Happy New Year!
In just the first month of 2022, our team at Public Justice has been hard at work, gearing up for the legal battles and advocacy efforts we've brought with us into the new year while celebrating the latest successes and case wins that inspire us to fight on.
This month, we're celebrating a significant milestone - on January 31, 1982, the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice first opened its doors, and began its important mission in forging a path that seeks justice for all. Four decades later, we are stronger than ever and well-equipped to fight for the civil rights of all Americans.
Learn more about Public Justice's rich history here, and stay tuned for future updates and special communications celebrating our 40th anniversary throughout this year!
As we look ahead to this year, we're excited for some big moments and fights ahead, including a return to the U.S. Supreme Court, honoring Title IX's 50th Anniversary, welcoming two Skadden Fellows this fall, ramping up our anti-court secrecy work, and more.
We're so grateful for your role in championing our work in 2021. It was an incredible year for our team, and we look forward to continuing these efforts this year, made possible by your generosity and support.
Thank you and onward!
The Public Justice Team
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Despite a nearly impossible-to-follow news cycle, Public Justice has continued to garner press coverage for its vibrant case docket and other advocacy efforts. Here are just a few recent highlights: |
- This year, we're heading back to the Supreme Court in our latest fight for workers' rights on behalf of former Taco Bell employee Robyn Morgan, who is suing her former employer for failing to pay her and her and other workers in overtime pay. The Des Moines Register recently covered Ms. Morgan's story and her fight to ensure that she and workers like her are compensated. Learn more about the case here.
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- Our Students' Civil Rights Project celebrated a victory this month, in which a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed critical Title IX protections for victims of dating violence and domestic abuse. Public Justice joined the Women's Law Project to file an amicus brief in support of the estate and family of Karlie Hall, a student at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, who was abused and ultimately murdered in her dorm room by her non-student boyfriend. The Third Circuit's opinion confirmed that Millersville can be held liable under Title IX for failing to protect Hall - a "clear recognition that schools have an obligation to respond to known sexual harassment that happens within their control regardless of the identity of the harasser," our Alexandra Brodsky told Inside Higher Ed.
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- In California, the rising percentage of dust in the air has had a negative impact on surrounding communities, in which much of the dust's source comes from industrial agriculture operations. Recently, our Food Project Senior Attorney Brent Newell spoke with Civil Eats regarding the lack of effective regulation in San Joaquin Valley: "The San Joaquin Air Pollution District has a very hands-off approach in how it chooses to regulate agricultural sources. When it does, the regulations are milquetoast."
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- In 2018, we published a first-of-its-kind report detailing payday lenders' "rent-a-tribe" schemes and how they use tribal businesses to gain "tribal immunity" and shield themselves from accountability and the law. This month, a blog post on our report was featured in a piece from Krebs on Security, which explores what happens when identity thieves and hackers target online payday lenders involved in rent-a-tribe schemes. Read the full story here.
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Our Richard Zitrin Anti-Secrecy Senior Attorney Craig Briskin published a blog post about how recent allegations in Hertz's ongoing bankruptcy case show that the improper sealing of court documents in non-tort cases can harm the public.
"In the ongoing Hertz bankruptcy, Hertz has sought to seal documents that may show the extent to which it has filed false or inaccurate police reports on customers," writes Briskin. "If the problem is as bad as advocates and the media say it is, disclosure could lead to protective action by law enforcement, could inform a decision by consumers not to rent Hertz cars, and could motivate Hertz to fix the problem. The public deserves to know the truth about Hertz."
Read the full story here and learn about our anti-court secrecy work here.
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Honoring our shared commitment to
ensuring justice for all
Monday, February 14, 2022
5:30 – 7:30 pm PT
The Grove @ JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
74-855 Country Club Drive
Desert Springs, California
Featuring
Public Justice President Dan Bryson & Executive Director Paul Bland
AAJ Minority Caucus Chair Amber M. Pang Parra & LGBT Caucus Chair Amy Heins
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
As of January 26, 2022
Gold – $5,000
Consumer Litigation Associates, PC
Epiq*
Huntington Bank*
Kroll*
Sugerman Dahab
Tycko & Zavareei LLP
Western Alliance Bank*
Silver – $2,500
Advocate Capital*
Angeion*
Broughton Partners*
DISCO*
JND Legal Administration Co*
KCC
MODUS*
Lee J. Rohn & Associates
Rust Kinsella*
The Expert Institute*
Bronze – $1,000
Faraci Lange, LLP
Milestone Consulting*
Paulson & Nace, PLLC
Tara Sutton & Gary Wilson
John Vail Law, PLLC
* Indicates a Public Justice Executive Circle sponsor
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Each year, Public Justice is proud to present our Trial Lawyer of the Year Award to an outstanding lawyer or legal team that has won a precedent-setting, socially significant victory for their clients in the previous calendar year. This prestigious award showcases the best of our profession, and highlights the remarkable impact lawyers have on clients, communities and our country.
Nominations are now open for our 2022 Trial Lawyer of the Year award! The nomination period will close on Tuesday, March 1 at 5 PM ET, so be sure to submit a nomination soon!
This year's winner will be announced at our Annual Gala in Seattle, Washington this July. Stay tuned for more details to come on our website!
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Public Justice's Environmental Enforcement Project saw a big win in its groundwater pollution case in Alabama.
First filed in 2016, this case is a Clean Water Act citizen suit, alleging that Drummond Company had discharged acid mine drainage into an adjacent river from a coal waste pile at its Maxine Mine site, located on the banks of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Praco, Alabama.
Public Justice serves as co-counsel with the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a citizen group formed to protect the river. In 2019, the court ruled that Drummond's discharge violated the CWA.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that groundwater discharges from a facility in Maui are covered under the CWA if those discharges are the functional equivalent of a point-source discharge. This ultimately expanded the CWA's reach, making the decision in our case the first besides Maui to apply the new standard.
A trial date is scheduled in May 2022. Stay tuned and learn more about EEP's work here.
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CONSIDER PUBLIC JUSTICE FOR
CY PRES AWARDS
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Our advocacy and expansive public interest case docket touch a wide range of issue areas — from consumer protection and workers' rights to environmental justice and civil rights — making us an appropriate steward of residual funds from a wide variety of class action suits.
We put cy pres funds to work by providing valuable education to consumers, workers, investors, other injured people, and their attorneys, as well as pursuing high-impact litigation to preserve everyone's right to a day in court.
To discuss how you can designate cy pres awards to support Public Justice's work, including help drafting related court documents, please contact Development Director Kelly Simon at ksimon@publicjustice.net.
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Last year, we launched our inaugural podcast JusticePod, in which each episode includes insights on developments in the courts, legislatures, regulatory agencies, and in corporate America.
Links to Spotify and Apple Podcasts are now available on the JusticePod webpage. Stay tuned for more upcoming episodes soon!
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Public Justice welcomes this month's new members — your unwavering commitment to our mission to combat injustice helps us reach our goals.
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