Law Commons^™

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.

Arbitration Reform: What We Know And What We Need To Know, Peter B. Rutledge

Scholarly Works

The future of commercial arbitration has become a centerpiece of the domestic congressional agenda. According to one estimate, ten different bills introduced in the 110th Congress would chip away at the enforceability of pre-dispute arbitration agreements. By far the most significant bill, the Arbitration Fairness Act, would retroactively invalidate arbitration agreements in all employment, consumer, securities and franchise contracts. An especially vague provision in a prior version of the bill would invalidate agreements involving claims under statutes intended to protect civil rights or designed to regulate transactions between parties of unequal bargaining power. Are these wise moves?

The Circle Of Assent: How "Agreement" Can Save Mandatory Arbitration In Long-Term Care Contracts, Lauren Gaffney

Vanderbilt Law Review

On September 28, 1997, a resident at the Comanche Trail Nursing Center physically attacked his eighty-one-year-old roommate, Tranquilino Mendoza. As a result of the attack, Mr. Mendoza suffered a concussion and brain damage. His daughter claimed that her father was never the same after the attack and filed a lawsuit against the long-term care facility alleging negligence. In 2006, a jury awarded Mr. Mendoza $160 million.

Similarly, on April 26, 2003, a resident of the Heritage House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center allegedly attacked Carolyn Mason, another resident at the same facility. Mrs. Mason suffered a broken hip.6 Like Mr. Mendoza, …

Arbitration After Hall Street V. Mattel: What Happens Next?, Stanley A. Leasure

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Is It The "Real Thing"? How Coke's One-Way Binding Arbitration May Bridge The Divide Between Litigation And Arbitration, Suzette M. Malveaux

Publications

Although the scholarly literature is replete with discussion of the pros and cons of mandatory arbitration and civil litigation, relative to one another, there has been no examination of one-way binding arbitration as a potential bridge between these procedural poles. The goal of this article is to fill that void. One-way binding arbitration requires an employee to use arbitration to resolve workplace disputes, but also gives the employee, but not the employer, the option of rejecting the arbitrator’s decision. In the event the employee is not satisfied with the outcome of arbitration, she can still pursue her claim in court. …