Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: “Accidental Arbitration” -- A New Theory that Would Rein in Consumer Arbitration Clauses and the Scope of the FAA
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: A Discussion of Industry and Consumer Perspectives on Mass Arbitration
California Employment News: The State of Mandatory Arbitration Agreements in California Employment
Podcast: California Employment News - The State of Mandatory Arbitration Agreements in California Employment
#WorkforceWednesday: NLRB Focuses on Severance Agreements, Supreme Court Opens Overtime to HCEs, Ninth Circuit Rejects CA's Mandatory Arbitration Ban - Employment Law This Week®
#WorkforceWednesday: SCOTUS Rules on PAGA, Fifth Circuit Rules on COVID-19 Under WARN, Illinois Expands Bereavement Leave - Employment Law This Week®
California Employment News: US Supreme Court “Viking River” Decision Brings PAGA Relief for CA Employers
#WorkforceWednesday: EEOC COVID-19 Charges Surge, NYC’s Pay Transparency Law, SCOTUS Considers PAGA - Employment Law This Week®
#WorkforceWednesday: New Law on Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims, Cyber War Ramps Up, Salaried Nonexempt Status - Employment Law This Week®
Employment Law Now VI-114-Banning Arbitration of Sexual Harassment/Assault Claims
Update and Discussion on Legal and Practical Issues
DE Under 3: OFCCP Contractor Portal & Request for Comments for Functional Affirmative Action Programs (FAAPs)
Employment Law This Week®: FAA Arguably Preempts California Law, New CA Employment Laws for 2020, CA Consumer Privacy Act Amended
Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution method where parties can pursue their claims in a forum other than court. It is often favored for its confidentiality, efficiency and ability to provide a specialized forum for...more
In the recent decision Soar.Earth Ltd v. Mahaffie, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado addressed what happens when competing forum selection and arbitration clauses in separate contracts apply to a single...more
A Fourth Circuit panel affirmed the denial of a motion to compel arbitration, finding that the law firm and debt collector who sought to compel arbitration of a class action had waived the right to arbitrate by previously...more
This one should be obvious by now– I mean I even took the slide on this subject out of my deck for Contact.io because I have covered it too many times. But it looks like folks need a reminder: Just because you are on the...more
In July 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals considered enforcement of an arbitration agreement contained in an attorney representation agreement, and in Barnett v. Am. Express Nat'l Bank, the court of appeals reiterated...more
After a debt collector filed suit to collect an expired debt, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that the debt collector could not later compel arbitration of the debtor’s class action because arbitration...more
In Barnett v. American Express National Bank, 24-CA-60391 (5th Cir. 7/29/2025), the U.S. Fifth Circuit reaffirmed that a waiver of the right to arbitrate by “substantially invoking the judicial process” requires a showing...more
June 2025 saw opinions from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals addressing issues including the authority of a court to dismiss a case that had been stayed pending an arbitration and the sequence of decision-making when a...more
The Eighth Circuit partially reversed a district court ruling denying OptumRx, Inc. (“OptumRx”)’s motion to compel arbitration of Lackie Drug Store, Inc. (“Lackie”)’s putative class action, concluding OptumRx waived...more
Parkin v. Avis Rent A Car Sys. LLC et al., 22-CV-05481, 2025 WL 484588 (D.N.J. Feb. 13, 2025) - The class action plaintiffs alleged that they purchased Supplemental Liability Insurance, which they claim the defendants...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
The 5th Circuit recently reversed a district court’s decision to remand a case before ruling on a pending motion to compel arbitration. This is because the remand motion did not challenge the district court’s jurisdiction;...more
On June 13, 2025, a federal court in the Northern District of California held that a putative Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) class action lawsuit belonged in arbitration, thanks to the defendant company’s arbitration...more
In a notable clarification of removal and arbitration procedure, the Fifth Circuit in Odom Industries, Inc. v. Sipcam Agro Solutions, LLC, No. 24-60410 (5th Cir. June 4, 2025), held that a defendant may remove a case to...more
In an opinion issued on May 8, 2025, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals addressed two cases: Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London v. 3131 Veterans Blvd LLC and Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London v. MPIRE Properties...more
In Liberty Corporate Capital Limited v. Gallagher Re, Inc., Case No. 8:25-MC-10-MSS-TGW (M.D. Fla. April 24, 2025), Liberty sought to enforce a subpoena issued by the arbitration panel in a reinsurance dispute to Gallagher,...more
As we have reported time and again, California courts have applied extra scrutiny to employee arbitration agreements in recent years, and have not hesitated to deny arbitration where there is a reasonable basis for doing so. ...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s decision to deny the plaintiff’s motion to compel arbitration, finding that the plaintiff was not an “aggrieved” party within the meaning of the Federal...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
On February 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s denial of a petition to compel individual arbitration against Starz Entertainment, LLC. The court held that the plaintiff, who...more
It happens every so often: someone signs an agreement to arbitrate legal claims, the agreement has a solid clause delegating arbitrability issues to an arbitrator, and then a member of that person’s family files a claim in...more
In 2003, the California Supreme Court adopted a stringent test to determine whether an employer had waived its right to compel arbitration of an employee’s claims. The most critical, and often determinative, factor was...more
A federal court in Minnesota recently granted in part Ashley Furniture Industries’ motion to compel arbitration of a Minnesota-based sales representative’s claims. ABWB, Inc. v. Ashley Furniture Indus., LLC,2024 WL 4296900...more
In Beard, the buyers under a retail installment sales contract filed claims against the car dealership they purchased the vehicle from and the indirect auto finance company that ultimately financed the purchase. In response,...more