AAJ Condemns EEOC Decision to Rescind its Opposition to Forced Arbitration

Washington, DC— The following is a statement from American Association for Justice (AAJ) CEO Linda Lipsen regarding the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) vote to rescind its position on forced arbitration:

"EEOC’s rescission of its policy against forced arbitration for bias claims is a victory for corporations looking to evade accountability. It weakens the agency’s ability to enforce the nation’s employment civil rights laws, at a time when those laws are more important than ever.

"Forced arbitration dupes workers into thinking they can’t report to the EEOC when their employer breaks the law. Corporations know that by compelling discrimination complaints into confidential forced arbitration they are shielding themselves from federal oversight of its employment practices. This move makes Congressional action to ban forced arbitration even more urgent." ###

The American Association for Justice works to preserve the constitutional right to trial by jury and to make sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations. Visit http://www.justice.org.

CONTACT Carly Moore Sfregola Email: Carly.Sfregola@justice.org Phone: 202-684-9609