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Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Law

Using Arbitration To Eliminate Consumer Class Actions: Efficient Business Practice Or Unconscionable Abuse?, Jean R. Sternlight, Elizabeth J. Jensen Apr 2004

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

Law and Contemporary Problems

Companies are increasingly using arbitral class action prohibitions to insulate themselves from class action liability. These prohibitions are detrimental not only to potential class members but to the public at large in that they are preventing the law from being adequately enforced. In essence, by precluding class actions, companies are engaging in "do-it-yourself tort reform," freeing themselves from liability without having to convince legislatures to change the substantive law.


The Uncertain Future Of Mandatory Arbitration Of Statutory Claims In The Unionized Workplace, Erica F. Schohn Apr 2004

The Uncertain Future Of Mandatory Arbitration Of Statutory Claims In The Unionized Workplace, Erica F. Schohn

Law and Contemporary Problems

As arbitration processes have improved over the last ten years, the negative perception of mandatory arbitration provisions that apply to statutory claims has decreased. The case law reflects this change in perception, as courts how allow mandatory arbitration of statutory claims brought by nonunion employees. This article argues that the continued distinction between claims by union and nonunion employees lacks any meaningful justification--that is, that mandatory arbitration of statutory claims is as appropriate, if not more so, in the collective bargaining context as it is in the nonunionized workplace.


The Revocability Of Contract Provisions Controlling Resolution Of Future Disputes Between The Parties, Paul D. Carrington, Paul Y. Castle Apr 2004

The Revocability Of Contract Provisions Controlling Resolution Of Future Disputes Between The Parties, Paul D. Carrington, Paul Y. Castle

Law and Contemporary Problems

The Supreme Court has vastly expanded the applicability of arbitration legislation, making it applicable to many types of contracts to which the application of the revocability doctrine would make better sense. This article corrects the misunderstanding of the policies served by the common law rule and suggests the rule's revival for application to many of the contracts to which the Supreme Court has expanded the application of the Federal Arbitration Act.


Democracy And Dispute Resolution: The Problem Of Arbitration, Richard C. Reuben Apr 2004

Democracy And Dispute Resolution: The Problem Of Arbitration, Richard C. Reuben

Law and Contemporary Problems

This article seeks to bring the submerged issue of arbitration's relationship to democracy to the surface of the mandatory arbitration debate. Its goal is relatively modest: To recognize and articulate the relationship between democracy and arbitration as an issue worth considering, to analyze the democratic character of arbitration and to suggest some implications of this assessment.


The United States Supreme Court's Indecision In Green Tree Financial Corporation V. Bazzle: A Class Act, Michael Oliver Eckard Apr 2004

The United States Supreme Court's Indecision In Green Tree Financial Corporation V. Bazzle: A Class Act, Michael Oliver Eckard

South Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.


Correcting Federalism Mistakes In Statutory Interpretation: The Supreme Court And The Federal Arbitration Act, David S. Schwartz Apr 2004

Correcting Federalism Mistakes In Statutory Interpretation: The Supreme Court And The Federal Arbitration Act, David S. Schwartz

Law and Contemporary Problems

The current judicial treatment of the Federal Arbitration Act is an embarrassment to a Supreme Court whose majority is supposed to be leading a federalism revival, if not a federalism revolution. In 1984, in Southland Corp. v. Keating, the Court held that the FAA is substantive federal law that preempts state laws regulating arbitration agreements. The Court thereby transformed a quaint, 60-year-old procedural statute into "a permanent, unauthorized eviction of state-court power to adjudicate a potentially large class of disputes," as well as an eviction of state lawmaking power over the traditional state domain of contract law. Even worse, Southland …


A Behavioral Analysis Of Private Judging, Christopher R. Drahozal Apr 2004

A Behavioral Analysis Of Private Judging, Christopher R. Drahozal

Law and Contemporary Problems

Businesses cite arbitration as a way to avoid aberrant jury verdicts, implicitly if not explicitly assuming that arbitrators make "better" decisions than juries. By contrast, consumer advocates criticize arbitration as a way for businesses to avoid paying damages to deserving claimants, effectively assuming that juries make better decisions than arbitrators. These conflicting perspectives pose an important question in the debate over predispute arbitration clauses in consumer contracts: How do decisions by arbitrators compare to decisions by juries?


The High Cost Of Mandatory Consumer Arbitration, Mark E. Budnitz Apr 2004

The High Cost Of Mandatory Consumer Arbitration, Mark E. Budnitz

Law and Contemporary Problems

This article critically examines a sampling of arbitration agreements and the rules of the major arbitration service providers and concludes that the cost of arbitration is often prohibitively high, either because consumers simply cannot afford the fees attendant to filing and prosecuting a claim or because the costs of bringing a claim outweigh the benefits of any potential remedies.


