FW: CALPIRG asks you to help protect consumers

Another attempt to reprise bad legislation.  I bet that the media again
fails to cover this story.

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Blackledge, CALPIRG Legislative Director
[mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: June 29, 2004 9:16 AM
Subject: CALPIRG asks you to help protect consumers


Dear CALPIRG supporter,

In early July, the U.S. Senate will consider legislation that would make
it much more difficult to hold corporations accountable when they
deceive consumers, trample our civil or workplace rights, or pollute the
environment. This bill - the falsely-named "Class Action Fairness Act"
(S. 2062) - is backed by tobacco companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
and big banks.

Senator Bingaman (NM) plans to offer a pro-consumer amendment that will
improve the bill. Unless the Senate adopts the Bingaman amendment, this
bill will unfairly make it harder for consumers to have their day in
court.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to support the pro-consumer
Bingaman amendment and make the class action bill fairer. Then ask your
family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=6&id4=ES


Background

"Class actions" are lawsuits in which a group of people of modest means
can join together to legally challenge large companies guilty of
cheating consumers with defective products or deceptive business
practices, or of otherwise violating health, safety, workplace and
environmental laws. The threat of class action lawsuits helps limit
corporate crime. For example, if a bank uses an unfair practice to cheat
thousands of customers out of $100 each, the class action mechanism can
help those customers recover their losses. Otherwise, each person could
not afford a lawyer to take on a large company.

The misnamed "Class Action Fairness Act" (S. 2062) is an attempt by the
business lobby to restrict consumer access to the courts. The bill moves
class action suits from state courts, where they have traditionally been
heard, to unsuitable and overburdened federal courts, which are much
more friendly to corporate interests. Many of the same companies that
have been found guilty of illegal practices in the past are behind this
effort and are using this bill to shut down future class action
lawsuits.

Senator Bingaman (NM) will offer a pro-consumer amendment to this bill
that would allow the federal courts to certify nationwide class actions
brought under state consumer laws - something they currently do not do.
That way consumers in many states can file one nationwide case against a
corporate wrongdoer instead of filing numerous expensive lawsuits in
each state. Class action victories in state court routinely benefit
consumers living in other states who were also victims. Without the
Bingaman amendment, consumer attorneys may not be able to protect
consumers in smaller states if the bill is enacted because it will be
too costly to bring legal actions in small states with a smaller number
of consumers. If this bill passes without the Bingaman amendment,
consumers will lose an important right that they have today: the right
to win a nationwide class action, compensate victims, and change
corporate behavior.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to support the pro-consumer
Bingaman amendment to make the class action bill fairer. Then ask your
family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=6&id4=ES

Sincerely, 

Steve Blackledge
CALPIRG Legislative Director
[email protected]
http://www.CALPIRG.org

P.S.  Thanks again for your support.  Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

----------

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multiple e-mail addresses then follow this link -
http://calpirg.org/CA.asp?id2=13701&id6=change - to a web page where you
can change your e-mail address.

If you want us to stop sending you e-mail then follow this link -
http://calpirg.org/CA.asp?id2=13701&id6=remove - to a web page where you
can remove yourself.


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