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When Companies Run the Courts

How Forced Arbitration Became America’s Secret Justice System

Contributors

By Brendan Ballou

Formats and Prices

On Sale
May 12, 2026
Page Count
272 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9781541705715

Price

$30.00

Price

$40.00 CAD

Format:

  1. Hardcover $30.00 $40.00 CAD
  2. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $24.99

The definitive exposé of forced arbitration, the secret justice system that protects abusers, employers, and the companies that cheat us, without our realizing it 

America has a hidden justice system. There, decisions are made in secret, and “judges” are paid for by the companies and abusers who are being sued. Victims usually lose. But when they do, they cannot appeal, and they cannot turn to real courts for help. 

They are trapped in this system, and quite likely, so are you. You joined it when you accepted the Terms and Conditions on a website, opened a new credit card, or started a new job. When you did, you agreed to be shunted into this secret justice system, called “forced arbitration.” Through its secrecy and corruption, forced arbitration helps companies cheat their workers, helps banks deceive their customers, and helps predators act with impunity. If companies and the very powerful often seem beyond the reach of the law, it’s because they are, and forced arbitration is the reason. 

Yet despite the fact that forced arbitration profoundly shapes our lives, almost nothing has been written about it. Brendan Ballou’s When Companies Run the Courts changes that. It shows how forced arbitration came to be, how it makes your life worse, and how we might stop it. 


Brendan Ballou

About the Author

Brendan Ballou is a former federal prosecutor and served as special counsel for private equity in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. He is the author of Plunder, which was named one of Fortune magazine’s best books of the year. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Politico, Slate, and The Atlantic

Learn more about this author