Control Over Dispute-System Design And Mandatory Commercial Arbitration, Lisa B. Bingham Apr 2004

Control Over Dispute-System Design And Mandatory Commercial Arbitration, Lisa B. Bingham

Law and Contemporary Problems

This article argues that mandatory arbitration is not itself the problem. The problem is instead that in some instances, one party to the dispute has exclusive control of the design of the dispute-resolution system. Consequently, research on mandatory arbitration should concentrate on who is structuring it, how they structure it, why this is so and how these choices affect dispute outcomes.


“Volunteering” To Arbitrate Through Predispute Arbitration Clauses: The Average Consumer’S Experience, Linda J. Demaine, Deborah R. Hensler Apr 2004

“Volunteering” To Arbitrate Through Predispute Arbitration Clauses: The Average Consumer’S Experience, Linda J. Demaine, Deborah R. Hensler

Law and Contemporary Problems

This article helps build the empirical foundation necessary for an informed debate regarding arbitration clauses in consumer contracts by providing preliminary insight into how businesses' use of these clauses affects consumers' ability to pursue their legal rights. To this end, the article reports the results of a study investigating, in a wide variety of consumer purchases, the frequency with which the average consumer encounters arbitration clauses, the key provisions of these clauses, and the implications of these clauses for consumers who subsequently have disputes with businesses they patronize.


Contracting With Tortfeasors: Mandatory Arbitration Clauses And Personal Injury Claims, Elizabeth G. Thornburg Apr 2004

Contracting With Tortfeasors: Mandatory Arbitration Clauses And Personal Injury Claims, Elizabeth G. Thornburg

Law and Contemporary Problems

This article examines some of the cases in which courts have enforced arbitration clauses in personal injury litigation and considers why courts have reached the outcomes they have. It evaluates the ways that arbitration can disturb the traditional values of procedural justice, contractual fairness and the enforcement of tort-based duties. It suggests changes in the law regarding mandatory arbitration of personal injury claims and explores the extent to which change is possible.


Mediating International Business Disputes, Daniel Q. Posin Jan 2004

Mediating International Business Disputes, Daniel Q. Posin

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

No abstract provided.


Arbitral Law-Making, Thomas E. Carbonneau Jan 2004

Arbitral Law-Making, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Michigan Journal of International Law

Diversity--of a cultural, economic, religious, and political kind—exists not only among nation-states and in the sources and interpretation of international law, but also among the group of commentators who study the interactions of transborder actors and institutions. For example, sociologists interested in the global community seek to identify emerging entities and activities and to elaborate conceptual models that explain the new differentiations within the traditional pattern. Some of them have a mounting interest in the fashioning of transborder commercial justice by international arbitrators and private arbitral institutions. Who are these new players? How did they acquire their mandate? Further, how …


Expected Value Arbitration, Joshua Davis Jan 2004

Expected Value Arbitration, Joshua Davis

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.


Contractual Stipulation For Judicial Review And Discovery In United States-Japan Arbitration Contracts, Norman T. Braslow Jan 2004

Contractual Stipulation For Judicial Review And Discovery In United States-Japan Arbitration Contracts, Norman T. Braslow

Seattle University Law Review

This Article discusses in detail how the arbitration process in both the United States and Japan can very often result in injustice to both parties. Part II describes how limitations on discovery can cause vital information necessary to either prosecute or defend a claim to never appear before the arbitrator. The article then discusses the possibility of including provisions that might ameliorate this problem. Next, this Part examines specific examples of situations where the arbitrators can ignore the civil rules of evidence and admit evidence that would be inadmissible in a court of law. Finally, this Part concludes with a …


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 Jan 2004

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 …


The Collision Of Church And State: A Primer To Beth Din Arbitrarion And The New York Secular Courts, Ginnine Fried Jan 2004

The Collision Of Church And State: A Primer To Beth Din Arbitrarion And The New York Secular Courts, Ginnine Fried

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Comment analyzes the interaction between secular courts and beth din proceedings (arbitration panels made up of specialists in halacha, or Jewish law). Part I examines the reasons why an independent Jewish religious court system is required and utilized despite the existence of a fair and equitable secular court system. It describes the Jewish legal principles involved, and how they impact both Jewish litigants and lawyers. Part II describes the mechanics of transforming a religious tribunal into a legally binding arbitration panel in New York State. Part III discusses the limited grounds upon which a beth din award may be …


Securities Arbitration Awards Of Punitive Damages: Protective Or Expansive Steps For Review - Sawtelle V. Waddell & (And) Reed, Inc., Andrew Kopp Jan 2004

Securities Arbitration Awards Of Punitive Damages: Protective Or Expansive Steps For Review - Sawtelle V. Waddell & (And) Reed, Inc., Andrew Kopp

Journal of Dispute Resolution

An award of punitive damages is often the most significant and detrimental part of an award arising from a judicial or arbitral proceeding. In 1995, the United States Supreme Court resolved a circuit split upholding an arbitral panel's authority to award punitive damages under a securities arbitration agreement. This decision was monumental in establishing arbitral power. However, it left several questions unanswered. For example, which, if any, standards should be applied to such awards? This casenote addresses the reviewability of punitive damages awards arising out of a securities arbitration hearing.