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Full-Text Articles in Law
Arbitration In The Age Of Covid: Examining Arbitration's Move Online, Amy J. Schmitz
Arbitration In The Age Of Covid: Examining Arbitration's Move Online, Amy J. Schmitz
Faculty Publications
Arbitration has been moving online over time with the growth of the Internet and Online Dispute Resolution ("ODR"), which includes use of technology to assist online negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and variations thereof Online Arbitration ("OArb ") is nonetheless a unique subset of ODR because it usually culminates in a final and binding award by a neutral third party that is enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA"). Indeed, I have written about OArb on prior occasions, due to its unique status under the FAA and other arbitration laws. However, OArb was relatively limited until the COVID-19 pandemic sparked the acceleration …
An Important Time For The Future Of Class Action Waivers And The Power Struggle Between Businesses And Consumers, Jack Downing
An Important Time For The Future Of Class Action Waivers And The Power Struggle Between Businesses And Consumers, Jack Downing
Missouri Law Review
This Note discusses the inherent problems that come with arbitration clauses in contracts of adhesion. Further, this Note will address the likelihood of a potential change – through future Supreme Court interpretations of the FAA or new legislation. Something must be done to protect those with inferior bargaining power from being forced, through contracts of adhesion, to give up their right to bring class action lawsuits. If Congress, the Supreme Court, and regulatory agencies maintain the status quo, companies will retain the ability to improperly strip consumers of their rights and their due compensation nationwide.
Symposium Introduction: Beyond The Faa: Arbitration Procedure, Practice, And Policy In Historical Perspective, Carli N. Conklin
Symposium Introduction: Beyond The Faa: Arbitration Procedure, Practice, And Policy In Historical Perspective, Carli N. Conklin
Faculty Publications
The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), enacted in 1925, provides a framework for how we think about arbitration procedure, practice, and policy in the United States today. Yet, the FAA, and the interpretive lens it provides, are relatively new on the horizon, historically speaking
Inetianbor And Green: How Two Payday Loan Disputes Illustrate The Integrality Rule’S Incompatibility With The Faa, Cameron C. Lincoln
Inetianbor And Green: How Two Payday Loan Disputes Illustrate The Integrality Rule’S Incompatibility With The Faa, Cameron C. Lincoln
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The integrality rule is a rule grounded in the analysis of party intent and allows for an arbitration agreement to be vitiated if the selected forum is unavailable and the forum was integral to the agreement. The integrality rule, conceived in 1990, has a short history, and while it is followed by several federal appellate circuits, it is not consistently named or referenced. The Eleventh Circuit applied the rule in Inetianbor v. CashCall, Inc., where the court precluded arbitration due to the integrality rule. This case raises questions of whether the integrality rule contradicts the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), whether …
Do Judicially Created Grounds For Vacating Arbitral Awards Still Exist?: Why Manifest Disregard Of The Law And Public Policy Exceptions Should Be Considered Under Vacatur, Ashley K. Sundquist
Do Judicially Created Grounds For Vacating Arbitral Awards Still Exist?: Why Manifest Disregard Of The Law And Public Policy Exceptions Should Be Considered Under Vacatur, Ashley K. Sundquist
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The Court’s strong language in Hall Street indicated the Court’s intent for the FAA to provide the exclusive grounds for vacating an arbitral award. Therefore, once the Court addresses the circuit split, it will likely hold that judicially created grounds are not an acceptable form of vacatur. However, doing so would cause individuals injustice, in particular where awards manifestly disregard the law and go against public policy. This Note argues that if the Court abolishes judicially created grounds, it should reinterpret the FAA to include manifest disregard of the law and violations to public policy under the exceeded powers exception …
"Horton And The Who": Determining Who Is Affected By The Emerging Statutory Battle Between The Faa And Federal Labor Law, James R. Montgomery
"Horton And The Who": Determining Who Is Affected By The Emerging Statutory Battle Between The Faa And Federal Labor Law, James R. Montgomery
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In the early 20th century, social changes brought about a system designed to protect employees. As part of the American system of labor laws, workers are given certain rights to proceed collectively, to "band together," and to proceed as a unit. Labor laws were first enacted in the United States during a period of Supreme Court jurisprudence that granted a broad array of powers to corporations, in the form of "liberty of contract." Justice Holmes dissented in Lochner v. New York, and planted a seed in his opinion that would later go on to support the idea behind federal labor …
There Has Been A Misconcepcion: The Faa Does Not Foster The Waiver Of Statutory Rights: Reyes V. Liberman Broad, Inc., Joanna L. Byrne
There Has Been A Misconcepcion: The Faa Does Not Foster The Waiver Of Statutory Rights: Reyes V. Liberman Broad, Inc., Joanna L. Byrne
Journal of Dispute Resolution
