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Determining Arbitrability Of The Dispute: The Clear And Unmistakable Standard For Choice Of Law In Arbitration Agreements , Kristen Sanocki
Determining Arbitrability Of The Dispute: The Clear And Unmistakable Standard For Choice Of Law In Arbitration Agreements , Kristen Sanocki
Journal of Dispute Resolution
This note will also address the "clear and unmistakable" standard adopted by the Ninth Circuit and used to determine whether or not parties have agreed to apply non-federal arbitrability law. Based on the Ninth Circuit's reasoning in Cape Flattery Ltd. v. Titan Mar., LLC, this Note concludes that the court properly extracted a standard normally used to determine whether a court decides arbitrability as applicable to determining whether parties have sufficiently contracted for non-federal arbitrability law. Lastly, this Note will address the interpretation of arbitration clauses under federal law.
Unconscionable Construction: How The Ninth Circuit Evades The Faa By Severing Arbitration Agreements As Unconscionable Note, Daniel B. Mitchell
Unconscionable Construction: How The Ninth Circuit Evades The Faa By Severing Arbitration Agreements As Unconscionable Note, Daniel B. Mitchell
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Bridge Fund Capital Corp. v. FastBucks Franchise Corp. illustrates a recent manifestation of an ongoing judicial hostility to arbitration. As the Supreme Court has developed its FAA jurisprudence to limit the severance of arbitration agreements, many lower courts have continued to develop legal justifications to circumvent these restrictions. The FAA's savings clause does afford some latitude for severance of arbitration agreements, but the Supreme Court has not yet defined the limits of the savings clause, nor whether the general contract defense and their justifications are sufficient to supersede FAA policy. Bridge Fund shows how the doctrine of unconscionability it being …
New Use Of The Doctrine Of Unconscionability To Invalidate Arbitration Agreements In Consumer Contracts, The Note, Valerie Dixon
New Use Of The Doctrine Of Unconscionability To Invalidate Arbitration Agreements In Consumer Contracts, The Note, Valerie Dixon
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Manfredi v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield suggests that this old judicial hostility is alive and well in Missouri jurisprudence. In an effort to level the playing field between parties of unequal bargaining power, Missouri courts have applied the unconscionability doctrine as a way to sidestep the United States Supreme Court's asserted policy favoring arbitration over litigation.7 This note considers the new approach of Missouri courts in invalidating arbitration agreements through the doctrine of unconscionability in the consumer context.
Sweet Vindication: The Second Circuit Strikes A Blow To Companies That Use Class-Action Waivers In Arbitration Agreements To Avoid The Law, Samuel E. Buffaloe
Sweet Vindication: The Second Circuit Strikes A Blow To Companies That Use Class-Action Waivers In Arbitration Agreements To Avoid The Law, Samuel E. Buffaloe
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Other scholars and courts have concluded that when a class action waiver prevents a plaintiff from vindicating his statutory rights, that waiver should be unenforceable. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit took this approach in In re American Express Merchants' Litigation. The court, however, was careful to point out that these class-action waivers should not be considered unenforceable per se, but that courts must examine each waiver on a case-by-case basis. This note will examine the court's reasoning and will discuss what courts and Congress should do to protect consumers when companies use class-action waivers to avoid …
Demise Of Arbitration Agreements In Long-Term Care Contracts, The, Laura K. Bailey
Demise Of Arbitration Agreements In Long-Term Care Contracts, The, Laura K. Bailey
Missouri Law Review
This Article argues that pre-dispute compulsory arbitration provisions in nursing home contracts should not be enforced and encourages the elimination of such clauses in long-term care contracts. This Article will lay out the historical background and development of arbitration and then will address the use of arbitration clauses in nursing home admission contracts. Finally, this Article will explore recent developments of arbitration law in long-term care contracts, both federally and in the state of Missouri, with particular attention given to the Supreme Court of Missouri's decision in Lawrence v. Beverly Manor.
