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…

In 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…

Adobe, 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…

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,…

Citizen 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…

Before Being Filmed, Read the Fine Print! The New York Times ran a piece on August 19, 2018 entitled “Sacha Baron Cohen Pranked Me, Can I Sue?  Yes. Win? Not So Much,” about the difficulty in winning a lawsuit for those who have already signed away their legal rights in advance through a fine print…

In an era when online ratings and reviews can make or break a business, maintaining a sterling online image can be crucial. So crucial, in fact, that over the past few years many businesses have introduced “non-disparagement” clauses into the form contracts that make up their sales agreements. These clauses prohibit buyers from expressing negative…

Of 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…

Ralph Nader explains the problem with standard form contracts and introduces faircontracts.org.

Got a story to tell us about one of your contract experiences? Have you turned down a company or renegotiated the terms after they tried to force an unfair contract on you? Do you want to send out a warning to other consumers not to fall for predatory contracts?  Do you know of model industry…