This paper first discusses the particular facts and proceedings in Reyes. Next, it will discuss the complicated legal landscape that affects the interpretation of class arbitration waivers in California. Then, this paper will analyze the California Court of Appeals' rationale for its holding in Reyes. Next, this paper will construct an argument in favor of allowing employees to maintain bargaining rights in some circumstances, despite the existence of a class arbitration waiver in an employment contract. Finally, this paper will explore outside factors that may affect the Supreme Court of California's ability to render a decision and analyze how the …
Beyond The Self-Execution Analysis: Rationalizing Constitutional, Treaty And Statutory Interpretation In International Commercial Arbitration, S. I. Strong
Faculty Publications
International commercial arbitration has long been considered one of the paradigmatic forms of private international law and has achieved a degree of legitimacy that is virtually unparalleled in the international realm. However, significant questions have recently begun to arise about the device’s public international attributes, stemming largely from a circuit split regarding the nature of the New York Convention, the leading treaty in the field, and Chapter 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act, which helps give effect to the Convention in the United States. Efforts have been made to place the debate about the New York Convention within the context …
Faa Versus The Magnuson - Moss Warranty Act: Which Warrants Precedence, The, Tyler Beckerle
Faa Versus The Magnuson - Moss Warranty Act: Which Warrants Precedence, The, Tyler Beckerle
Journal of Dispute Resolution
These questions have proven to be a formidable foe for the judiciary. Moreover, courts and commentators have been divided as to what answer will produce the best policy. In 2002, the discussion seemed to be headed toward conclusion after the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits found that the FAA should trump the MMWA in the event of statutory conflict. However, with the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Kolev v. Euromotors West/The Auto Gallery, this polarizing issue has once again become a focus in American jurisprudence. While the Ninth Circuit has recently withdrawn Kolev sua sponte, it is doubtful that the Ninth Circuit …
Faa Law, Without The Activism: What If The Bellwether Cases Were Decided By A Truly Conservative Court, Richard C. Reuben
Faa Law, Without The Activism: What If The Bellwether Cases Were Decided By A Truly Conservative Court, Richard C. Reuben
Faculty Publications
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided an extraordinary number of cases under the Federal Arbitration Act in the last half century, a pattern that continues today at the pace of a case or two a year. During this time, Republican presidential candidates have made much political hay out of the Supreme Court, running against the Warren Court’s “liberal activism” by promising to appoint judges who would decide cases more conservatively. In this article, I analyze whether this promise has been fulfilled in the context of the Supreme Court’s FAA jurisprudence by identifying the core principles of judicial conservatism – restraint, …
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 …
De Novo A No No: Contractually Expanded Judicial Review Clauses Do Not Preclude Faa Application In State Court Unless The Parties Make It Intentionally Clear The Faa Does Not Apply In Their Agreement - Raymond James Fin. Servs., Inc. V. Honea, Tom Swoboda
Journal of Dispute Resolution
This Note addresses a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision concerning the issue of contracted appellate review in arbitration agreements. After analyzing the history of enforcement of arbitration agreements between contracting parties in U.S. Supreme Court precedent, this Note will explore the most recent Supreme Court decision regarding when parties may seek judicial review of arbitration awards. The Federal Arbitration Act's (FAA) preemptive effect over state court law will also be addressed, as the Supreme Court was not thoroughly explanatory on the issue. This Note will also evaluate and compare another state court ruling in Pennsylvania on the same judicial review …
Obituary For The Federal Arbitration Act: An Older Cousin To Modern Civil Procedure, An, Imre S. Szalai
Obituary For The Federal Arbitration Act: An Older Cousin To Modern Civil Procedure, An, Imre S. Szalai
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In order to explore the different ways in which the FAA is related to the development of modern civil procedure, this article is divided into four main parts. first, this article discusses how the FAA is related to the Judiciary Act of 1925. Second, this article focuses on the FAA's relationship to the enactment of the Rules Enabling Act and the related adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Third, this article discusses how the Supreme Court's transformation of the doctrine of personal jurisdiction in International Shoe is related to the enactment of the FAA. Fourth, this article discusses …
Irreconcilable Deferences - The Troubled Marriage Of Judicial Review Standards Under The Steelworkers Trilogy And The Federal Arbitration Act, Michael H. Leroy
Irreconcilable Deferences - The Troubled Marriage Of Judicial Review Standards Under The Steelworkers Trilogy And The Federal Arbitration Act, Michael H. Leroy
Journal of Dispute Resolution
To explore the ramifications of this hybrid, labor-employment discrimination award, I ask what standards would a court apply to review an arbitrator's ruling. The Steelworker's Trilogy-three Supreme Court decisions that explain to courts how to review awards under section 301 of the Labor-Management Relations Act-pronounce deferential standards. But until now, individual employment awards have typically been reviewed under section 10 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) or state law equivalents. My research on labor awards and individual employment awards show that courts do not behave the same under these different regimes. They enforce about seventy-two percent of labor awards, but …
