It hasn’t gotten a lot of press, but a case involving AT&T that goes before the
U.S. Supreme Court

next week has sweeping ramifications for potentially millions of consumers.

If a majority of the nine justices vote the telecom giant’s way, any business that issues a contract to customers - such as for credit cards, cellphones or cable TV - would be able to prevent them from joining class-action lawsuits.

This would take away in such cases arguably the most powerful legal tool available to the little guy, particularly in cases involving relatively small amounts of money. Class-action suits allow plaintiffs to band together in seeking compensation or redress, thus giving substantially more heft to their claims.

The ability to ban class actions would potentially also apply to employment agreements such as union contracts.

Consumer advocates say that without the threat of class-action lawsuits, many businesses would be free to engage in unfair or deceptive practices. Few people would litigate on their own to resolve a case involving, say, a hundred bucks.

‘The marketplace is fairer for consumers and workers because there’s a deterrent out there,’ said Deepak Gupta, an attorney for the advocacy group Public Citizen who will argue on consumers’ behalf before the […]