Archives: Arbitration

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Gutierrez v. Wells-Fargo Bank – Eleventh Circuit Sheds More Light on Waiver of Arbitration Rights in Putative Class Setting

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
Whether a defendant has waived its right to arbitrate as to unnamed class plaintiffs has been a troubling issue. Some courts base their analysis on their lack of jurisdiction over unnamed putative class members. Still others focus on how long the case has been pending and whether the defendant knew that some putative class members … Continue Reading

Will SCOTUS Finally Decide What Language Authorizes Class Arbitration? Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela Might Just Do It.

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
As we noted in prior blog articles, questions regarding what authorizes class arbitration continue to arise despite class action waivers in many arbitration agreements. (See our Nov. 11, 2013, March 12, 2015, Sept. 9, 2015, March 23, 2016, and May 3, 2017, blog articles dealing with “gateway issues” and the availability of class arbitration.) Now, … Continue Reading

Who Decides the Availability of Class Arbitration? Second Circuit’s Analysis Is a Bit Murky in Wells Fargo Advisors Cases

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
For years, courts have struggled with who decides the availability of class arbitration and the applicable standards. We most recently addressed the thorny issues in a March 23, 2016, blog post. Unfortunately, a recent Second Circuit opinion in two consolidated appeals does little to establish clear standards or instill confidence in allowing arbitrators to decide … Continue Reading

Independent Contractor Trucker Class Action that Dodged FAA Arbitration Now Moves to the Supreme Court

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Class Action Litigation
As we await the Supreme Court’s decision on the enforceability of class action waivers, the Court has accepted certiorari on another arbitration-related case, this one relating to the application of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to the trucking industry. The U.S. Supreme Court on February 26 granted the certiorari petition of trucking company New Prime, … Continue Reading

New Bill Would Outlaw Mandatory Arbitration Agreements For Sex Discrimination Disputes – Is A Poorly Constructed Bill The Right Cure For The Disease?

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
Prior bills have attempted, unsuccessfully, to eliminate individual arbitration as a means to resolve employment disputes.  Senator Al Franken introduced several bills, starting in 2009, to forbid pre-dispute mandatory arbitration agreements in the employment sector.  Now, a new bill has emerged from the current wave of sexual harassment allegations that purportedly would invalidate the use … Continue Reading

Convergys Corporation and LogistiCare Solutions, Incorporated v. NLRB – The Fifth Circuit Considers Class and Collective Action Waivers Without Arbitration Agreements

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration Agreements, Class Action Waivers
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided two cases considering the impact of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) on class or collective action waivers required by companies for their applicants and employees. Convergys Corporation The first decision, in Convergys Corporation v. NLRB, No. 15-60860 (5th Cir. Aug. 7, 2017), addressed whether … Continue Reading

Digging In Its Heels: Disputing The DOJ’s Position, The NLRB Remains Defiant In Supreme Court Brief That Individual Arbitration Agreements Violate Employee Rights Under The NLRA

Dustin DowJohn LewisBy Dustin Dow and John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration Agreements, National Labor Relations Act, NLRB
On August 9 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) filed its responsive brief in one of three cases before the Supreme Court that may determine the future validity of individual arbitration agreements in the employment sector. Since 2012, the Board’s position has been that arbitration agreements prohibiting collective or class litigation or arbitration … Continue Reading

Second Circuit Vacates District Court Judgment in Sex Discrimination Case Permitting an Arbitrator to Certify a Class Including Absent Class Members

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
In a sex discrimination case we have been following for almost six years, the Second Circuit has added a measure of rationality by vacating a lower court opinion that would have permitted an arbitrator’s certification of a class that included approximately 44,000 absent class members who had not consented to join. The three-judge panel in … Continue Reading

NLRB V. Alternative Entertainment, Inc. – Sixth Circuit Joins the Seventh and Ninth Circuits in Rejecting Class Waivers

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
In a strangely timed opinion, the Sixth Circuit has entered the fray over whether class and collective waivers in employee arbitration agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Strangely timed because on January 13, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in three consolidated cases that will resolve if arbitration agreements with class and … Continue Reading

Independent Contractor Trucker Dodges FAA Arbitration and Keeps His Class Action Alive

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Independent Contractors
In Oliveira v. New Prime, Inc., No. 15-2364 (May 12, 2017), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit confronted two arbitration-related questions of first impression in that Circuit.  In the case, Dominic Oliveira had signed an Independent Contractor Operating Agreement with New Prime, Inc., which contained an arbitration provision governed by the Commercial … Continue Reading

Arbitration of PAGA Claims: Another California Divide Emerges

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
In a March 8, 2017, article, we talked about how the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals compelled the arbitration of a California Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) representative claim in Valdez v. Terminix International Co., L.P., No. 15-56736 (9th Cir. Mar. 3, 2017). And, while we mentioned potential difficulties in arbitrating such cases, we didn’t … Continue Reading

