A resource for litigators, in-house counsel, and arbitrators
Seems like I’m picking on the gig economy these days. I really don’t mean to be. But a former research assistant of mine brought an important, hot-off-the-presses decision to my attention, O’Hanlon v. Uber Techs., Inc., No. 2:19-cv-00675, 2019 BL 434840 (W.D. Pa. Nov. 12, 2019).
The case presents a couple of important Arbitration…
The high courts of two states have allowed non-signatories to compel arbitration in recent weeks. The cases show courts are addressing non-signatory issues using different standards and raise important drafting issues for joint ventures and business affiliates.
In Locklear Automotive Group, Inc. v. Hubbard, 2017 WL 4324852 (Alabama Sept. 29, 2017), the Supreme Court…
The “Summer of Arbitration” draws to a close tomorrow, if you can believe it. (On the first day of fall, it is supposed to be 91 degrees in Minnesota. Yikes.) But before I close that chapter, let’s take a look at a theme that emerged in these last weeks: non-signatories losing their attempts to compel…
In two recent decisions, the Alabama Supreme Court made clear that if an arbitration clause specifies it only applies to disputes between the two parties who sign the clause, that will be strictly enforced. No third party can enforce the arbitration agreement.
In Nissan N. Am. v. Scott, 2017 WL 3446129 (Ala. Aug. 11,…
Just three weeks into the year and already my pile of arbitration cases is a skyscraper! So, I will cover a lot of ground in this update.
First, the headline. Kimberly, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian moved to compel arbitration, although they were not signatories to the arbitration agreement. Kroma Makeup EU v. Boldface Licensing +…
In three cases in recent months, courts have found that plaintiffs who did not sign an arbitration agreement (non-signatories) are not obligated to arbitrate. In all three cases, a key issue was that the plaintiff’s claims in court did not rely on the contract containing the arbitration clause.
In the most interesting and widely applicable …
This week marks the third anniversary of this blog devoted to interpretations of the Federal Arbitration Act. (Here’s the first post.) After 155 posts, can there possibly be more to say? Yes, indeed. Three new opinions from federal courts of appeals demonstrate how new issues keep “cropping” up in arbitration law each week.
The…
Now that we know the Supreme Court is not going to be addressing non-signatories’ ability to compel arbitration this term (at least not in the Toyota case), we can take a moment to look at what lower courts are doing with that issue. In short, the trend is for courts to clarify that it…
After reading more than 40 decisions about arbitration from state high courts, issued just in the past eight months, I have two bits of wisdom to share. First, that is not the best way to spend your summer vacation, even for a devoted arbitration nerd. And second, there are arbitration issues percolating in state courts…
Two federal circuit courts recently reversed district court decisions allowing non-signatories to compel arbitration. The analysis emphasizes that for a defendant to prove equitable estoppel compels arbitration, the plaintiff’s legal claims must be closely related to the contract containing the arbitration clause.
Retail grocers asserted antitrust claims against wholesalers in In re Wholesale Grocery Products …