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Arbitration Unconscionable Contracts Employment Litigation

Arbitration is a widely-used method for settling disputes between parties. During arbitration, parties submit their dispute to an impartial third person or party, usually chosen by the parties. Typically, parties... more +
Arbitration is a widely-used method for settling disputes between parties. During arbitration, parties submit their dispute to an impartial third person or party, usually chosen by the parties. Typically, parties to arbitration agree in advance to be bound by the arbitrator's decision. Arbitration is an alternative to litigation, but it shares many of the familiar features of litigation. Namely, parties to arbitration hold hearings before neutral decision-makers, present evidence and argue the merits of their position. Parties often choose arbitration due to its perceived advantages over litigation. Those perceived advantages include greater efficiency and flexibility, and lower costs. less -
Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Severing Unconscionable Terms in Employment Arbitration Agreements

In August 2000, the California Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling that changed the face of employment arbitration agreements going forward. That case, known as Armendariz v. Foundation Health Psychcare Services,...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

California Appellate Decision Raises New Considerations for Arbitration Agreements

A California appellate court recently denied a motion to compel arbitration, finding the agreement unconscionable in part because it (1) applied to all claims rather than just those arising from employment, (2) was unlimited...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

California Supreme Court Says Severing Unconscionable Terms From Arbitration Agreements Is a Question of Fairness

On July 15, 2024, the Supreme Court of California issued a decision that could provide courts in the state with significant discretion to refuse to enforce employment arbitration agreements even if only one term is determined...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

California Appeals Court Finds Employer’s Arbitration Agreement With Cost-Sharing and Out-of-State Law Provisions Unconscionable

In a recent ruling, a California appeals court found an arbitration agreement with an eyewear store employee that was presented on a take-it-or-leave-it basis required an arbitrator to apply the laws of another state,...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Meal Delivery Service’s Mandatory Arbitration Clause for Couriers Unconscionable: Manitoba Court of Appeal

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The Manitoba Court of Appeal (the “Court”) in Pokornik v. SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc., 2024 MBCA 3, recently upheld a lower court decision dismissing a large online meal delivery service’s motion to stay a class...more

Carlton Fields

Eleventh Circuit Affirms Order Compelling Arbitration of Discrimination Claims, Rejects Argument That Arbitration Agreement Was...

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In Payne v. Savannah College of Art and Design Inc., the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court order denying a motion to compel arbitration of plaintiff Isaac Payne’s discrimination-based claims. The...more

Carlton Fields

Eleventh Circuit Enforces Employee Arbitration Agreement, Concluding That Agreement Was Not Unconscionable

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In Lambert v. Signature Healthcare LLC, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s denial of the defendants-appellants’ motion to dismiss and to compel arbitration under the FAA, holding that the...more

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

California Court Finds Arbitration Agreement Unconscionable

An employer’s arbitration agreement was both procedurally and substantively unconscionable, a California appellate panel determined, affirming a trial court’s denial of an employer’s motion to compel arbitration....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Mandatory Arbitration Provision Struck Down by the Washington Supreme Court

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Seyfarth Synopsis: The Washington Supreme Court refused to enforce a mandatory arbitration agreement that was contained within an Employee Handbook. ...more

Carlton Fields

Court Enforces Arbitration Agreement Incorporated Into “Notice to Employees”

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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas compelled arbitration in a putative Fair Labor Standards Act class action based on language in a “notice to employees” that put the plaintiffs on notice that they...more

Carlton Fields

SDNY Compels Arbitration Based on Severability Doctrine, Finds Fee-Shifting Clause Not Unconscionable

Carlton Fields on

The Southern District of New York granted a motion to compel arbitration of an employment dispute between the petitioners and the respondent. The petitioners also filed a motion to dismiss or stay a concurrent proceeding that...more

Littler

Easily “Shocked”? At Least for Wage Claims, California Supreme Court Lowers Standard for Unconscionability in Arbitration...

Littler on

In OTO, L.L.C. v. Kho, the California Supreme Court refused to enforce an employee’s arbitration agreement on the basis that it was unconscionable.  Unconscionability has long been a common-law defense to contract...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

California Invalidates Wage Arbitration Agreement, Inviting U.S. Supreme Court Review

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Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court invalidated an employment arbitration agreement on August 29, 2019. At issue in OTO, LLC v. Kho was an agreement to arbitrate employment claims, including wage claims. Under the...more

Carlton Fields

Alabama District Court Enforces Arbitration Clause Related to Disability Policy Over Unconscionability Claim

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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama has compelled arbitration despite a former employee’s claim that the arbitration clause in the policy at issue was unconscionable under the circumstances related to...more

Carlton Fields

West Virginia Supreme Court Reverses, Finds “Delegation Clause” in Employment Arbitration Agreement Neither Ambiguous nor...

Carlton Fields on

Petitioners, two Rent-A-Center entities, moved to compel arbitration of a lawsuit by Anita Ellis alleging that Rent-A-Center unlawfully terminated her employment for seeking workers’ compensation benefits....more

Hogan Lovells

California Appellate Courts Diverge on Arbitration Agreements

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Two California Courts of Appeal came to two different conclusions on motions to compel arbitration on the same day last week (April 10), again demonstrating the care that must be taken in drafting and presenting arbitration...more

Carlton Fields

Ninth Circuit Finds Arbitration Agreement In Employment Application Was Unconscionable

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In this case, Ritarose Capili, a sales associate, brought an action against her former employer The Finish Line, Inc. (“Finish Line”), an athletic retailer in California federal court. Finish Line made a motion to compel...more

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