One of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington gambled big in the last election cycle–and won. Now, it's cashing in its chips with the lawmakers it helped elect.
The American Association for Justice, which represents America's plaintiffs' trial lawyers, shelled out over $8 million during the 2020 campaigns. Almost all of that cash–98%– went to Democrats, who gained control of the White House and Senate while retaining their House majority by the slimmest of margins.
By all indications, that money was well spent. Lawmakers are busy scheming up ways to enrich their donors–even if it means making it harder for working people to get justice or further burdening taxpayers.
Consider the ongoing attempt to ban "pre-dispute arbitration," a popular legal recourse for workers, but one that's hated by the trial bar, since it lets employees and employers resolve disputes by turning to a neutral third-party, rather than resorting to lengthy–and for trial lawyers, lucrative–lawsuits.
Trial lawyers and their allies in Congress have tried to characterize arbitration as a coercive, anti-worker tactic favored by the C-suite. But nothing could be further from the truth. Workers usually fare better in arbitration than they do in the courtroom.
A 2019 study found that while employees won 11% of cases that played out in courts between 2014 and 2018, they prevailed in 32% of disputes that went through arbitration. More recent data suggests that the arbitration win rate could be even...
[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung Reporter] As past remarks by singer Yang Hong-won expressing his dislike of infidelity resurface, reactions continue to grow that the recent 'motel infidelity allegations' agai...