Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: How to Use the Restatement of Consumer Contracts - A Guide for Judges
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: “Accidental Arbitration” -- A New Theory that Would Rein in Consumer Arbitration Clauses and the Scope of the FAA
OK at Work: Navigating Customer Terms and Usage
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: A Look at the FTC’s Click-to-Cancel Rule, with James Kohm, Associate Director of Enforcement Division of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: A Look at a New Approach to Consumer Contracts
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Reasons Why the CFPB Should Deny the Petition for Rulemaking on Post-Dispute Consumer Arbitration Agreements
California SB 82 — a bill that seeks to end “infinite” arbitration clauses and limit the scope of consumer arbitration agreements to the “use, payment, or provision of the good, service, money, or credit provided by that...more
On August 27, an Illinois appellate court affirmed a trial court’s denial of a motion to compel arbitration in an FDCPA class action. The case involved a 2022 collection email about a charged-off account originally opened...more
On August 11, the California Supreme Court issued a significant decision in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court addressing the interplay between the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and California’s statutory requirements for timely...more
On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of California ruled that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt a state statute requiring employers to timely pay arbitration fees or forfeit the right to arbitration. The...more
The California Supreme Court recently held in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt a California law that penalizes businesses that have consumer and employee arbitration...more
Hello from the road! So contract law generally requires a party to manifest their assent to the terms of any agreement. That means while you cannot get away with saying “I didnt read the contract I signed” you generally can...more
In Cody v. Jill Acquisition LLC, No. 25-937 (S.D. Cal. June 30, 2025), the Southern District of California declined to enforce a retail site’s terms of use and compel arbitration, holding that the plaintiff, who used guest...more
California Senate Bill 940 (SB 940), enacted in late 2024, introduces several key changes to arbitrations involving “consumer contracts,” which is defined as a contract prepared by a seller and signed by a consumer for the...more
SCOTUS Says: Hobbs Act Does Not Bind a District Court to the FCC’s Interpretation of a Statute - On May 1, 2025, the American Arbitration Association’s new amendments to the Consumer Arbitration Rules officially went into...more
Effective May 1, 2025, the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) amended its Consumer Arbitration Rules, including Rule 12 dealing with the registration of consumer arbitration clauses. The AAA stated that its goal was to...more
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) recently rolled out significant updates to its Consumer Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures, which took effect on May 1, 2025. These changes reflect AAA’s continued commitment...more
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) has announced revisions to its Consumer Arbitration Rules effective May 1, 2025. The revised rules can be found here and the AAA’s announcement of the rules here. Prior to amending...more
When disputes arise between developers and purchasers, it is important to ensure that the developer’s preferred forum of dispute resolution is enforceable in the purchase contract. In particular, arbitration clauses, which...more
What happens in California, stays in California. Our Class Action Team examines a new California law that keeps California consumers’ arbitration proceedings in California....more
On March 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of a motion to compel arbitration in two class-action lawsuits. The decision potentially has far-reaching implications for the...more
Proponents of arbitration received a victory in federal court this past Tuesday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued its published decision in Dhruva v. CuriosityStream, Inc. ...more
A recent Ninth Circuit decision, Chabolla v. ClassPass, Inc., underscores critical considerations for retailers with online Terms of Service / Use agreements, particularly regarding arbitration provisions and related consumer...more
Our special guest is David Horton, Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis, who has written a creative and thought-provoking article analyzing how courts should interpret certain key provisions that are...more
On February 25, 2025, the British Columbia government introduced Bill 4, the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Amendment Act, 2025 (Bill) for the stated purpose of protecting people from “unfair contract terms” and...more
Mass arbitration is posing significant challenges for businesses, as it creates a new battleground in dispute resolution with the potential to overwhelm companies with a flood of simultaneous claims. Consumer-facing companies...more
Earlier this week, the CFPB issued a proposed rule. Among other things, the proposed rule would “forbid covered persons from including in their consumer contracts any terms or conditions that purport to waive substantive...more
Earlier this year, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in Pace v. Hamilton Cove that class action waivers in consumer contracts that do not contain an arbitration clause (i.e., a stand-alone class action waiver) are not per se...more
Facing a federal lawsuit, companies with agreements that mandate arbitration of disputes must decide how to efficiently obtain an order from a federal judge compelling arbitration....more
In Heckman v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., a panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision refusing to enforce the Ticketmaster arbitration provision in a purported consumer antitrust class action brought...more
On October 28, 2024, the Ninth Circuit struck a mass arbitration agreement as unconscionable and unenforceable under California law in Heckman v. Live Nation Ent., Inc., No. 23-55770. The three-judge panel affirmed the...more