New report shows widespread use of forced arbitration by large companies

A new report examines the use of arbitration agreements in the workplace by the top 100 largest domestic United States companies, as ranked by Fortune magazine. The key finding: 80 of the top 100 largest companies in America, including subsidiaries or related affiliates, have used arbitration agreements in connection with workplace-related disputes since 2010. Of […]

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first national survey on financial well-being claims more than 40% of U.S. adults have trouble making ends meet

Quoting from the CFPB's press release issued yesterday:  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released the results of a first-of-its-kind national survey on the financial well-being of U.S. consumers that showed that more than 40 percent of U.S. adults struggle to make ends meet. The survey provides measurements and insights on the financial well-being of specific […]

Dasteel Article: CONSUMER CLICK ARBITRATION: A REVIEW OF ONLINE CONSUMER ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS

Jeffrey H. Dasteel of UCLA has written CONSUMER CLICK ARBITRATION: A REVIEW OF ONLINE CONSUMER ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS, 9 Arbitration Law Review 1 (2017).  Here is an excerpt from the conclusion: Our review of websites with arbitration clauses, in-store transactions for retailers with brick and mortar outlets and online sales, and prior studies on whether online consumers […]

Two professors discuss hot issues in class actions

In Class Actions in the Era of Trump: Trends and Developments in Class Certification and Related Issues, law profs Jack Coffee and Alexi Lahav just that. Here's the abstract: In this memorandum prepared for the Annual ABA National Institute on Class Actions, Professors Coffee and Lahav review and assess developments in class certification over recent years, […]

Senate Could Vote on CFPB Arb Rule This Week, Even Today

by Jeff Sovern Why this week?  Deepak Gupta speculated on Twitter: Why is GOP pushing this vote now? Possibly to get ahead of hearings next week at which Equifax and Wells Fargo execs will have to testify. But if that's true, that means that arbitration supporters expect that those hearings will generate opposition to arbitration. […]

More Than 400 Professors From All 50 States Support CFPB Arb Rule; Oppose Blocking It

The letter is here.  Marketwatch has a report headlined 400 college professors say you should be able to sue Equifax and other financial institutions. Excerpt from the report: The professors are sending the letter Monday because it is Sept. 25, the anniversary of when Congress passed the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1791, which states: […]

Businesses using class actions against Equifax

Jeff noted a few days ago that a credit union had filed a class action against Equifax. This article (possibly behind a paywall) by Amanda Bronstad discusses that class action some detail, plus another as well. Here's an excerpt: Summit Credit Union in Madison, Wisconsin, has brought a class action on behalf of all credit unions that have had to […]

Report that CFPB Could Use UDAAP Powers House Has Voted to Repeal Against Equifax

by Jeff Sovern Reuters has a report here.  Excerpt: The U.S. consumer finance watchdog agency is expected to punish Equifax for its cyber breach with the wide-ranging powers it has used with Wall Street, former agency officials and lawyers said this week. The credit-reporting company is subject to five federal laws governing listed companies, the […]