Arbitration Clauses

This segment of The Law and You features personal injury trial lawyer Lara Johnson discussing arbitration clauses.  A qualified, experienced attorney can help you protect your rights when dealing with arbitration clauses.

TRANSCRIPT

JOEL: This is Joel Block for The Law and You with Eugene attorney Lara Johnson. Lara, legal contracts can be very difficult to understand and are often written to protect the company, not the consumer.

LARA: That’s right, Joel. The seventh amendment to the Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, guarantees your right to a jury trial. Yet contracts for cell phones, cars, nursing homes and others routinely include a clause that, in effect, denies your right to a jury trial and requires you to use the company’s chosen arbitrator to settle the claims. And, if many people have similar claims, these contracts prohibit them from joining together in a class action lawsuit. New rules are proposed to ban clauses that prohibit consumers from joining class actions. Mandatory arbitration clauses have no place in consumer contracts and should be banned, as well.

JOEL: Thanks, Lara. For more information on protecting your rights in contracts, visit the Law Firm of Corson & Johnson at CorsonJohnsonLaw.com. The Law and You is a community service and does not replace the advice of an attorney.

The Corson & Johnson Law Firm, an Oregon personal injury trial law firm, produced and distributed The Law and You as a public service to help families and consumers answer questions about our legal system and how it works for them. The Law and You spots were aired on KKNU, KMGE, KEUG, and KODZ.  Please note that laws may have changed since a public service spot was aired.  If you have suggestions for legal questions or topics you would like addressed, please contact us.​