Jamie Leigh Jones Feature of Arbitration Fairness Day Press Conference
Washington DC - Good afternoon. I am standing before you to share with you a personal tragedy. I do this to bring awareness to legislation which is designed to ensure that no American will be deprived of their constitutionally guaranteed right to the fair administration of justice before a jury of their peers and judge, skilled in the law...When my lawyers filed suit, they were met with Halliburton's response that ALL of my claims were to be decided in arbitration – because I had signed away my right to a jury trial at the age of 20, and without the advice of counsel, or any choice other than to be terminated. Thomas Jefferson said that "no man is above the law and no man below it, nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it." Here, with the misuse of arbitration, we have made corporate entities in this country – ABOVE THE LAW. See Related ABC Story - Victim: Gang-Rape Cover-Up by U.S., Halliburton/KBR (ABC News)
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Appeal heard in rape case against Halliburton, KBR
A judge ruled last year that some of Jamie Leigh Jones' claims against Halliburton Co. and several former subsidiaries can be tried in open court, but the companies say she signed an agreement that requires all of her claims against the companies to be resolved privately through arbitration...The Associated Press usually does not identify people alleging sexual assault, but Jones' face and name have been broadcast in media reports and on her own Web site. She also described her allegations in testimony before a congressional subcommittee.

New Homes Demolished
By Patrick Thatcher, staff writer for, Daily Press - Victorville- The housing collapse is taking a literal form for one bankrupt housing development. Four model homes and 12 nearly finished spec homes at Bear Valley Road and Highway 395 are being demolished. The developer filed bankruptcy about 18 months ago and the foreclosed property went to Guaranty Bank in Irvine.  Guaranty Federal a holding company of Guaranty bank received TARP money. http://sbj.net/main.asp?Sec... Victorville model homes being demolished. BREAKING NEWS Developing: Another bank will begi... See:Vision Victory Manifesto  YouTube: Videos of Demolition

Consumer Protection Measure Introduced In Senate
Sen Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would prevent companies from forcing consumers and employees into arbitration agreements. Arbitration clauses pop up in contracts for things as small as cell phones and as big as jobs. At a press conference on the Hill, victims of tragedies made worse by forced arbitration shared their stories. One of them, Jamie Leigh Jones, provided a statement saying she was gang-raped by her Halliburton subsidiary co-workers in Baghdad in 2005..."Unfortunately, my case is not an isolated incident," Jones said.

Celebrate Arbitration Fairness Day On April 29, 2009
Forced arbitration is another example of how corporations are taking advantage of Americans. As a private system without an impartial judge or a jury, mandatory arbitration allows companies like AIG to play by their own rules and escape accountability when they harm consumers and employees.

New homebuyers stand to gain some protection, builders to be licensed
The much-maligned Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) was given new life after the Sunset Commission unanimously rejected its own staff's recommendation that it be allowed to die. But the TRCC, scorned by one state official as the "builder protection agency," will be a changed outfit if a reform bill that passed a House committee last week becomes law. "Establishing at least a minimum standard for what it means to be a builder in this state; requiring them to hold a bond in case they've done something wrong - they have to be accountable for that; that's good," noted Winslow. "It's a real improvement."

I-Team: Cozy Relationships Raise Questions
The relationships between inspectors and those being inspected has always been ripe for corruption, especially in a freewheeling city like Las Vegas. But friendships between fire or building inspectors and the owners of casinos or high-rise buildings can lead to serious -- even dangerous -- problems. "His exact words to me were that this is just the tip of the iceberg and he was surprised I was still alive," said former Harrah's electrician and whistle blower Fred Frazetta who knew he might be putting himself in harms way when he raised a ruckus in 2007.

When Builders Build Bad Loans
The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, says the problem is that many consumers who bought homes from corporate builders ended up caught in a closed loop: forced by hard-sell tactics and deception to use the builders' in-house mortgage and title companies. The industry promotes the practice as a one-stop-shopping convenience that saves time and money. Too many homeowners found it did neither. They were pressured into buying overpriced homes with interest-only loans that they didn't understand and couldn't handle. When the bubble burst in Southern California, that was it for their dreams and homes.

