Stacked Deck : A Statistical Analysis of Forced Arbitration

'Stacked Deck' is a statistical analysis of outcomes in forced arbitration, also called mandatory arbitration or binding mandatory arbitration, that finds: 1) Individual arbitrators have a strong incentive to favor the firms that provide them with repeat business over an individual consumer they may never see again. 2) Companies win a favorable ruling in arbitration far more often than consumers. 3) Companies involved in the most arbitration cases - and therefore in creating the most business for arbitrators - consistently receive more favorable rulings than firms involved in fewer cases. Almost all credit card, auto, and small consumer product contracts contain a hidden forced arbitration clause instead of offering consumers their day in court before a jury of their peers