Bilateral arbitration is under increasing attack. While businesses evaluate whether and how to update their arbitration clauses in light of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's October decision in Heckman v. Live...more
The war against arbitration agreements continues apace. The latest volley comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Johnson v. Continental Finance Company, LLC, No. 23-2047 (4th Cir. Mar. 11, 2025). In...more
In January 2021, Uber emailed millions of its users informing them that they would be prompted to agree to updated terms of use (available by hyperlinks) in order to continue using the ride-sharing service. The plaintiff, a...more
On 24 February, the UK Arbitration Act 2025 received Royal Assent. The new Act introduces a series of enhancements to the Arbitration Act 1996 following a review by the Law Commission. These changes aim to ensure the UK’s...more
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a district court’s denial of a motion to compel arbitration, finding that the parties’ arbitration clause expressed a clear intent to arbitrate and that the reference in...more
I have practiced law for 40 years with the vast majority as a “construction” lawyer. I have seen great… and bad… construction lawyering, both when representing a party and when serving over 300 times as a mediator or...more
Tell me if you have heard this one before: ten companies are sued by a former employee as “joint employers”, even though the employee technically worked for, and signed a binding arbitration agreement with, only one of them....more
The Fifth Circuit ruled that Baker Hughes Saudi Arabia and Dynamic Industries, Inc., could be compelled to arbitration in a forum that no longer exists. In doing so, the court ruled that the parties’ “dominant purpose was to...more
California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) allows “aggrieved employees” to sue their employers for Labor Code violations to collect civil penalties “on behalf of himself or herself and other current or former...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
Just before the 2024 holiday season, in Wu v. Uber Tech., Inc.,[i] New York State's Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, issued a veritable instruction manual for those involved in the online provision of consumer...more
California is famously inhospitable to arbitration. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down California laws disfavoring arbitration on no fewer than six occasions between 1987 and 2022....more
A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirming a decision compelling arbitration provides a “how to” guideline for using online terms and conditions to form a binding agreement....more
In an important decision regarding the size and potential scope of a putative class, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio recently granted a defendant’s motion to exclude from a class action all...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a district court’s decision to deny a motion to compel arbitration in a case involving a request to refund the cost of airline tickets after a cancellation....more
I have practiced law for 40 years, with the vast majority of that time spent as a “construction lawyer.” I have seen great… and bad… construction lawyering, both when on the other side of a dispute, as well as when serving...more
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court decision denying defendant MicroBilt Corp.’s motion to compel arbitration, finding the plaintiff had fully complied with all provisions of her arbitration...more
Executive Summary: In a recent case, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the validity of an arbitration clause in a case that had been in litigation for over nine years without the claim ever being heard. See In re Whataburger...more
Whether it’s a custom-built home, a large housing development or a high-rise condominium or office building, legal disputes related to construction issues can be complicated. The number of primary defendants and third-party...more
Market Trends: What You Need to Know - As shown in the American Bar Association’s Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Points Studies: Overall, alternative dispute resolution provisions are becoming less...more
Closely-held business owners often hope to avoid the costs and delays of litigation by including arbitration provisions in their partnership, shareholder, and operating agreements. Things can get tricky, though, when...more
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court recently issued its first opinion on the enforceability of contracts formed using a smartphone app. (Sarchi, et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc., et al., 2022 ME 8) In a unanimous decision, the...more
On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the Ending Force Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (the “Act”, available here: H.R. 4445). President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law shortly. ...more
It is all but certain that mandatory arbitration clauses will no longer exist for workplace sexual assault and sexual harassment claims once the expected legislation many refer to as the #MeToo Arbitration Ban is signed by...more
There’s a great argument that lawyer advocacy in an arbitration is more essential than at a trial in court. This is the last post of the 10 most horrible, terrible, no good, “bang your head against the door” mistakes that I...more