The state of the law on arbitration is undeniably titled against consumers, workers, and really anyone who is wronged by a corporation (including, sometimes, even smaller corporations). We've discussed on this site for years how arbitration undermines disputants' rights and favors the big repeat players. And we've discussed how far arbitration has extended under recent […]
Author Archives: Scott Michelman
As Forbes discusses, the D.C. city council has just passed a law to combat the abuses associated with civil asset forfeiture, the law enforcement practice of taking people's money or property and asking questions (such as whether they had the authority to do it) later. The Washington Post summarizes what asset forfeiture is: Civil forfeiture […]
Our site does its share (we hope!) of calling attention to dangerous and/or exploitative corporate practices, so it's only fair that we also mention when a company seems to be looking out for its consumers. Brian's post earlier today discussed a looming showdown over airbag recalls, with the manufacturer, Takata, refusing NHTSA's demand to broaden […]
With Privacy Basics, the social network site provides a sleek, interactive guide to your privacy options. Whatever you think of Facebook's record on privacy, the new policy seems to reflect a recognition on Facebook's part that their users do care about it. I don't know all the details of how the policy has changed over […]
"Remember the robo-signers, those mortgage loan automatons who authenticated thousands of foreclosure documents over the years without verifying the information they were swearing to? Well, they’re back, in a manner of speaking," reports the Times. Read on.
We mentioned last week that fracking will be permitted in a national forest in Virginia, near the Potomac's headwaters. Now the outgoing governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, says that he will open up lands in the western portion of that state to fracking, although he touts the stringent regulations he intends to impose. The Washington […]
This week, the former CEO of Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he violated mine safety rules and hindered federal safety enforcement in connection with the April 2010 explosion at Massey’s Upper Big Branch Mine, in which 29 miners died. Despite the intense public interest in the case — which […]
Previously on the blog, we've covered a fracking ban in New York, litigation against a fracking protestor in Pennsylvania, and state oversight (or lack thereof) also in Pennsylvania. Now the issue is coming uncomfortably close to the city many coordinators and contributors to this blog call home. Under a new federal agency plan, fracking will […]
From Slate, here. A good plain-English piece to share with folks who don't understand how corporations are limiting access to the courts.
NPR's Morning Edition this morning covered this pending case, in which borrowers assert a variety of unlawful practices. The New York State Department of Financial Services is also investigating. For instance, one couple says that Ocwen charged fees for "property preservation" even though the couple lived in the home, force-placed insurance even though the couple […]