Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Is Binding Arbitration A Form Of Adr: An Argument That The Term Adr Has Begun To Outlive Its Usefulness, Jean R. Sternlight

Journal of Dispute Resolution

While the semantic question may be uninteresting, I suggest that it is useful to ask the normative question of how we should categorize binding arbitration.'7 Again, there may be no clear "right" answer. Nevertheless, addressing the question of the appropriate categorization of binding arbitration provides a good means for rethinking the nature of binding arbitration, what we mean by ADR, and how the variety of dispute resolution techniques typically grouped together as ADR relate to litigation. Artificially grouping these disparate processes together under the "ADR" umbrella is beginning to prove problematic. While we may continue to use the phrase in …

Consensual Approaches To Resolving Public Policy Disputes, Brett A. Williams

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Comment will explore various consensual approaches and their application to public disputes. Specifically, unassisted and assisted negotiation will be examined in detail.9 In addition, the specific application of consensual approaches will be explored in the context of public environmental disputes.'0 Finally, the issue of alternative resolution to public disputes at the federal administrative level will be examined.

Search To Clarify An Elusive Standard: What Relationships Between Arbitrator And Party Demonstrate Evident Partiality - Anr Coal Co. V. Cogentrix Of North Carolina, Inc., The, Jennifer C. Bailey

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In Commonwealth Coatings Corp. v. Continental Casualty Co.,3 the Supreme Court adopted a standard to determine and define an arbitrator's evident partiality in arbitration proceedings. Lower courts have relied on the Court's treatment of the issue, but this reliance has proved problematic, and led to both federal and state courts adopting inconsistent standards of evident partiality. This Casenote will examine the problems of Commonwealth, its impact on the standards of arbitrator partiality over the past thirty years, its continuing influence on the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in ANR Coal Co. v. Cogentrix of North Carolina, Inc., and …

Appeals From Arbitration Orders Under The Federal Arbitration Act: Pro-Arbitration Policy Clashes With The Right To Appeal Final Decisions - Randolph V. Green Tree Financial Corp., Sarah Baxter

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Some circuits have also taken the position that when a court rules on an arbitration order in an embedded proceeding and dismisses the remaining claims in the action, those decisions are also not final or appealable. Other circuits, however, have taken the view that when a court rules on an arbitration order and dismisses the remaining claims in an action, such a decision is final and appealable. A decision on an arbitration order in an independent action is a final decision. This Note explores the circuit split over the issue of whether orders compelling arbitration in embedded proceedings may be …

Role Of Federal Courts In Assisting International Arbitration - National Broadcasting Co. V. Bear Stearns & (And) Co., The, Thurston K. Cromwell

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Note examines a Second Circuit decision that determined private, international arbitration proceedings do not qualify for the same discovery assistance as do foreign, governmental proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782 ("§ 1782"). This Note will focus on the Second Circuit's controversial interpretation of § 1782 and its impact on the future of private, international arbitration.

Title Page

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Arbitration Agreements Between Employers And Employees: The Sixth Circuit Says The Eeoc Is Not Bound - Eeoc V. Frank's Nursery & (And) Crafts, Inc., Earl D. Kraus

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In Frank's Nursery, however, the EEOC pursued court action against an employer that included monetary relief for the employee even though there was an individual arbitration agreement between the employer and employee.5 Should the arbitration agreement restrict the EEOC from bringing such action? Currently, there is a split in the circuits on this issue. According to the Sixth Circuit in Frank's Nursery, the EEOC is not bound by the arbitration agreement and, therefore, can pursue court action against the employer that includes monetary relief on behalf of the employee.6 The Second Circuit, however, has not allowed the EEOC to pursue …

Federalism Versus The Greater Good ... Should Powerful Franchisors Be Allowed To Contract For The Home Court Advantage Through Forum Selection Clauses - Kkw Enterprises, Inc. V. Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp., Nathan E. Ross

Journal of Dispute Resolution

When Congress condified the Federal Arbitration Act (F.A.A.), it sought to make arbitration a viable alternative to tradition litigation. Since the enactment of the FAA, the United States Supreme Court has addressed and answered numerous issues regarding the functioning of the FAA. However, the Supreme Court has yet to determine whether the FAA preempts state laws that invalidate forum selection clauses contained in franchise agreements. In Gloria Jean's, the First Circuit Court of Appeals squarely faced this issue and held that the FAA preempts state laws that attempt to negate the terms contained in a forum selection provision of a …

Court Issues Major Ruling On Mediation Confidentiality, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

A prominent federal court judge has issued an important ruling on mediation confidentiality, one that promises to influence both doctrinal and legislative development.