Third Circuit Buyers Beware: District Court In Litman Holds Unconscionability Defense Contravened By Federal Arbitration Act, David C. Winters
Third Circuit Buyers Beware: District Court In Litman Holds Unconscionability Defense Contravened By Federal Arbitration Act, David C. Winters
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Without even knowing it, just about everyone has agreed to settle disputes through arbitration and has waived any rights to proceed on a class-wide basis. While many consumers do not read the fine print in the agreements they sign, a variety of companies, from cell phone providers to car dealers, have consumers agree in sales contracts to arbitrate any claims and to waive the ability to proceed with a class action claim. This was the scenario in the case of Litman v. Cellco Partnership, in which a New Jersey federal district court held that the plaintiff cell phone customers could …
Consistent With Inconsistency: The Sixth Circuit Keeps Manifest Disregard After Hall Street, John C. Steffens
Consistent With Inconsistency: The Sixth Circuit Keeps Manifest Disregard After Hall Street, John C. Steffens
Journal of Dispute Resolution
For over half a century, courts have used the doctrine of manifest disregard as a ground for vacating arbitration awards. However, the Supreme Court's ruling in Hall Street Associates. v. Mattel raised questions among lower courts regarding the viability of the doctrine after the Hall Street decision. Today, many lower courts differ in their application of the doctrine. Some courts claim that the Hall Street decision has ended the viability of manifest disregard. Others claim that the doctrine lives on as an interpretation of section 10 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA),5 despite the Supreme Court's ruling in Hall Street.
Faa And The Userra: Pro-Arbitration Policies Can Undermine Federal Protection Of Military Personnel, Laura Bettenhausen
Faa And The Userra: Pro-Arbitration Policies Can Undermine Federal Protection Of Military Personnel, Laura Bettenhausen
Journal of Dispute Resolution
According to the United States Supreme Court, statutory claims may be the subject of an arbitration agreement contained in an individual employment contract. In Garrett v. Circuit City Stores, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit analyzed whether claims brought under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) are subject to arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The applicability of the FAA to employment contracts is an integral part of the analysis in this case. To determine whether arbitration is an appropriate forum for the plaintiff's claim, discussion of both the structure and …
Closing The Door, But Opening A Window: The Supreme Court's Reaffirmation Of Applying The Federal Arbitration Act To The States, Caroline Kornelis
Closing The Door, But Opening A Window: The Supreme Court's Reaffirmation Of Applying The Federal Arbitration Act To The States, Caroline Kornelis
Journal of Dispute Resolution
The instant case reinforces two key Supreme Court cases regarding the enforcement of arbitration agreements, and the requirement that when parties disagree about the validity of a contract which contains an arbitration clause, the dispute should go directly to an arbitrator, and not be determined by a court. While this case adds no new law to the arbitration landscape per se, it does reaffirm the Supreme Court's, as well as Congress's, firm stance on promoting arbitration. At first glance, the opinion seems to be a cut and dry reaffirmation of principles that have been present in Unites States Supreme Court …
Faa Preemption By Choice-Of-Law Provisions: Enforceable Or Unenforceable, Ross Ball
Faa Preemption By Choice-Of-Law Provisions: Enforceable Or Unenforceable, Ross Ball
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Generally, choice-of-law provisions allow corporations that do business in several states or countries to draft their agreements and conduct their business in accordance with the law they choose. When the choice-of-law provision is contained in a contract that does not have an agreement to arbitrate, courts generally have no qualms about enforcing them. However, when the contract does contain an agreement to arbitrate, courts are reluctant to enforce the choice-of-law provision as to the arbitration agreement because the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) governs arbitration agreements. This issue has been the source of much confusion and litigation in the field of …
California's Unique Approach To Arbitration: Why This Road Less Traveled Will Make All The Difference On The Issue Of Preemption Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Michael G. Mcguiness, Adam J. Karr
California's Unique Approach To Arbitration: Why This Road Less Traveled Will Make All The Difference On The Issue Of Preemption Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Michael G. Mcguiness, Adam J. Karr
Journal of Dispute Resolution
We begin this article by framing the issue in simple terms. The statute itself is clear. The FAA contains a "savings clause" that provides that arbitration agreements shall be "valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract.", By its terms, the FAA permits courts to refuse to enforce arbitration agreements if the agreement is invalid under state laws that "arose to govern issues concerning the validity, revocability, and enforceability of contracts generally."
