| Volume 15 Number 8 |
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Important Consumer Rights Legislation: On July 12th, Senator Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) and Congressman Hank Johnson (Georgia) introduced the "Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007", a comprehensive bill which would effectively ban binding mandatory arbitration clauses from all consumer and employee contracts. This may be the most significant piece of consumer legislation proposed in the past three decades. If enacted, it will give you back the legal rights you have lost through arbitration. For this bill to build momentum and ultimately become law, we need to educate our Representatives and Senators about the need for this legislation and urge them to not only support, but co-sponsor this bill. Please just take a few minutes to send a message to your representatives. And please pass on the information about our campaign to as many as possible. Only together, and with your active support can we restore access to justice for our clients and for all American consumers. Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Your Congressperson, Your Senators: Below is the sample letter: Subject: Support and Sponsor the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007 Dear [decision maker name inserted here], I urge you to support and co-sponsor the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007, which would ban pre-dispute Mandatory Binding Arbitration clauses in consumer and employment contracts. This unfair practice stacks the deck against average Americans trying to hold powerful interests accountable when they have been hurt through no fault of their own. Buried within the fine print of many consumer contracts for credit cards, home-building contracts and car purchases are clauses that stack the deck against ordinary Americans and force consumers to give up their rights before a dispute even occurs. These "pre-dispute Mandatory Binding Arbitration" clauses have been used to deny millions of consumers and employees access to our nation's justice system. The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007 bans this unfair practice and restores the right of hardworking Americans to seek justice through the courts, often the only place they can face powerful interests on a level p! laying field. I urge you to support this legislation and to please consider being one of the bill's co-sponsors. Thank you for your time and consideration
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
How much can a bank charge for a bounced check: anything it wants. Shop around for a bank that charges reasonable fees for its services.
The Truth About Mandatory Arbitration
Binding Mandatory Arbitration Clauses (called BMA clauses) aren't designed to help you or save you money, they are designed to hurt you. BMA clauses strip you of your rights. They are virtually always written to help the other party, not you. BMA clauses are so bad that few consumers try to use them to solve a dispute. Instead, the consumer walks away from the dispute, even when the consumer has been terribly hurt. One study shows that in 50,000 arbitrations, consumers brought only fifty of those arbitrations. Companies brought the rest. Click here for more.
Give Us Small Cars and Cheap Cars
High gas prices and concerns about the environment are sending American car and truck buyers toward a consumer psychology that has never found much traction in the United States: minimalism. But attitudes could change if new generations of buyers decide that they can make a social and fashion statement with a single automotive purchase of a small, cheap car. With all the news about rising gasoline prices rise and mounting worries over global warming, one might get the impression that the country is headed toward the era of the minimalist car buyer. Click here for more.
Ditch Your Bank For a Credit Union
You aren't bound to your bank. Learn why credit unions deliver big savings and better service for many consumers. Click here for more.
Your 5-Minute Guide to Bankruptcy
Overwhelmed by debt? Bankruptcy is the means of last resort to rebuilding your financial well-being. Before you make a decision to file for bankruptcy, consider the following. Click here for more.
Your Money
What's it worth to reduce my spending? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Class action ban in arbitration agreement invalid. The Washington Supreme Court has held that a cell phone company cannot insulate itself from liability by banning its customers from bringing class actions against it. Click here for more.