faircontracts
On May 16, 2024, the Supreme Court released its decision in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau vs. Community Financial Services Association of America, a case that questioned the constitutionality of the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In a 7-2 decision, the Court—in an opinion authored by Justice Clarence Thomas—roundly rejected CFSAA’s arguments…
Read MoreIn June 2020, the Supreme Court released its opinion in the case of Seila Law vs. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which questioned whether the leadership structure of the CFPB was constitutional. In a 5-4 decision along ideological lines, the Court—in an opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts—ruled that the restrictions placed on the President’s…
Read MoreAdobe, the corporation that makes widely used creative software like Photoshop, unveiled earlier this year an update to the fine print of its Terms of Service that angered many creators who rely on their platform. The added language was vague and expansive but appeared to indicate that Adobe had granted itself permission to access any…
Read MoreAmtrak’s Anti-Consumer Forced Arbitration Clause Persist Despite Efforts of Public Citizen, Congress
Despite repeated efforts, Amtrak continues to require passengers to agree to an arbitration process to resolve claims against the rail service. Amtrak added the Arbitration Agreement to the terms and conditions of its passenger tickets in 2019. The terms of the agreement state that it is “intended to be as broad as legally permissible, and,…
Read MoreCitizen Works has long advocated for a corporate crime database as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce corporate abuse and ensure transparency for consumers. On June 3rd, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that takes a step towards that goal. The new rule creates a publicly available registry that tracks enforcement…
Read MorePublic Citizen filed a lawsuit against Amtrak challenging the legality of imposing an arbitration provision on its riders as a condition of passage. The arbitration provision, introduced in 2019, states that it “is intended to be as broad as legally possible” applying to “all claims, disputes, or controversies, past, present, or future” for any rider.…
Read MoreVisitors of this website are likely familiar with the power and pervasiveness of forced arbitration clauses. Employers and businesses routinely put clauses into the fine-print of boilerplate contracts that deprive consumers and employees of their right to go to court and instead force their claims to be decided in a secret arbitration proceeding. Often class…
Read MoreThe federal official in charge of handling complaints against the student loan industry resigned in fury on Monday, leveling a series of accusations against his agency — including suppression of a report showing lenders were ripping off college students with “legally dubious account fees.” The step was not a surprise. Seth Frotman, who was student loan…
Read MoreOf all the things Mark Zuckerberg said this week before Congress, I found this the most incredulous: “I would hope that what we do with data is not surprising to people.” Everyone is surprised when they find out what Facebook does with data. I’ve been writing about data hacks and privacy for more than a…
Read MoreComplicated rebates have largely disappeared. They still appear in major appliance purchases, however. (NOTE: This is a free excerpt from my new book: Gotcha Capitalism, 10 years later. A lot has happened in the world of credit cards since 2008. It’s fun to look back….) Gift cards could be pretty diabolical when they burst onto…
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