Proposed Legislation That Could Impact Class Action Litigation and Arbitration – The Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 and the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2017

John LewisJessica GreenbergBy John Lewis and Jessica Greenberg on Posted in Arbitration, Class Action Fairness Act
Two new pieces of proposed legislation could, if passed, change the architecture and requirements of class actions and outlaw mandatory arbitration clauses in employment and consumer contracts. But neither is a sure thing. Vocal critics as well as supporters are already lined up on both sides of each bill. The Fairness in Class Action Litigation … Continue Reading

Arbitrating PAGA Claims: The Ninth Circuit Compels It in the Valdez Case

John LewisDustin DowBy John Lewis and Dustin Dow on Posted in Arbitration
So much case law has come down in the past several years regarding California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) – and its ability to withstand class and representative action waivers – that observers might have overestimated PAGA’s arbitration-avoidance powers. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals offered a reminder on Tuesday that even though an arbitration … Continue Reading

Justices to Consider Arbitration Agreements With Class Waivers – The End of the Beginning?

John LewisDustin DowBy John Lewis and Dustin Dow on Posted in Arbitration
Apologies to Winston Churchill,[1] but the conflict over the enforcement of arbitration agreements with class waivers has become an ongoing legal and ideological struggle. Some view individual arbitration as a quicker and less costly means to resolve employment disputes, while others believe it is a means to deprive employees of their legal rights. Since 2012, … Continue Reading

California Enacts Laws Aimed at Choice of Law Provisions in Arbitration Agreements and the Conduct of Arbitral Proceedings

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
Given California’s past resistance to mandatory arbitration agreements with class action waivers, it should come as no surprise that the state has now enacted two laws primarily directed at arbitration. On Sept. 25, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill (Senate Bill 1241) that amended the state’s Labor Code to prohibit an employer from requiring as … Continue Reading

Following Precedent: Second Circuit Reaffirms Position Upholding Arbitration Agreements With Class Action Waivers

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, NLRB
Amid contrary decisions by the Seventh and Ninth Circuits, the Second Circuit followed its earlier precedent in Patterson v. Raymours Furniture Co., No. 15-2820 (Sept. 2, 2016), enforcing an Employment Arbitration Program (EAP) that requires employees to submit their employment and compensation claims to individual arbitration. The EAP, however, permits employees to file charges and … Continue Reading

Reining In Individual Arbitration – Ninth Circuit Rules Class Waivers Unenforceable

John LewisCarrie ValdezBy John Lewis and Carrie Valdez on Posted in Arbitration
In a 2-1 ruling, the Ninth Circuit became the second federal court of appeals to agree with the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) position that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) prohibits class action waivers in employees’ arbitration agreements. Writing for the majority in Morris v. Ernst & Young, Chief Judge Sidney Thomas held that … Continue Reading

Lewis v. Epic Systems Opinion – Seventh Circuit Swimming Against the Tide on Mandatory Individual Arbitration

John LewisDustin DowBy John Lewis and Dustin Dow on Posted in Arbitration
In a sweeping May 26 opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit shook up the arbitral landscape and created a remarkable circuit split regarding the enforceability of arbitration agreements with class action waivers in the employment sector. In Lewis v. Epic Systems Corp., No. 15-2997, the Seventh Circuit held that an arbitration … Continue Reading

The Fifth Circuit Addresses an Issue That Refuses to Die: Who Determines Whether Class or Collective Arbitration Is Available?

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, FLSA
  We opined on several occasions that cases dealing with a party’s entitlement to class or collective arbitration were a dying breed because of the increased use of class action waivers. And we have been proven wrong by several subsequent decisions. (See our November 11, 2013, March 12, 2015 and September 9, 2015 blog articles … Continue Reading

The Board vs. the Courts: Will 2016 mark the final showdown for class action waivers in arbitration agreements?

Kelline R. LintonBy Kelline R. Linton on Posted in Arbitration, National Labor Relations Act, NLRB
Arbitration agreements are practical tools that help employers protect confidential information and avoid the costs associated with traditional litigation. They can also be an extremely effective mechanism for employers to reduce exposure to risky employment litigation and potentially abusive collective action claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). We’ve written extensively on the courts’ … Continue Reading

Justices Take On Another California Rule – When an Arbitration Agreement Is Too Flawed to Enforce

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Independent Contractors
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review whether the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preempts a California state court rule on unconscionable provisions that is purportedly applied more stringently to arbitration agreements than to other contracts. Under the California rule, arbitration agreements with more than one unconscionable provision may not be enforced despite an express … Continue Reading
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