Law Commons^™

The Irony Of Securities Arbitration Today: Why Do Brokerage Firms Need Judicial Protection?, Barbara Black

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

In 1987 the securities industry achieved a major victory. Until then, because of the Supreme Court's 1953 holding in Wilko v. Swan that agreements to arbitrate federal securities claims contained in customer agreements were unenforceable, customers could sue brokerage firms and their salespersons in court, frequently before juries amenable to sizable verdicts, including punitive damages.

Illustrating a classic example of “be careful what you wish for,” brokerage firms no longer find arbitration entirely to their liking. Increasingly they turn to the courts to resist arbitration, to interfere with ongoing arbitration, or to undo the results of arbitration.

Unfortunately, both federal …