Seyfarth Synopsis: A somewhat bizarre event – even by this year's standard of unusual current events – hit the news stream earlier this week, as two "Acting Directors" showed up to work on Monday morning at the U.S. Government's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, also known as the CFPB. In today's vlog, Partner Jerry Maatman of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP gives our readers an explanation of the situation at the CFPB, discusses the agency's significance for employers, and forecasts potential class action implications based on these developments.
Summary
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") has been a controversial government agency since its authorization under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2011. Formed out of a post-2008 recession by then-Harvard Law Professor and current U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the CFPB is designed – per its legislative history – to "protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices and take action against companies that break the law." As of January 2017, this consumer-friendly agency had secured nearly $12 billion to 29 million consumers.
On Monday, November 27th, both Leandra English and Mick Mulvaney sent out emails to CFPB staff members claiming to be the Acting Director of the agency. This conflict stemmed from Richard Cordray, longtime Director of the CFPB, relinquishing his duties effective November 24 at midnight. Upon his departure, Cordray named English as the Deputy Director, on the assumption that she would assume leadership as Acting Director (and Cordray would block the White House from interfering). However, at the same time, President Trump used his federal appointment power under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA) to name Mick Mulvaney as Acting Director. English subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against President Trump and Acting Director Mulvaney in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, but Judge Timothy Kelly ruled in favor of Trump and Mulvaney.
This week's leadership debacle was not the only time the CFPB has been in the news recently. Last month, the U.S. Senate voted to repeal the CFPB's Arbitration Rule by a narrow 51-50 vote. The existence of this broad rule effectively barred financial institutions from including a class action ban in their arbitration agreements with consumers. Similar to the agency itself, the Arbitration Rule was a strictly partisan issue. The Republican Party claimed that the rule allowed trial lawyers to "line their pockets" off unnecessary customer class actions and hurt American business. On the other side, Democrats argued that the repeal of this rule and ensuing limitations to the CFPB placed too much power in the hands of big business and hurt consumers.
As the vlog outlines, potential class action implications of this controversial agency are yet to be seen. Assuming that Acting Director Mulvaney remains in control at the CFPB, it is safe to say the agency he once called a joke "in a sick, sad way" is headed for a limitation in institutional reach and power. More importantly, though, the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding class action waivers in NLRB v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc. (No. 16-307), Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis (No. 16-285), and Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris (No. 16-300) will have a profound impact on future class action litigation. One takeaway from this situation that cannot be debated, though, is Jerry's final thought of the vlog. "We are living in interesting times these days."
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