In a recent legal dispute, Mahram v. The Kroger Co., a California Court of Appeal delivered a decision that may have implications for employment arbitration agreements. Although the case at hand involved a consumer...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed in part a district court’s grant of a stay pending arbitration, finding that as non-parties to the underlying arbitration agreement, defendants could not stay the...more
As a general rule, parties cannot be forced to arbitrate a dispute unless they signed a clear and binding agreement to arbitrate. However, a recent decision issued by New York County Commercial Division Judge Barry Ostrager...more
Betancourt v. OS Rest. Servs., LLC, No. B293625, 2020 WL 2570839 (Cal. Ct. App. Apr. 30, 2020) - Summary: A plaintiff is not entitled to recover penalties for waiting time and wage statement violations based on claims of...more
Companies that utilize third-party staffing vendors should take stock of the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Hiser v. NZone Guidance, L.L.C.1 The March 24, 2020 opinion, applying Texas law, reinforces that both contract language,...more
A Puerto Rico district court dismissed a third-party action by defendant-policyholder Puma Energy Caribe LLC against the reinsurers of an insurance policy issued by plaintiff Integrand Assurance Co. Puma claimed that the...more
The Supreme Court of South Carolina recently determined that non-signatory insureds could not be compelled to arbitrate their claims under an arbitration clause in an agency agreement where the insureds did not obtain a...more
SBS is a staffing company that provides personnel to various retail services, such as SPAR. SBS engaged Paradise Hogan (“Hogan”) and assigned Hogan to SPAR. Hogan and SBS entered into an Independent Contractor Master...more
Three delivery drivers sued a transportation broker for failure to pay overtime and minimum wages, failure to provide rest and meal breaks, failure to timely pay wages upon termination, and willful refusal to pay wages on...more
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal has handed down some rather remarkable TCPA rulings over the years. First came Palm Beach Golf Center-Boca, Inc. v. Sarris, 771 F. 3d 1274 (11th Cir. 2014) in which the Eleventh Circuit...more
In a recent dispute involving a crop insurance policy, the Texas Supreme Court held that an independent insurance agency could not compel arbitration of certain claims brought against it in state court by an insured (JJ...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini commented on a case in which the plaintiff sued UBS for mismanagement of his deceased mother's estate. The plaintiff challenged the validity of the arbitration agreement arguing that...more
The Tennessee Supreme Court recently held that Tennessee’s Trust Code and broad trust-instruments authorize a Trustee’s execution of a pre-dispute arbitration clause. That isn’t a per se breach of fiduciary duty, but the...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini discussed a case involving a Plaintiff's suit against a broker-dealer involving his deceased mother's IRA account. Although Plaintiff was a non-signatory to the IRA account...more
A buyer of a manufactured home sued the manufacturer, seller and lender in connection with toxic mold that was found in the home’s water system. The underlying retail installment contract contained an arbitration agreement...more