Stealth Attack on the Right to Jury Trials

Forced arbitration allows corporations to eliminate consumers’ rights to seek accountability and justice in the courts. Buried in the fine print of employment, cell phone, credit card, retirement account, home building, and nursing home contracts are mandatory arbitration clauses.  Just by taking a job or buying a product or service, consumers are forced to give up their right to go in front of a jury if they are harmed by a company.  Few people know that thousands of online shopping sites, including Amazon and Ebay, subject shoppers to forced arbitration clauses.

In forced arbitration, the deck is stacked against consumers. There is no judge, jury or right to an appeal.  Studies have shown that arbitrators decide in favor of big business and corporations 94% of the time.

Public Citizen invites consumers to help build its “Arbitration Rogue’s Gallery” of corporations that have taken away their customers’ legal rights, immunizing themselves from accountability for wrongdoing by putting forced arbitration clauses in their terms of service. Learn more at this link: http://www.citizen.org/forced-arbitration-rogues-gallery  Please call your congressperson and senator to encourage support for the Arbitration Fairness Act.  http://www.citizen.org/