Earlier this year, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in Pace v. Hamilton Cove that class action waivers in consumer contracts that do not contain an arbitration clause (i.e., a stand-alone class action waiver) are not per se...more
Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s decision finding a delegation clause in an arbitration agreement to be both procedurally and substantively unconscionable and, moreover, that...more
In the long-awaited newest chapter of case law discussing the validity and enforceability of arbitration clauses and class action waivers, the Ninth Circuit on October 28, 2024, dealt a setback, though not a fatal blow, to...more
In Heckman v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., a panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision refusing to enforce the Ticketmaster arbitration provision in a purported consumer antitrust class action brought...more
On October 28, 2024, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling in Heckman v. Live Nation, finding Live Nation’s Ticketmaster arbitration agreement unconscionable and therefore unenforceable based on their terms...more
In a recent ruling, a California appeals court found an arbitration agreement with an eyewear store employee that was presented on a take-it-or-leave-it basis required an arbitrator to apply the laws of another state,...more
The Manitoba Court of Appeal (the “Court”) in Pokornik v. SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc., 2024 MBCA 3, recently upheld a lower court decision dismissing a large online meal delivery service’s motion to stay a class...more
Cincinnati v. PE Alms Hill Realty, LLC, 1st Dist. Hamilton, 2023-Ohio-2784. In this appeal, the First Appellate District affirmed the trial court’s decision to grant commercial lenders summary judgment on their breach of...more
Employers seeking to move workplace claims from the courthouse to arbitration received some good news Friday from the U.S. Supreme Court. If a trial court denies a party’s request to compel arbitration, the court must pause...more
Employers that face lawsuits from employees often seek to move such claims from the courthouse to arbitration. But what happens if the trial court refuses to compel arbitration and the employer appeals the decision? Should...more
The Manitoba Court of King’s Bench recently rejected a motion by a large online meal delivery service to stay a class proceeding in favour of arbitration in accordance with the terms of a new agreement with its couriers. The...more
This case involves a dispute between American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (“Aflac”) and a group of independent contractors (“associates”), arising out of alleged misrepresentations by Aflac. Pursuant to their...more
In a major victory for ride-share company Uber Technologies, Inc. ("Uber"), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its much anticipated opinion in O'Connor v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No....more
Plaintiff filed a class action against Barnes & Noble in the Southern District of New York, alleging that it violated her privacy by sharing information about her purchases with Facebook. Barnes & Noble moved to compel...more
Utilizing a “sweeping reading of Concepcion,” as characterized by the concurring opinion, the Ninth Circuit has ruled that arguments that “a class action waiver, by itself, is unconscionable under state law or that an...more
The parties in the Grubhub misclassification case are back in court on Monday, October 30, delivering their final closing arguments to the judge. We’ve written about the trial extensively. To sum it up, though: a former...more
In an unpublished opinion, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s ruling that had sent a putative class action against Amazon over its pricing practices to arbitration, as per Amazon’s terms of service. (Wiseley v....more
Although the California Finance Lenders Law (the CFLL) does not limit the interest rates that may be charged on loans of $2,500 or more, Section 22302 of the law expressly states that loans made under the CFLL may be held...more
The U.S. Supreme Court, in recent years, has provided companies with a powerful tool to avoid class action lawsuits: arbitration. In a series of decisions, the Supreme Court has held that class action waivers in otherwise...more
Consistent with the historical reluctance of California courts to enforce arbitration provisions in consumer contracts, on April 6, 2017, the California Supreme Court ruled that an arbitration provision that waived an...more
Companies looking to waive class action rights of employees may instead be waving goodbye to provisions in their employment contracts. Two recent decisions in California—one administrative and one in the 9th Circuit—recently...more
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a significant victory to Uber and other gig economy businesses by reversing a trial court’s denials of Uber’s motions to compel arbitration in companion class action lawsuits brought...more
As we reported last year, in October 2015 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published an outline of proposals that would limit the use of arbitration provisions in contracts for consumer financial products. On May 5,...more
Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Direct TV v. Imburgia, 577 U.S. ___ (2015). This decision is important for manufacturers of consumer products because it fortifies the ability to incorporate...more
In DIRECTV, Inc. v. Imburgia, a decision released this week, the United States Supreme Court rejected the California Court of Appeal’s interpretation of a binding arbitration provision that would have rendered unenforceable a...more