Janie and Jack LLC, a San Francisco online retailer of children’s clothing, earlier this week sued thousands of consumers who used its website, asking a federal judge to bar the consumers from asserting arbitration claims against the company.

Like many online businesses, J&J has “Terms of Service” on its website that say users of the site agree to bring any claims against the company by way of arbitration, not through the courts. They also agree to waive any right to bring a class action lawsuit.

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Joe Dworetzky is a second career journalist. He practiced law in Philadelphia for more than 35 years, representing private and governmental clients in commercial litigation and insolvency proceedings. Joe served as City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia under Mayor Ed Rendell and from 2009 to 2013 was one of five members of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission with responsibility for managing the city’s 250 public schools. He moved to San Francisco in 2011 and began writing fiction and pursuing a lifelong interest in editorial cartooning. Joe earned a Master’s in Journalism from Stanford University in 2020. He covers Legal Affairs and writes long form Investigative stories. His occasional cartooning can be seen in Bay Area Sketchbook. Joe encourages readers to email him story ideas and leads at joe.dworetzky@baycitynews.com.