Horizontal Uniformity And Vertical Chaos: State Choice Of Law Clauses And Preemption Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Jennifer Trieshmann
Horizontal Uniformity And Vertical Chaos: State Choice Of Law Clauses And Preemption Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Jennifer Trieshmann
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Although the goal of arbitration is speedy and efficient resolution of disputes, these goals may be frustrated by judicial interpretation of choice of law provisions in commercial agreements. There is uncertainty as to the law that a court will apply in deciding a motion to stay or otherwise interfere with an arbitration. There is further uncertainty surrounding whether the law governing arbitration is the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), the arbitration law of the state where the arbitration is taking place, or that of the state mentioned in a choice of law clause. The federal courts have adopted conflicting standards so …
Is State Law Looking For Trouble: The Federal Arbitration Act Flexes Its Preemptive Muscle, Robert Hollis, Sarah E. Kerner, Alexa Irene Pearson, Ryan G. Vacca
Is State Law Looking For Trouble: The Federal Arbitration Act Flexes Its Preemptive Muscle, Robert Hollis, Sarah E. Kerner, Alexa Irene Pearson, Ryan G. Vacca
Journal of Dispute Resolution
This article begins with an overview of the preemption concept as it affects the American legal system. The source of preemption power is revealed and the most common forms of preemption are introduced. Next, the article discusses preemption and its interaction with the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The discussion begins with a chronological view of the cases that have defined the effects the FAA has on arbitration agreements via its preemption power and ends with a summary of the current state of the law.
First Options, Consent To Arbitration, And The Demise Of Separability: Restoring Access To Justice For Contracts With Arbitration Provisions, Richard C. Reuben
First Options, Consent To Arbitration, And The Demise Of Separability: Restoring Access To Justice For Contracts With Arbitration Provisions, Richard C. Reuben
Faculty Publications
This article describes the context and current state of the law in this area under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), urges the Court to continue its path toward actual consent to arbitration, and suggests an approach for finally reconciling the tension between Prima Paint and First Options. Part II describes the nature and historical context of the arbitrability problem. Part III focuses specifically on the doctrine of separability, which is the most critical (and most complex) of these exceptions. Part IV discusses the impact on separability of recent U.S. Supreme Court case law, especially the 1995 decision in First Options …
Are All Contracts Of Employment Exempt From The Provisions Of The Federal Arbitration Act - The Supreme Court Settles The Matter, B. Matthew Struble
Are All Contracts Of Employment Exempt From The Provisions Of The Federal Arbitration Act - The Supreme Court Settles The Matter, B. Matthew Struble
Missouri Law Review
Congress enacted the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) in 1925 to reverse the longstanding hostility of courts toward agreements to arbitrate and to make such agreements specifically enforceable. Section 1 of the FAA exempts the employment contracts of “seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce” from the Act’s coverage. The breadth of that exemption has been an issue with the courts of appeals for the past six decades, with the overwhelming majority of courts holding that Section 1 exempts only the contracts of employment of transportation workers form the FAA. In Craft v. …
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.
Faa Pre-Emption: When Should Conflicting State Law Be Pre-Empted By The Faa - Weston Securities Corp. V. Aykanian, Suzanne H. Johnson
Faa Pre-Emption: When Should Conflicting State Law Be Pre-Empted By The Faa - Weston Securities Corp. V. Aykanian, Suzanne H. Johnson
Journal of Dispute Resolution
Since the creation of the F.A.A., courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have considered whether the F.A.A. pre-empts conflicting state law. Although courts generally find that the F.A.A. pre-empts state substantive and procedural law when it stands as an obstacle to Congress' goal of enforcing arbitration,5 the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, in Weston Securities Corp. v. Aykanian, made its own determination on this issue, since it was a case of first impression for the court. The court faced the question of whether a Massachusetts procedural rule, which did not allow an immediate appeal from an order to arbitrate, was …