No Exceptions: How The Legitimate Business Justification For Unconscionability Only Further Demonstrates California Courts' Disdain For Arbitration Agreements, Thomas H. Riske
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In Davis v. O'Melveny & Myers, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether an arbitration agreement adopted by a law firm and distributed to its employees was enforceable. When interpreting an arbitration agreement, how the contract doctrine of unconscionability should be applied by state courts, is an essential element of this case. While the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA") has been interpreted to preempt any state law in conflict with it, state laws governing the necessary foundation to revoke a contract remain unaffected. In considering these principles, state courts have applied the doctrine of unconscionability to arbitration agreements in the …
Suing For Small Potatoes: Consumer Class Action Waivers In Arbitration Agreements Distinguished By The Ninth Circuit, Jaimee Conley
Suing For Small Potatoes: Consumer Class Action Waivers In Arbitration Agreements Distinguished By The Ninth Circuit, Jaimee Conley
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In Shroyer, the Ninth Circuit laid a foundation for looking at consumer class action arbitration waivers with greater scrutiny, using a much narrower test. In doing so, it communicates a clear message to large corporations that arbitration agreements that include class action waivers for the purpose of cheating consumers out of small amounts of money will not be tolerated. This case note will address the significance of the Ninth Circuit's decision and the policy arguments supporting such an approach.
New Judicial Hostility To Arbitration: Federal Preemption, Contract Unconscionability, And Agreements To Arbitrate, The, Steven J. Burton
New Judicial Hostility To Arbitration: Federal Preemption, Contract Unconscionability, And Agreements To Arbitrate, The, Steven J. Burton
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Part I of this Article sketches the basics of arbitration law and practice, and traces the development of the federal policy favoring arbitration, to establish a basis for evaluating contemporary judicial decisions. Part II examines the justification for the policy favoring arbitration and the reasons contracting parties may prefer arbitration. Part III evaluates the reasons courts give for finding arbitration agreements in employment and consumer contexts unconscionable, and therefore, unenforceable. The conclusion is that many courts make many clearly erroneous decisions, including decisions that are unconstitutional because they are preempted.
Parties To International Commercial Arbitration Agreements Beware: Bankruptcy Trumps Supreme Court Precedent Favoring Arbitration Of International Disputes, Lindsay Biesterfeld
Parties To International Commercial Arbitration Agreements Beware: Bankruptcy Trumps Supreme Court Precedent Favoring Arbitration Of International Disputes, Lindsay Biesterfeld
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Phillips v. Congelton (In re White Mountain Mining Co.), presents a heightened version of the conflict between the general policy favoring enforcement of arbitration agreements and the policy favoring resolution of bankruptcy-related claims in the bankruptcy court proceedings as the case involves a dispute over the enforcement of an international agreement to arbitrate a claim that is a "core" bankruptcy proceeding. In Phillips, the Fourth Circuit analyzed the underlying purposes of both the bankruptcy code and the federal arbitration statutes, and resolved the conflicting purposes of the two by giving greater deference to the policy favoring resolution of bankruptcy-related claims …
Pro-Arbitration Policy: Is This What The Parties Really Intended - The Courts' Treatment Of Forum Selection Clauses In Arbitration Agreements, The, Lance Roskens
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In today's global economy, it is not uncommon for parties from different locations to contract together both in commerce and in employment. Especially in the context of employers, one party will often want any and all disputes it has with its employees to be resolved via arbitration in a certain forum. To accomplish this, employers often include a forum selection clause in the arbitration agreement with the future employee. Thus, if and how courts address forum selection clauses is of paramount importance to employers. In Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc. v. Hammer, the 11 th Circuit Court of Appeals were …
On Hostile Ground: Ohio's Notice To Insolvent Insurance Companies With Arbitration Agreements - Bejamin V. Pipoly, Frank C. Koranda Jr.
On Hostile Ground: Ohio's Notice To Insolvent Insurance Companies With Arbitration Agreements - Bejamin V. Pipoly, Frank C. Koranda Jr.
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In Benjamin v. Popoly, the Court of Appeals of Ohio reviewed whether the liquidator of an insolvent insurance company have the power to avoid the enforcement of arbitration agreements. The court held that the broad statutory power conferred to a liquidator permitted them to affirm or disavow any contracts made by the insolvent insurance companies, including any contractual provisions for the arbitration of disputes. The court also expressly overruled prior Ohio case law regarding the status of arbitration agreements in insurance insolvency.
