The Daily Report's recent section on Alternative Dispute Resolution prompted this letter.

Georgia Watch has advocated for consumers' access to civil justice for 15 years. Recently, we have been hard at work at the federal level to protect nursing home residents from mandatory arbitration clauses that limit the rights of loved ones to seek redress if residents are abused or neglected. We also have been defending a recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that guarantees consumers the right to hold banks and lenders accountable in class action lawsuits when they break the law.

While the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to their day in court, big business has continued to close the courthouse doors through forced arbitration and lobbying efforts to curtail protections. Large companies like Wells Fargo and AT&T include arbitration clauses in their take-it-or-leave-it consumer contracts which effectively block consumers from suing in court. Instead, consumers are forced into arbitration where the process is stacked against them.