In 1990, the California housing rights organization Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity (ECHO) assisted an African-American woman in filing a complaint with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and in prosecuting a small claims court action against her landlords.

In 2002, workers at a Forever 21 clothing factory in California worked for months to resolve their grievances against the company through negotiation. After Forever 21 rejected the workers’ demands for paid back wages and compliance with labor laws, the workers filed a federal complaint, with the help of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

In 2003, Erin Brady brought two civil lawsuits alleging that a particular Catholic priest had molested her as a child. Her attorney, Ray Boucher, gave an interview with the Los Angeles Times regarding Brady’s lawsuit. In response, the accused clergy member sued Brady, Ray Boucher and his firm, Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, and SNAP, an advocacy organization for victims of clergy molestation.