U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals - Bilotti v. Fla DOC - postconviction relief - DeMarcus v. Univ of S Ala - Title IX, § 1983, volleyball coach, mistreatment - Joseph v. Bd of Regents Univ Ga - en banc denial,...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
California courts, like most federal courts, have historically held that a party does not waive its contractual right to compel arbitration unless the party opposing arbitration has been prejudiced by the moving party’s delay...more
Many California employers require their employees to sign agreements to submit any disputes arising out their employment to binding arbitration. If an employee files a lawsuit in court, the employer then has the option of...more
A federal appeals court recently refused to let a mortgage broker send its former employee’s disability discrimination lawsuit to arbitration, stating the company waived its right to arbitration when it actively participated...more
When has a party waived its contractual right to arbitrate? Until recently, most federal Courts of Appeal—including the Sixth Circuit— held that a party who participates in litigation (e.g., by serving and responding to...more
The United States Supreme Court recently resolved a circuit split regarding when a party has waived its contractual right to arbitrate by participating in litigation prior to seeking to arbitrate a dispute. In Morgan v....more
Many contracts these days, including employment contracts, have provisions requiring that disputes be arbitrated rather than filed in a court. Nevertheless, a party to such an agreement will often file a lawsuit in court, and...more
A recent decision of the United States Supreme Court addressed a circuit split regarding the propriety of arbitration-specific procedural rules. In support of adopting such rules, nine of the eleven federal circuits...more
Resolving an issue over when a party has waived their right to arbitrate, the United States Supreme Court recently granted plaintiff’s a major victory, holding that litigants are no longer required to show prejudice when...more
A unanimous Supreme Court held May 23 that a party’s waiver of its arbitration right does not require showing prejudice to an opposing party, because the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) prohibits arbitration-specific rules....more
In Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., decided May 23, a unanimous Supreme Court addressed the standard for determining whether a party has waived its right to arbitrate a controversy by first engaging in litigation. Overruling...more
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court unanimously held in Morgan v. Sundance that litigants are no longer required to show prejudice when opposing a party’s delayed attempt to compel arbitration. Previously, an Eighth Circuit...more
In Morgan v. Sundance, the Supreme Court unanimously concluded this week that waiving arbitration rights does not require a showing that the party seeking to have their case heard in federal court would be prejudiced by...more
With the increasing use of arbitration clauses and agreements, courts have been required to address challenges to the enforceability of such contracts. One such situation is where one party to an arbitration agreement delays...more
In a much-anticipated opinion, the Supreme Court unanimously held that a party claiming waiver of the right to arbitrate need not show prejudice, in Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., Case No. 21-328 (May 23, 2022). While the holding...more
In this episode, partners Jackie Celender and Lindsay Sampson Bishop, along with associate John Gavin, discuss the oral argument recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in Morgan v. Sundance dealing with the question of...more
Concerns about bias and prejudice from multiple repeat appointments have plagued party-appointed arbitrators for years. This is true of international arbitration, commercial arbitration and, of course, insurance and...more
The plaintiff and intervenor-defendant entered into a contract wherein they agreed to arbitrate claims arising out of the contract. Following a dispute, the plaintiff asserted that the intervenor-defendant had waived its...more
Defendants in a lawsuit didn’t waive their right to arbitrate even after moving to dismiss and answering a complaint, a court held last week. Arbitration wasn’t waived because the defendants hadn’t filed affirmative defenses...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini examined a case in which the plaintiff sought to vacate an adverse arbitration award claiming the arbitration panel misbehaved and prejudiced his rights under the Federal Arbitration...more
NFL Mgmt. Council v. NFL Players Ass’n, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117662 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 3, 2015) - “Arbitration has been proven to be an effective way to resolve disputes fairly, privately, promptly and economically.” So...more
The Tenth Circuit recently held that Cox Communications, Inc., (Cox) had waived its right to arbitration while defending a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of its cable subscribers. These subscribers sued the...more
A district court refused to vacate an arbitration award where Preis, a terminated employee, failed to produce sufficient evidence of bias or misconduct in the arbitration panel’s decision. Preis moved to vacate the award in...more
A federal court of appeals has affirmed a district court’s decision that parties to a pending lawsuit waived their right to compel arbitration by waiting 11 months after that lawsuit was filed to invoke their right. Instead...more