Press Release

Washington, DC—The following is a statement from American Association for Justice (AAJ) CEO Linda Lipsen regarding Amtrak’s use of forced arbitration raised at the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing:

“AAJ commends the Committee members who challenged Amtrak’s decision to push its passengers into forced arbitration. Amtrak needs to explain to the American public why it adopted a policy which strips its passengers of the right to seek public accountability if injured or killed on their trains.

“Contrary to the claims made by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson, forced arbitration is neither faster nor more efficient for passengers harmed by Amtrak. It simply allows corporations like Amtrak to evade responsibility when it inflicts harm upon its own passengers.

“The best solution is to restore the rights of passengers – and all consumers and workers – to seek justice when hurt. Today’s hearing follows the House taking a critical step in the fight to end forced arbitration when it passed the bipartisan Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act in September. We strongly urge the Senate to take up this issue and vote to restore the fundamental rights of all Americans.”

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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.