The case is Olan v Congress Mortgage Co., 1999 WL 909731 (N.D.Cal.), and in it, federal Magistrate Judge Wayne Brazil ultimately compels testimony by a California mediator, despite California's categorical exclusion of evidence arising from mediations. The lengthy opinion is most scholarly, and well worth taking the time to read.

Major Step Forward: Proposed Uniform Mediation Act Goes Public For Comments, Richard C. Reuben, Nancy H. Rogers

Faculty Publications

The move toward a simplified and uniform law for mediation takes an important step forward this summer, with the release of the first integrated draft of the proposed Uniform Mediation Act. The act is being drafted by cooperating committees of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. If enacted and adopted uniformly, it would replace the hundreds of pages of complex and often conflicting statutes across the country with a few short pages of simple, accessible, and helpful rules.

Use Of Mediation In Employment Discrimination Cases, The, Matt A. Mayer

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Article will address the issues noted above. Part II discusses the realities for employers and employees created by the increased filing of employment discrimination claims. Part III encapsulates the procedural movement of a claim through the EEOC. Part IV summarizes the mediation process and notes why mediation is one of the methods used to deal with these claims. Part V highlights the pros and cons associated with the mediation of employment discrimination claims. Part VI discusses the inherent tensions between the goals of mediation and the goals of the anti-discrimination laws, as well as the inherent tensions that naturally …

Non-Union Member Complaints To Calculation Of Agency Shop Fees: Arbitration Or Judicial Relief - Air Line Pilots Ass'n V. Miller, Ann E. Ahrens

Journal of Dispute Resolution

"Free rider" problems plague any group or association that provides general benefits for its participants. Members may pay a fee, but nonmembers can reap the benefits without expenditure. Labor unions address this disparity through the use of agency shop fees contained in collective bargaining agreements. These fee agreements call for those employees who choose not to join the union to pay their share of the costs of collective bargaining. Labor unions have developed extensive mechanisms in order to calculate the amount of the fee. Employees, who do not want to subsidize activities they do not support, can file complaints with …

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 …

Federal Court Positively Adopts A Federal Common Law Testimonial Privilege For Mediation: Is It Justified - Folb V. Motion Picture Industry Pension & (And) Health Plans, Ryan D. O'Dell

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Mediation is a popular means of alternative dispute resolution that has proliferated in recent years. Virtually every state has adopted some form of testimonial privilege to protect the confidentiality of private parties participating in mediation. The federal courts, however, have never adopted a mediation privilege protecting the confidentiality of mediation between private parties in federal court. Federal courts have relied on other evidentiary, procedural and contractual protections to ensure that communications articulated during mediation will not be used for purposes outside mediation proceedings. Finding these protections inadequate to insulate parties in private mediation proceedings from third party discovery, the United …

On Teaching Mediation, Edwin H. Greenebaum

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In this article, I will delineate the issues and explore the implications of resolving them in different ways. Part I develops a taxonomy of variations in models of mediation. In Part II, I analyze choices and constraints in course design. In Part III, I specify the choices I have made in structuring my own course in mediation. I will relate those choices to the context of my school, to my students' backgrounds and interests, and to my competencies and goals. The initial version of this paper was written for my students to read as they entered my course. Pedagogically, the …

Recent Developments: The Uniform Arbitration Act, Jamie K. Hunt, Ashley E. Ratcliffe, Jeffrey B. Williams, Kimberly Yates

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Article is an overview of recent court decisions that interpret state versions of the Uniform Arbitration Act ("U.A.A.").' Arbitration statutes patterned after the U.A.A. have been adopted by thirty-four states and the District of Columbia. The goal of this project is to promote uniformity in the interpretation of the U.A.A. by articulating the underlying policies and rationales of recent court decisions interpreting the U.A.A.

Title Page

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Issue 2

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Bankruptcy Mediation, William J. Woodward Jr.

