The SC KILLS class action suits. Chalk up a huge win for corporate fucking America

[cali]

Companies can block customers' class-action lawsuits, Supreme Court rules
Justices rule in a Southern California case that firms can force customers to arbitrate their complaints individually. The ruling is seen as a major victory for corporations.


By David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times

April 28, 2011
Reporting from Washington—
The Supreme Court dealt a blow to class-action lawsuits that involve small claims affecting thousands or even millions of people by ruling that corporations may use arbitration clauses to block dissatisfied consumers or disgruntled employees from joining together.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices said Wednesday the Federal Arbitration Act of 1925, originally aimed at disputes over maritime and rail shipments, trumps state laws and court rulings in California and about half the states that limit arbitration clauses deemed to be "unfair" to consumers.

The ruling was "the biggest ever" on class actions, said Vanderbilt University law professor Brian Fitzpatrick, an expert on such litigation.

"It gives companies a green light to exempt themselves from all class actions from their customers or from their employees," Fitzpatrick said. "Companies can basically escape from the civil justice system. And why wouldn't a company take advantage of that?"


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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-court-class-action-20110428,0,4701430.story

[truebrit71]

1. I wish I could say i was surprised...

...but I'm not...

[Hannah Bell]

2. fuck the bought-off sc with a big pointed stick.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. This is very sad day for American consumers.

Very sad indeed. :(

[99th_Monkey]

4. This is SO wrong! So now every injured individual must pay for their own attorney?

Good for attorneys though. This must get reversed as soon as possible.

This courts has it's head so far up it's ass ... unbelievable..

[leftstreet]

5. K&R

:cry:

[alfredo]

6. We are on our own folks. The Supremes have again put us

at the mercy of the corporatist.

[leveymg]

7. Another 5-4, just like Citizen's United

The dam is about to blow for this Court. This line of cases has to change.

[xchrom]

8. Recommend

[cliffordu]

9. First they made corporations people, now those people cannot be sued.

:grr:

[leveymg]

11. Too big to jail.

Too big to fail. They're like AIDS, a fatal social disease - left untreated, they kill the hosts.

[Drale]

10. So now theres going to be 1000 different lawsuits

because people ain't going to enter into class action. This is just going to be a huge waist of time and money from our judicial system.

[truebrit71]

12. Nope. You will be forced into arbitration...

...which is exactly what the corporations wanted from the start...

[Odin2005]

13. This is evil, plain and simple.