Congress to Consider Bill Restoring Consumers’ Access to Courts in Response to Supreme Court Ruling

A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld lopsided arbitration clauses found in the small print of consumer contracts, such as cell phone bills, that deny consumers access to the courts in the event of a dispute and force them to pursue their remedy against the business in arbitration. Consumer advocates have long argued that arbitration clauses strongly favor businesses because the businesses, not consumers, represent steady customers to professional arbitrators so there is a built-in incentive to keep businesses happy and find in their favor.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) have introduced a bill, the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011, seeking to amend the Federal Arbitration Act to invalidate all arbitration clauses in consumer and employment contracts.