Archives: Arbitration

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Ohio Supreme Court Addresses Waiver of the Right to Arbitrate in the Putative Class Action Context

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
In Gembarski v. PartsSource, Inc. (Slip Opinion No. 2019-Ohio-3231, decided Aug. 14, 2019), the Supreme Court of Ohio clarified the standards for waiver of the right to arbitrate in the class action context where only unnamed putative class members but not the single named plaintiff had agreed to arbitration. The court ultimately concluded that the … Continue Reading

The Fifth Circuit Agrees With Its Sister Circuits That Class Arbitrability Is a Gateway Issue for Courts, Not Arbitrators

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements, Class Action Litigation
In a predictable decision, the Fifth Circuit has held that the availability of class arbitration is a gateway issue for the courts to decide, absent “clear and unmistakable” language in the arbitration agreement to the contrary. The appellate court didn’t find such language in 20/20 Commc’ns v. Crawford, Case No. 18-10260 (5th Cir. July 22, … Continue Reading

Can Delivery Drivers Be Compelled to Arbitrate After New Prime? New Jersey Appellate Courts Seem to Take Conflicting Positions

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
After New Prime v. Oliveira, 139 S. Ct. 532 (2019), many wondered if state arbitration law could be applied when transportation workers were found to be exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) based on § 1. See our January 17, 2019, March 12, 2019 and April 29, 2019 blog posts on the issues raised … Continue Reading

Recent Decisions Don’t Provide Useful Guidance on Tests for the FAA Exemption of Transportation Workers

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements
Sometimes being right is not a virtue, especially when it comes to the Federal Arbitration Act § 1 exemption. We predicted uncertainty after the New Prime v. Oliveira decision and got it. See our Jan. 17, 2019, blog post on the exemption. Indeed, if anything, recent decisions have raised more questions than answers. Part of the problem … Continue Reading

SCOTUS Reverses Ninth Circuit on Proper Bases for Class Arbitrations

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that arbitration agreements must provide a “contractual basis for concluding that the part[ies] agreed to [class arbitration].” Reversing the Ninth Circuit, Chief Justice John Roberts found not only that the Court had jurisdiction over the case but also that the state law contract construction rule dealing … Continue Reading

Illinois District Court Stays Conditional Certification Order Pending Appeal on Arbitrability Issues

Greg MersolBy Greg Mersol on Posted in Arbitration Agreements
More games of cat and mouse Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, 138 S. Ct. 1632 (2018), plaintiffs have tried to come up with strategies to address the impact of arbitration agreements in class and collective cases. (We blogged the Epic Systems decision here). Defendants, in turn, have had to address courts … Continue Reading

Kentucky Rejoins the Majority – New Law Permits Mandatory Arbitration Agreements

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements
A Sept. 27, 2018, Kentucky Supreme Court ruling found that mandatory arbitration agreements conditioned on employment were not enforceable. See Northern Kentucky Area Development District v. Snyder, No. 2017-SC-000277-DG. The opinion not only isolated Kentucky regarding its enforcement of arbitration agreements but also raised issues regarding the potential impact of Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) pre-emption. … Continue Reading

Arbitration for Transportation Workers? The Anticipated Push To Expand the FAA Exemption

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements
As we indicated in a January 17, 2019 blog article, the New Prime v. Oliveira, 139 S. Ct. 532 (2019), opinion was likely to lead to uncertainty in the transportation industry.  Some imaginative commentators even forecast that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) Section 1 exemption could be a tool to unravel arbitration agreements with class … Continue Reading

Fifth Circuit Addresses Notices of Collective Action for Those Who Signed Arbitration Agreements Requiring Only Individual Claims

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration Agreements, FLSA
The intersection of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action procedures and employee arbitration agreements waiving aggregate actions has led to differing approaches among the district courts. In JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Case No. 18-20825, decided Feb. 21, 2019), the Fifth Circuit found that a district court does not have “discretion to send or require … Continue Reading

New Prime Decision Adds Uncertainty to Arbitration in the Transportation Industry

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Independent Contractors
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in New Prime v. Oliveira, No. 17-340 (Jan. 15, 2019), has added uncertainty to arbitration agreements in the transportation industry by holding that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) § 1 exception covers both employees and independent contractors of a trucking company. In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Decides First Arbitration Case on Its Docket – Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc.

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration
As we noted in our Dec. 19, 2018, blog article, there were three arbitration cases involving the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), all argued in October 2018, pending on the Court’s docket. Now, in a unanimous opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc., No. 17-1272 (Jan. 8, 2019), … Continue Reading

Fifth Circuit Holds That the Company in Class Action Waived Its Right to Arbitrate Because of Litigation Conduct

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Class Action Litigation
The standards for determining when a party waives its right to arbitrate through participation in litigation have never been uniform among the circuits or easily applied. The recent Fifth Circuit opinion in Forby v. One Technologies, L.P. (Case No. 17-10883, decided Nov. 28, 2018) illustrates the difficulty of applying the “prejudice” requirement in a consumer … Continue Reading

Another bill aimed at employee arbitration agreements – this time to nullify Epic Systems

John LewisBy John Lewis on Posted in Arbitration, Epic Systems, NLRB
On Oct. 30, 2018, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., together with 58 Democratic cosponsors, introduced the Restoring Justice for Workers Act, H.R. 7109. Unlike some earlier bills, this proposed legislation would prohibit all pre-dispute arbitration agreements covering employment claims, forbid retaliation against employees for refusing to arbitrate those disputes and amend … Continue Reading

Tenth Circuit Refers Au Pairs’ Class Claims to Arbitration

Greg MersolBy Greg Mersol on Posted in Antitrust, Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements
“Well, They Gave Me the Agreement in My Own Language, but I Still Didn’t Understand the English Version” doesn’t work. The Federal Arbitration Act will turn 100 in the next few years, but despite more than nine decades of litigation, some opinions can be explained only by the “judicial hostility” to arbitration that caused the … Continue Reading

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
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