme Court Let Wal-Mart Block Its Workers’ Disability Claims Too?

By Arthur Bryant, Executive Director Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court let Wal-Mart block its female workers’ sex discrimination claims in Wal-Mart v. Dukes by changing the rules governing class actions. Next Tuesday, Wal-Mart will ask the Court to block its workers’ long-term disability…

September 20, 2013 In Blog

Forced Arbitration Isn’t Just for Employees of Corporations Anymore. It’s Also for Your Housekeeper (Who You Assaulted).

By Leah Nicholls, Kazan-Budd Attorney The Virginia Supreme Court has enforced an arbitration agreement against a housekeeper who sought to sue her former boss after he physically assaulted her. By this point, like it or not (not), consumer and worker advocates expect to find arbitration clauses…

September 18, 2013 In Blog Anti-Bullying

Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Suicide: A Lesson for Schools

By Adele Kimmel, Managing Attorney The start of the new school year has already provided a painful lesson on the effects of bullying. After the first day of school, 15-year-old Bart Palosz of Greenwich, Conn., killed himself in an apparent effort to escape years of…

September 18, 2013 In Blog

What Do Frequent Flier Programs Have to Do with Flying? The Supreme Court Takes on Preemption Under the Airline Deregulation Act.

By Leah Nicholls, Kazan-Budd Attorney Are airlines excused from following state laws when it comes to frequent flier programs? That’s the question before the Supreme Court in Northwest, Inc. v. Ginsberg. If the Court answers with a broad “yes,” a large swath of consumer transactions could…

September 17, 2013 In Blog

Untreatable: Factory Farmed Meat Linked to 23,000 Deaths

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention By Jessica Culpepper, Food Safety & Health Attorney Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that one of our worst medical nightmares is coming true—antibiotic resistant superbugs are leading us to a post antibiotic era, where…

September 17, 2013 In Blog

Debt Collector Can’t Use Its Own Mistake to Its Advantage, Says Washington Federal Court

By Leslie Bailey, Staff Attorney As a consumer lawyer, I’ve witnessed some pretty outrageous conduct by corporations, and debt collectors and debt buyers are especially prone to abuses. But even I was surprised at how low one debt collection law firm in Washington stooped lately. …

September 16, 2013 In Blog Anti-Bullying

Why We Litigate to Protect Students from Bullying

By Adrian Alvarez, Goldberg-Robb Attorney I recently posted a blog with my colleague Adele Kimmel about an Oregon case filed by Josi Harrison, a high school student who was “sextorted” into sending nude photos of herself to her boyfriend starting in middle school. The crux…

September 11, 2013 In Blog

Vulnerable Nursing Home Patients Need Ability to Sue in Court as Government Agencies Fail to Protect Them

By Leslie Bailey, Staff Attorney According to a new report just released by the Center for Investigative Reporting and reported by KQED, the failure of California regulators to adequately investigate and pursue claims of abuse and misconduct by nursing assistants and health aids is “putting…

September 11, 2013 In Blog

Nevada Federal Court Strikes Down Egregiously Unfair and Hidden Arbitration Clause

By Paul Bland, Senior Attorney @PBlandBland In the wake of recent Supreme Court decisions, forced arbitration clauses are generally enforced unless a corporation sticks something particularly overreaching and unfair in its arbitration clause, or drafts an arbitration clause in an unusually stupid way. A U.S….

September 5, 2013 In Blog

What the Merrill Lynch discrimination case tells us about power in numbers

By Amy Radon, Staff Attorney As The New York Times has reported, brokerage firm giant Merrill Lynch agreed to pay $160 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 700 African American brokers who had accused the firm of race discrimination. It’s a great victory, but it…