David Lazarus, LAT: Consumers' right to file class actions is in danger

[highplainsdem]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20101105,0,639054.column

Consumers' right to file class actions is in danger
By David Lazarus
November 5, 2010


It hasn't gotten a lot of press, but a case involving AT&T that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court next week has sweeping ramifications for potentially millions of consumers.

If a majority of the nine justices vote the telecom giant's way, any business that issues a contract to customers — such as for credit cards, cellphones or cable TV — would be able to prevent them from joining class-action lawsuits.

This would take away in such cases arguably the most powerful legal tool available to the little guy, particularly in cases involving relatively small amounts of money. Class-action suits allow plaintiffs to band together in seeking compensation or redress, thus giving substantially more heft to their claims.

The ability to ban class actions would potentially also apply to employment agreements such as union contracts.

-snip-

[rurallib]

1. hope this gets enough recs to make the front page

too bad there is not one damned thing we can do about it.

[highplainsdem]

4. I hope so, too.

[unblock]

2. corporatists are just one bad idea after another.

no doubt the fascist five will decide that class action bans are fine because consumers are free to choose from among several competitors, and it's just too damn bad if all the competitors also ban class action suits.

[highplainsdem]

3. kick

[Kablooie]

5. Here we go...

The Sup Court is flexing it's big business muscles again.

Soon America will be back in Upton Sinclair's Jungle or maybe even Dicken's London.

We will see more and more people's lives destroyed and unnecessary deaths occur with no legal recourse available at all.

Poverty, disease and death in the streets is the world the conservatives are just dying to live in.

And the conservative Justices are so god damned young they will be around for decades to come.

We are in for a big roller coaster ride down to hell and there isn't a lot we can do about it.