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
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
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
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently affirmed a district court’s decision denying a defendant’s motion to compel arbitration, underscoring the importance of clear and conspicuous notice in online...more
In recent years, technology advancement has introduced new methods for contract formation. In particular, the rise of blockchain technology has led to the emergence of “smart contracts”, which are digital contracts which...more
In a recent decision, EDVA Judge Rossie Alston invalidated the arbitration clause in the terms and conditions for online sales through the Lowe’s Home Centers website on the grounds that the terms and conditions were illusory...more
A recent trend in litigation has emerged that is causing companies to re-think conventional wisdom. Until now, it has been a widely adopted best practice for retailers and other consumer-facing companies to include mandatory...more
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday, May 23 held that a credit union’s unilateral update to add an arbitration provision and class action waiver to its contract with one of its customers was valid under North...more
Eversheds Sutherland presents periodic updates to inform companies entering or already established in the US market about newly enacted rules or trends that may be traps for the unwary. The purpose of these updates is to...more
A state appellate court in California reversed a superior court’s denial of a massage franchisor’s motion to compel arbitration. Jane Doe #1 (I.G.) v. Massage Envy Franchising, LLC, 2023 WL 8801517 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 20,...more
The District of Massachusetts’s recent decision in Fairfield v. DCD Auto. Holdings, Inc., No. 22-cv-11977, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 109463 (D. Mass. June 26, 2023) serves as a key reminder for businesses not only to have...more
In October 2018, Eva Cornell opened checking and savings accounts with Desert Financial Credit Union. In so doing, Cornell agreed to terms and conditions, including an agreement that Desert Financial could “change those terms...more
For a more detailed discussion of the new Restatement, we encourage you to also listen to the episode of the Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast released today with Ballard Spahr’s Alan Kaplinsky (who is on the ALI Board of...more
In a case of first impression, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth District (San Diego), considered "under what circumstances a 'sign-in wrap' agreement … is valid and enforceable" between consumers and online companies...more
If a company enters an arbitration agreement with a consumer, can its future affiliate companies enforce the arbitration agreement even though the affiliate relationship did not exist at the time the consumer signed the...more
Plaintiffs filed a putative class action against Norwegian Cruise Lines claiming that Norwegian failed to disclose profits it earned when the plaintiffs elected to purchase travel insurance during the cruise booking process....more
On August 7, 2020, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals confronted the question whether this class action lawsuit against, inter alia, DirecTV was covered by an arbitration agreement in the contract governing plaintiff Diana...more
In Mason v. Midland Funding, plaintiffs Mason and Burnett brought an action against a debt collector and its subsidiaries claiming that they violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by allegedly filing lawsuits to...more
Seven plaintiffs filed a putative class action against a car rental company and its subsidiary for allegedly unauthorized charges incurred when the plaintiffs rented cars from the company....more
A California Court granted Defendant’s motion to compel arbitration based on a duly formed and consented arbitration clause via a “clickwrap” agreement, despite Plaintiff’s argument that no contract was ever formed because...more
The plaintiff entered into a retail installment contract with New Century Auto Sales for the purchase of a used car. The contract included an arbitration provision that stated that either the plaintiff or the defendants may...more
The Northern District of Illinois recently denied a motion to compel arbitration in a putative class action, and in doing so found that the defendants failed to show that the plaintiff had agreed to arbitrate the dispute when...more