Arbitration need not be force fed

Re: David Lazarus’ consumer column, “Giving up your right to sue,” May 3:

The column on mandatory arbitration raises an awareness that is desperately needed. Arbitration is a cancer that eats away and destroys our constitutional right to trial by jury, the right to have a controversy decided in a court of law under rule of law. Arbitration replaces the rule of law with incompetence and corporate bias.

I am a Wisconsin Lemon Law lawyer who has represented consumers for the last 20 years. Arbitration is so anti-consumer, so pro-corporation in the automobile warranty world that it makes me ill. Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) has recently reintroduced federal legislation in Washington to end mandatory arbitration in civil rights, consumer and employment disputes.

Vincent P. Megna

Milwaukee

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Most physicians with whom I’ve come into contact require patients to submit to binding arbitration if they want to be seen at their office.

As a medical student, I feel this is yet another unfortunate reason for the public to lose trust in the medical profession into which I will soon enter.

County, state and national chapters of the American Medical Assn. should discourage physicians from this practice, or else the government may step in and do the same.

Eric Fein

Marina del Rey