# The Hidden World of Forced Arbitration

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728/the-hidden-world-of-forced-arbitration
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728/the-hidden-world-of-forced-arbitration.md
Podcast: [KQED's Forum](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728)
Published: 2026-05-13T19:55:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1600871455.mp3?updated=1778702609
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1600871455.mp3?updated=1778702609
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kqed-s-forum-910728/episodes/the-hidden-world-of-forced-arbitration
Duration seconds: 3283

## Resource

Forced arbitration clauses are buried in everything from product warranties to bank loans to employment contracts, often requiring consumers and workers to give up their right to sue without realizing it. Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of the Public Integrity Project, says arbitration has become an opaque, parallel legal system that favors corporations and undermines the rule of law. We talk to Ballou about new book, “When Companies Run the Courts,” which looks at why forced arbitration has become so widespread and what states like California are doing to restrict it. Guests: Brendan Ballou, former federal prosecutor; CEO, the Public Integrity Project; author, "When Companies Run the Courts: Forced Arbitration and America's Secret Justice System" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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