Going Dutch: Should Employees Have To Split The Costs Of Arbitration In Disputes Arising From Mandatory Employment Arbitration Agreements - Morrison V. Circuit City Stores, Inc., John F. Crawford
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Employers often require their employees to sign arbitration agreements as a condition of employment, obligating employees to submit their disputes with employers to binding arbitration. These agreements may include terms, such as cost splitting provisions, that may be advantageous to the employer, but extremely limiting to an employee seeking to enforce her statutory rights. The United States Supreme Court has yet to set out a clear position about whether an employee, by signed agreement, can be required to pay all or part of the arbitration fees and costs when the employee submits a statutory claim to arbitration. Federal district courts …
To Sever Or To Destroy: The Eighth Circuit Allows Invalid Provisions To Be Served From Otherwise Enforceable Arbitration Agreements, Michael K. Daming
To Sever Or To Destroy: The Eighth Circuit Allows Invalid Provisions To Be Served From Otherwise Enforceable Arbitration Agreements, Michael K. Daming
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA") allows for arbitration to be a medium by which parties may settle disputes more expeditiously than litigation. The FAA declares specifically that written agreements to resolve disputes through arbitration are "valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract.,' 2
Arbitration Agreements In Labor And Employment Contracts: Well Within The Reach Of The Faa - Circuit City Stores, Inc. V. Adams, Lisa M. Eaton
Arbitration Agreements In Labor And Employment Contracts: Well Within The Reach Of The Faa - Circuit City Stores, Inc. V. Adams, Lisa M. Eaton
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Despite a series of decisions where the Supreme Court has upheld the use of arbitration in the employment context, the Court has never clearly stated that arbitration agreements contained in employment contracts fall under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). This omission has led to a split in the Circuits as to the scope of the FAA coverage ad exemption provisions. The controversy centers on whether the FAA covers all employment contracts except those of employees who transport people or goods in interstate commerce or whether the FAA exempts all employment contracts.
Paying The Price Of Process: Judicial Regulation Of Consumer Arbitration Agreements, Stephen J. Ware
Paying The Price Of Process: Judicial Regulation Of Consumer Arbitration Agreements, Stephen J. Ware
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Arbitration clauses now appear in many of the form contracts through which consumers obtain goods, services and credit.' Why do so many businesses that deal with consumers choose arbitration? Relative to litigation, arbitration provides opportunities for a business to save on its dispute-resolution costs. If arbitration does, in fact, lower these costs then arbitration lowers the prices (and interest rates) consumers pay because competition forces businesses to pass their cost-savings on to consumers.
Fallacy Of Duffield V. Robertson And Rosenberg V. Merrill Lynch: The Continuing Viability Of Mandatory Pre-Dispute Title Vii Arbitration Agreements In The Post-Civil Rights Act Of 1991 Era, The, Kristen Decker, William Krizner
Fallacy Of Duffield V. Robertson And Rosenberg V. Merrill Lynch: The Continuing Viability Of Mandatory Pre-Dispute Title Vii Arbitration Agreements In The Post-Civil Rights Act Of 1991 Era, The, Kristen Decker, William Krizner
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Two recent decisions, one in the Ninth Circuit and one in a Massachusetts District Court, have erroneously held that mandatory Title VII pre-dispute arbitration clauses are unenforceable under the Civil Rights Act of 1991.' A statutory construction analysis of the 1991 Civil Rights Act demonstrates that Congress did not intend to abolish the use of such clauses. Instead, Congress intended to support the use of mandatory pre-dispute arbitration as a valid and useful forum for the resolution of disputes arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The purpose of the following Article is twofold. First, this …
Arbitration Agreements: Should A Union Be Allowed To Make Collective Bargaining Agreements That Bind Individuals' Federal Statutory Claims To Arbitration - Brisentine V. Stone & (And) Webster Engineering Corp., Troy Groat
Journal of Dispute Resolution
With the constant increase of employment litigation2 among individuals, unions and companies, the use of arbitration clauses continues to grow each day. While it is clear that arbitration clauses can be beneficial, it is not clear when and in what situations they should be binding, and hence, waive the rights of parties to have their day in court. Against this backdrop, the Brisentine court faced the issue of whether a union, when making a collective bargaining agreement, can bind individual employee's federal statutory rights to arbitration
Arbitration Agreements: Standard Of Review, Interpretation And Who Is Bound - Kenamerican Resources, Inc. V. International Union, United Mine Workers Of America, Shea Welch
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In KenAmerican Resources, Inc. v. International Union, United Mine Workers of America, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that a corporation which did not sign an arbitration agreement entered into by an individual who owned both that company, KenAmerican Resources, Inc., and the company that was clearly bound to the arbitration agreement, Ohio Valley Resources, Inc., was not bound by the arbitration agreement. 2 This was because the agent who signed the agreement, Robert Murray, was not acting on KenAmerican's behalf.3
Physician-Patient Arbitration Agreements: Procedural Safeguards May Not Be Enough - Buraczynski V. Eyring, Jennifer Gillespie
Physician-Patient Arbitration Agreements: Procedural Safeguards May Not Be Enough - Buraczynski V. Eyring, Jennifer Gillespie
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Insurance companies and physicians increasingly are requiring medical malpractice claims to be settled by arbitration.2 As a result, many patients are being presented with a new choice when they enter their doctor's office: Sign an arbitration agreement or forgo treatment with their physician. In Buraczynski v. Eyring, the physician required the patients to sign an arbitration agreement prior to performing medical services for them? The agreement contained provisions designed to ensure that the patient made an informed decision before consenting to the agreement.4 But what if there were no other doctors available if the patient chose not to sign?
