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
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
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
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
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
In a post last week, we noted a recent trend of federal courts strongly enforcing employment arbitration agreements under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”)....more