Valerie Williams chaired the session "Debating Class Action Mechanisms in the U.S. and EU" at this event hosted by the American Bar Association.
Some argue that consumer class actions fill in enforcement gaps and promote consumer welfare. Powerful incentives exist to settle cases with payment of money, but without major changes to challenged behavior. Some U.S. courts have rejected proposed settlements. Our debate: Does the EU or U.S. approach strike the right balance to remedy consumer harm?
Leslie Overton moderated the session "Chair’s Showcase: Promoting Competition/Protecting Consumers: In Sync or at Odds?"
Consumer welfare is the centerpiece of competition policy, which is based on the premise that free markets best serve consumers’ interests. Consumer protection policy restrains trade that is perceived to threaten public welfare. Are the policies complements or substitutes? How should one account for the other? Which authorities should reconcile them? What arguments will influence the decisions?
March 29, 2017
Marriott Marquis / Washington, D.C.