Bill to Save TRCC From Sun Setting on the Builders Agency Moves
HB 2295 – the TRCC Sunset bill – was substituted and voted out of committee last Friday with a unanimous vote.  The bill and a summary are attached. The bill now refers to builders as "Licensed" rather than "Registered," with a surety bond for some builders and educational requirements, are some of the features included in the bill.   After this bill is voted out of the House, it'll move to the Senate for a hearing.

 Substitute Bill 2295  - Summary of TRCC Sunset Bill HB 2295

Arbitration Fairness Day - Participate, Contact Congress
Arbitration Fairness Day takes place on April 29th.  Sign up Now! It's time to end forced arbitration. Companies must stop taking advantage of Americans and must be held accountable. Forced arbitration allows companies to play by their own rules and escape accountability when they harm consumers and employees. Participate: Sign petition, write you Representatives, tell your arbitration story, sign petition and invite your friends to join.

House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
Surprising reaction from  Chairman Todd Hunter and Representative David Leibowitz toward those who spoke in opposition to the bill actually had difficulty trying to explain how "Federal law can override a (Texas) State Constitution."   Chairman Hunter,  began taking serious exception with the Federal Arbitration Act and Preemption issues, and made it clear he wants a Texas Bill to limit binding arbitration clauses.  Clearly the proponents of arbitration made a case for the need to regulate abusive Mandatory Binding Arbitration clauses and to "get Washington out of Texans lives." ...Representative Dan Gattis made a magnificent summation regarding his belief in the Civil Justus System and his concern for the secrecy of Binding Arbitration.Arbitration Bill HB 2696 - 04/15/09 1:33 p.m. - 9:01 p.m.  Advance video to 5:43 to begin HB2696 testimony Click to View Hearing...

Fla. to test air in homes with Chinese drywall
An Associated Press review of shipping records found more than 540 million pounds of plasterboard was imported from China between 2004 and 2008 to meet U.S. demand during the national housing boom. Hundreds of people nationwide are now complaining that the material emits fumes that make them sick. They claim it also corrodes copper pipes, blackens jewelry and silverware and ruins air conditioners.

Buying a home? Think thrice!
Here's the latest from Texas, which shouldn't surprise anyone. The "great state" of Texas has a state "regulatory" agency called the Texas Residential Construction Commission,...it's of no surprise to me to learn that Texas builders, which, according to today's report on NPR have financed the elections of all but six of Texas' 188 "elected" legislators, are up in arms about an uppity legislator from a district north of Austin who has dared to propose new legislation to abolish this agency, just because the largest builder in his district is walking around (make that riding around in his armed limousine with tinted windows) with 37 felony indictments hanging over his head for building and selling high priced trash boxes disguised as houses. These charges, no doubt, are supposed to go away the usual way, with a little help from his friends: namely those other 182 legislators and their appointed judges. The whole purpose of the TRCC is, of course, to protect crooked homebuilders from being sued by their victims, and it has proven to be highly effective.

U.S. Lawmakers Seek Ban on Tainted Chinese Drywall
U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, D.-Fla., and Mary Landrieu, D.-La., have filed legislation for a recall and immediate ban on tainted building products from China, as more and more people around the country are reporting problems in their homes built with imported drywall. The legislation presses the Consumer Product Safety Commission ( CPSC ) for a recall on Chinese-made drywall, based in part on findings by a Florida homebuilder and state officials who have confirmed the presence of sulfide gases in homes built with the drywall.

American Arbitration Association Data Revealed
The report (using AAA data) showed that consumers win some award about 50 percent of the time and receive about 50 percent of what they ask for; businesses win 80 percent of the time and get more than 90 percent of what they ask for.  Statistics based on consumer to business cases. Home construction defect cases were not analyzed separately.  Read more... http://www.searlearbitration.org/p/full_report.pdf