Consumerist
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forced arbitration
Arbitration Fairness Act On "All Things Considered"
The perils of forced arbitration and the need for the Arbitration Fairness Act were recently featured on an NPR piece. The story discusses the case of Jamie Leigh Jones, the former Halliburton employee who was gang raped in Iraq by her coworkers, then was sent to arbitration when she tried to sue her employer. More » -
The House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law is currently holding a hearing on forced arbitration and credit cards, appropriately titled "Federal Arbitration Act: Is the Credit Card Industry Using It To Quash Legal Claims?" Our friends at Public Citizen will be testifying. You can view (or at least listen to) the Real Player stream here.
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employment discrimination
Forced Arbitration: You Can't Sue Us For Discrimination
Besides banning forced arbitration in consumer and franchise contracts, the Arbitration Fairness Act bans mandatory binding arbitration clauses in employment contracts. John's story illustrates why this is necessary, inside. More » -
arbitration
"We Build In Middle Class Neighborhoods Because You Can't Afford To Fight Us"
Meet Michelle. We met Michelle at Arbitration Fairness Day and she told us about being forced into arbitration when she tried to get her poorly constructed home repaired. Now she'd like to share her story with you. More » -
arbitration
Forced Arbitration: You Lose, Now Pay For Our Lunch
Mandatory binding arbitration, which corporations use to dodge accountability for their discrimination, negligence, or harassment, is a caricature of justice that offers no protection to consumers or employees. It's also terrible for small business owners, as one couple found out. More » -
mandatory binding arbitration
Forced Arbitration: As Fair As A Sucker Punch
We at Consumerist really hate mandatory binding arbitration, the faux-legal sucker punch that companies deliver when they screw up and you try to sue, and so should you. We've talked about its evils a lot, but no one can describe this legal abomination as well as the victims themselves, so this week we'll let them speak. More » -
arbitration
Mandatory Binding Arbitration Isn't Just Bad For Consumers, It's Bad For Small Businesses
Mother Jones has an excellent writeup of Deborah Williams and Richard Welshans, the Maryland couple whose horrific experience with franchising a Coffee Beanery we've covered before. Inside, MoJo breaks down the arbitration award to show just how much more expensive arbitration is than litigation. More » -
arbitration fairness act
The Arbitration Fairness Act Is In The House
The Arbitration Fairness Act, which will ban binding mandatory arbitration clauses from consumer, employment, and franchise contracts, was reintroduced in the House yesterday. More » -
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your rights
Mandatory Binding Arbitration: The Worst Choose Your Own Adventure Ever
Mandatory binding arbitration agreements are bad for consumers for so many reasons that, unless you're the victim of one, it's hard to keep track of the various ways you can be screwed. So we've come up with this helpful illustration: a choose-your-own-adventure-styled trip through the arbitration process. More »
4:49 PM on Tue Feb 10 2009
By Alex Chasick
0 views, 76 commentsMost discussed Tiki McTikatron: So if you are handed a paper contract (say from a daycare center) and see this clause, are you more »
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arbitration
Powerful People Want To Hear Your Arbitration Horror Stories
If you've been screwed by arbitration, our consumer and public interest friends in DC would like to hear your story for something special they're cooking up. Arbitration agreements are clauses inside many contracts between companies and yourself that, in the event of a dispute, prohibit you from suing the company in a court of law. Instead, you have to take your case to a special arbitration firm. Arbitration bills itself as a speedy and fair way to resolve legal disputes, but it's come under heavy fire recently for being heavily weighted in favor of companies. If you've gotten the short end of the stick, send your story to arbitration.stories@gmail.com.
(Photo: Getty)
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lawsuits
AT&T's Arbitration Clause Strips Consumers Of Their Rights
We just love the word unconscionable. You know who doesn't love it? AT&T. Their mandatory binding arbitration clause was ruled unconscionable by the state Supreme Court of Washington, after AT&T tried to prevent a consumer who believed he was being systematically overcharged from filing a class action lawsuit. More » -
att
Washington Upholds ATT Customer's Right To Class Action
In another step towards the impending demise of mandatory binding arbitration, a customer's right to file a class-action lawsuit against AT&T Wireless was upheld by Washington Supreme Court yesterday. More » -
opinion
Let's Face It: Mandatory Binding Arbitration Sucks
A few days ago a "big business" lawyer wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that those mean old people in the government were trying to take away your right to arbitration. How dare they! More » -
arbitration
Mandatory Binding Arbitration Still Sucks
BusinessWeek has published a pretty substantial cover story on arbitration, and why it disadvantages consumers. Consumerist readers will be familiar with many of the story's criticisms: one study finds 99.8% of arbitration cases are decided in the corporation's favor, some arbitration firms market themselves to companies as a sympathetic and partial judge, the arbitration process is intentionally structured to handicap consumers, and more. More » -
survey says
81% Of Americans Hate Mandatory Binding Arbitration
According to science, even the President is more popular than mandatory binding arbitration. A recent poll shows that Americans hate everything about the extrajudicial resolution system, from its inescapable omnipresence, to its unappealable decisions that rob consumers of their day in court. The poll provides a refreshing contrast to a different study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which found that Americans love mandatory binding arbitration more than pie. More » -
arbitration
Arbitration Mill Sued By San Francisco
A San Francisco attorney has sued the National Arbitration Forum for being biased towards credit companies and ignoring consumer rights.
In 2004, the suit alleges, California resident Elizabeth Marcotte was hit with a $25,0000 award, plus $10,000 in attorneys' fees, in a credit-card collection case. But Ms. Marcotte allegedly wasn't notified about the arbitration, because she was served at an old address, even though she had notified the credit-card company of her new address. The NAF awarded the attorneys' fees without requiring proof that the debt collector actually incurred the fees, according to the suit. Ms. Marcotte wasn't reached for comment.
NAF is the same company that once decided that a 61-year-old identity theft victim owed $46,000 to a bank she never actually did business with.In another credit-card collection case, the NAF allegedly entered an award against California resident John Sheakley, without responding to his request to appear at a hearing and explain why he didn't owe the purported debt to a bank that was a predecessor of FIA Card Services.
San Francisco Sues Provider of Arbitrators [WSJ via U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog] -
consumer rights
Said No To The Doctor's Arbitration Agreement
Today I successfully objected to an arbitration clause and was still able to get the service. It was for acupuncture. I was filling out all the blah blah forms and then I came across the arbitration agreement. I wasn't even planning on this, I just saw it and got really uncomfortable. More » -
lawsuits
Class Actions: T-Mobile's Mandatory Arbitration Clause Ruled "Unconscionable"
A class action lawsuit can proceed in Washington after the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled T-Mobile's mandatory binding arbitration clause "unconscionable and unenforceable under Washington state law." More »
mandatory binding arbitration
New York, 5:11 PM
Sun Jul 5
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