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Using Arbitration To Eliminate Consumer Class Actions: Efficient Business Practice Or Unconscionable Abuse?, Jean R. Sternlight, Elizabeth J. Jensen

Scholarly Works

Companies are increasingly drafting arbitration clauses worded to prevent consumers from bringing class actions against them in either litigation or arbitration. If one looks at the form contracts she receives regarding her credit card, cellular phone, land phone, insurance policies, mortgage, and so forth, most likely, the majority of those contracts include arbitration clauses, and many of those include prohibitions on class actions. Companies are seeking to use these clauses to shield themselves from class action liability, either in court or in arbitration.

This article argues that while the unconscionability doctrine offers some protections, case-by-case adjudication is a costly means …

Employer's Exclusive Control Over Selection Of Arbitrators Held Invalid, Adam Epstein

Adam Epstein

Discussion of the 2003 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals case McMullen v. Meijer, Inc. While alternative forms of dispute resolution such as arbitration and mediation are now commonplace and are effectively utilized to avoid litigation and resolve disputes between employers and employees, the procedure in the arbitration process must be fair. Upon the hire, employers often provide their employees with an employment handbook that specifically discusses procedures involving termination. Often the employee handbook, if one exists, is viewed as a contract and is often a first step in determining the proper method of dispute resolution and procedure. In this case, …