Public Policy Exception: A Narrow Exception To Judicial Review Or An Independent Means Of Avoiding Arbitration Agreements - Exxon Corp. V. Baton Rouge Oil And Chemical Workers Union, The, Elizabeth Tenorio
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The Federal Arbitration Act advances a strong desire to encourage parties in labor management disputes to utilize arbitration in lieu of litigation.' For this reason, judicial review of an arbitrator's award is construed narrowly by three specific provisions? In recent years, a public policy exception to this strict standard of review has developed,4 and its use has exploded. This Note discusses the impact of this public policy exception on both arbitration and judicial forums. In addition, this Note highlights the potential for abuse when the exception is not limited and applied with care.
Retroactive Application Of Rule Changes: Arbitration Agreements May Be Circumvented - Nielsen V. Greenwood, Douglas M. Worley
Retroactive Application Of Rule Changes: Arbitration Agreements May Be Circumvented - Nielsen V. Greenwood, Douglas M. Worley
Journal of Dispute Resolution
From early historical jurisprudence, courts have recognized the "timeless and universal human appeal"2 of the presumption against the retroactive application of newly enacted statutes and rules. This principle, as a result, has perpetually been "a solid foundation of American law."3 In Nielsen, however, the court challenged this principle and retroactively applied a National Association of Security Dealer's ("NASD") rule change barring any agreements to arbitrate putative class actions.4 Effectively distinguishing this case from precedent which arrived at a different result, the Nielsen decision remains consistent with relevant precedent and, significantly, does not violate fundamental notions of justice.
Court Lets Go Of The Reins: Runaway Escrow Agent Binds Principals To Arbitration Agreement - 99 Commercial Street, Inc. V. Goldberg, Karen E. Martin
Court Lets Go Of The Reins: Runaway Escrow Agent Binds Principals To Arbitration Agreement - 99 Commercial Street, Inc. V. Goldberg, Karen E. Martin
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Arbitration agreements are a step in the right direction for alternate dispute resolution. Obviously, before a court can grant a motion to compel arbitration pursuant to such an agreement, it must find that both parties are, indeed, bound by that agreement.' Although a traditional contract law analysis is ordinarily used to determine who is bound to a contract containing an arbitration provision, when an escrow agent acting on behalf of one party to a contract binds that party to an agreement to arbitrate, traditional contract law analysis must be altered to take into account the extent of an escrow agent's …
Finding The Parameters: The Scope Of Arbitration Agreements In Medical Service Contracts In California - Pietrelli V. Peacock, Mark Riley Kroeker
Finding The Parameters: The Scope Of Arbitration Agreements In Medical Service Contracts In California - Pietrelli V. Peacock, Mark Riley Kroeker
Journal of Dispute Resolution
There is perhaps no better indicator of the general perception of "crisis" in the American medical system than the lavish attention given President Clinton's health care reform initiatives in the media.2 In the 1970s, the frequency of medical malpractice claims and the cost of malpractice insurance, two sources of this perceived crisis, came into sharp focus.3 Experiencing a decline in profits as a result of increased malpractice litigation, many insurers began refusing to provide coverage or demanding high premium increases.4 This created a problem in malpractice insurance availability to health care providers.5 Health care providers, insurers, and state legislatures responded …
Enforcing International Arbitration Agreements - Marchetto V. Dekalb Genetics Corp., Karen L. Massey
Enforcing International Arbitration Agreements - Marchetto V. Dekalb Genetics Corp., Karen L. Massey
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The importance, magnitude and frequency of international business transactions have necessitated finding an acceptable method of resolving disputes arising from such transactions. Parties to international commercial transactions often come from nations with cultures and legal systems which are greatly diverse.2 Arbitration agreements in international commercial contracts are a preferred manner of resolving disputes.3 Arbitration is a method of providing orderliness and predictability in an area in which it is necessary, but often difficult to achieve.4 In order for the arbitration system to work, courts of law must be willing to relinquish their jurisdiction and allow the arbitration system to resolve …