Personal Injury Law

Poll Shows That Americans Oppose Forced Arbitration, Want Corporate Wrongdoers Held Accountable

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire and Catherine Bertram, Esquire

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) reported yesterday that a nation-wide pole of likely voters conducted by Lake Research Partners shows that Americans widely oppose corporations using mandatory binding arbitration clauses in the fine print of consumer and employment contracts. Such forced arbitration clauses are often buried in the fine print of contracts dealing with everything from cell phone, home, credit card and retirement account terms of agreement to employment and nursing home contracts.   Corporations have forced consumers to sign mandatory arbitration clauses when taking a job, buying a product, or accepting a service, requiring consumers to give up their right to take their case to court if they are harmed by a corporation.  Usually, consumers do not even know they are losing their rights because the arbitration clauses are never mentioned by corporations and the language is hidden deep within contracts in very fine print.

Lake Research Partners President Celinda Lake describes forced arbitration clauses as "another example of corporations taking advantage of ordinary Americans. The public supports the Arbitration Fairness Act because equal justice under the law is a core American value.'  The Arbitration Fairness Act is receiving strong bipartisan support.  The legislation should pass. If it does, forced arbitration clauses will be void, making the decision to arbitrate a voluntary decision to be made after a dispute has arisen, so corporations cannot manipulate the arbitration system to the detriment and expense of innocent consumers.

To read the AAJ report, please click here.

Many Americans are killed or injured each year by defective products, poor services, and otherwise wrongful corporate conduct.  If you want more information about your legal rights, please click here or call the law firm of Regan Zambri & Long, PLLC  at 202-463-3030.   

Full post as published by DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog on May 04, 2009 (boomark / email).