In case you missed it, NPR has a really great story on why we need arbitration reform.
The piece starts out with the story of Jamie Leigh Jones a 20-year-old Halliburton/KBR employee in 2005, who was in Iraq for only four days before she was brutally gang raped by fellow employees. No criminal action was ever taken against the rapist who continued to work for Haliburton, so she is trying to sue in civil court. Haliburton/KBR are arguing that she cannot sue; instead, she must arbitrate.
The article also hit many of the points that Sam, I, and others have raised over and over about the biases against consumers in the arbitration system. While I think arbitration may have it place in busines-to-business transactions, where there is some equality in negotiating power, it has no place in consumer transactions.
To find a consumer or bankruptcy lawyer, use the Caveat Emptor Consumer & Bankruptcy Lawyer Directory.
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I can’t even imagine a more powerful argument against mandatory arbitration. Kudos to Ms. Jones for having the courage to share her story. And thanks for the post/link, I caught the tail end of NPR’s story when it aired a few weeks ago and I’m glad I got a chance to listen to it in its entirety today.