University News

"Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime"

Published: September 23, 2020 | Categories: Law, All News

A virtual panel discussion presented by the WNE School of Law's Center for Social Justice

Book title "Big Dirty Money"

The Center for Social Justice is excited to host a celebration and discussion of University Professor of Law, Jennifer Taub’s, latest book "Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime." This virtual event will take place on Wednesday, September 30 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public with registration at bit.ly/BigDirtyMoney.

Helaine Olen, opinion writer for the Washington Post's opinion section, will join Taub as they delve into the topic of ordinary American’s having to pay the price when the rich and powerful break the law to get richer and more powerful.

"Big Dirty Money" goes beyond the headlines to detail the scandalous ways that all Americans suffer when the "well-heeled" commit crimes to gain and sustain wealth, social status, and political influence. In this important talk, Taub sounds an alarm to the country and will discuss solutions with Olen including strengthening prosecutorial muscle, protecting journalists and whistleblowers, challenging the "too big to jail" syndrome, and overturning the growing implicit immunity of the upper class.

In addition to her Washington Post position, Olen is the senior managing editor for Public Seminar at The New School and serves on the advisory board of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. She is the author of "Pound Foolish: Exposing The Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry" and the co-author of  "The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to be So Complicated." Olen has shared her commentary on political and economic issues on The Daily Show, Frontline, C-Span, the BBC, and MSNBC, All Things Considered, Marketplace, and more.

An authority on the 2008 mortgage meltdown and related financial crisis, Taub's research and writing centers on "follow the money" matters –– promoting transparency and opposing corruption. Professor Taub recently joined the School of Law faculty, where she will teach white collar crime, civil procedure, and other commercial and business law subjects.

For more information, contact Ariel Clemmer at ariel.clemmer@law.wne.edu. To register, visit bit.ly/BigDirtyMoney. This event, sponsored by Western New England University School of Law Center for Social Justice, will be aired on C-SPAN's Book TV at a later date.

Launched in 2019, the University's Centennial year, the Center for Social Justice is designed to strengthen collaborative efforts between the School of Law and the region to work toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive society in its next century of service. The Center provides a centralized hub of activity and innovation for the School of Law's justice-related teaching, scholarship, and service by broadening social justice academic offerings, engaging students and faculty in public interest and pro bono projects, and working closely with community organizations and partners to identify and address unmet needs that require a multi-dimensional response cutting across law and other fields.

For more information about the Center for Social Justice, visit the Western New England University Center for Social Justice.