Anyone who thinks that class actions are only good for allowing the powerless to take on the powerful, think again. In Korea, some argue that the opposite is happening. The Korea Times published an update today on a story involving a law that the ruling party is looking to enact to combat acts of protest. The proposal would allow businesses who suffer financial losses due to to violent public protests to file class actions. Today’s story reports on the reactions of various opposition parties to the bill. The many criticisms by the opposition include that it is undemocratic and amounts to an infringement of the freedoms of expression and association.
See the following links for earlier ClassActionBlawg entries on this story, dated August 29 and September 8, 2008.
[…] Not quite what lawprof proponents of the class action format had in mind? Proposed law in South Korea “would allow businesses who suffer financial losses due to violent public protests to file class actions” against protesters [Korea Times via Karlsgodt, Class Action Blawg] […]
[…] out of powerful interests with deep pockets. In South Korea, the device has been used as a tool to stifle public protest and now, to seize the assets of an accused […]
[…] as a tool to combat public protest (see previous CAB entries dated August 29, September 8, and November 3, […]