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Article aims to do several things. First, it will briefly describe a court sponsored mediation program developed several years ago by the court and bankruptcy bar in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The program depended on trained mediators who did their work on court-selected bankruptcy matters on a pro bono basis. Partly because of its "cost-free" nature, the program created a need for periodic evaluation to ensure the court and bar that it was delivering positive results without inflicting undesirable hidden costs on the participants or the local bankruptcy system as a whole.6

Ada Mediation After Sutton, Murphy And Albertson, James Levin

Faculty Publications

Judith Cohen's summary of the Interim ADA Mediation Standards in the last issue of The Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Employment acknowledges the "skyrocketing" number of cases mediated under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The United States Supreme Court's recent opinions in Sutton v. United Airlines, Inc., Murphy v. United Parcel Service, Inc., and Albertson, Inc. v. Kirkingberg surprised many in the disability community by explicitly excluding an individual from ADA coverage if she mitigates her mental or physical impairment and the impairment as mitigated no longer substantially limits a major life activity. Will the Supreme Court's narrowing …

Exceptional Circumstances Justifying Vacatur When Lower Court Decision Mooted By Settlement: Repeat Litigants Slide Into Home With Second Circuit Decision - Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. V. Pacific Trading Cards, Inc., S. Kristina Starke

Journal of Dispute Resolution

At heart in the scholarship advocating Alternative Dispute Resolution are two interests: one, that using processes such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration conserve public and private resources otherwise expended on litigation; and two, that in certain circumstances, these alternative processes may provide better justice than would occur in litigation.' However, once litigation of a case has commenced, and an adverse judgment has been made against one party, that party may not be willing to settle the case unless the adverse judgement is vacated.4 Historically, most state and federal courts would routinely grant vacatur when requested by litigants who settled their …

Table Of Contents - Issue 1

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Collective Bargaining Agreements, Arbitration Provisions And Employment Discrimination Claims: Compulsory Arbitration Or Judicial Remedy - Johnson V. Bodine Electric Co., Ann E. Ahrens

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This casenote addresses the effect of mandatory arbitration provisions in collective bargaining agreements (CBA) upon statutory anti-discrimination claims. Disputes in this area arise when an employee joins a union, thus becoming subject to a CBA negotiated between the union and the employees. What often happens is that the CBA will generally contain a clause calling for arbitration of all claims arising under the agreement. Later, if the employee believes he has been subjected to discriminatory practices on the part of the employer and seeks remedies under anti-discrimination laws, such as Title VII, the employer will move to compel arbitration. The …

Does Title Vii Preclude Enforcement Of Compulsory Arbitration Agreements - The Ninth Circuit Says Yes - Duffield V. Robertson Stephens & (And) Co., Ryan D. O'Dell

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This casenote examines a Ninth Circuit decision that considered the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 on the unsettled question of whether Title VII precludes employers from requiring prospective employees, as a mandatory condition of employment, to foreclose their right to bring Title VII claims in federal court. The Ninth Circuit construct the 1991 Act to preclude enforcement of individual employment agreements that require employees to arbitrate statutory claims brought under Title VII. The holding of this case establishes a controversial precedent because it is inconsistent with a seminal Supreme Court decision, the FAA mandate and other recent …

Federal Mediation Privilege: Should Mediation Communications Be Protected From Subsequent Civil & (And) Criminal Proceedings - In Re: Grand Jury Subpoena Dated December 17, 1996, Joshua J. Englebart

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Note examines the decision of the Fifth Circuit to deny the existence of a federal mediation privilege when parties moved to quash a grand jury subpoena that sought mediation records to investigate criminal wrongdoing allegedly committed in the mediation program. This Note will focus on the federal government's refusal to establish a mediation privilege despite the fact that some states have embraced such a privilege.

Nasd Applications Require Arbitration Of Employment Disputes - Mouton V. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Christina S. Young

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Under the Federal Arbitration Act's (FAA) mandate favoring arbitration, numerous statutory claims are subjected to arbitration. For employment disputes falling under Title VII, competing approaches based on whether the employment agreement was a union or a non-union agreement, have been adopted. Union agreements to arbitrate employment disputes are generally not compelled to arbitrate. Conversely, in a non-union employment agreement, the broad arbitration clauses are interpreted to require arbitration of Title VII claims. These inconsistent rules have been applied to the detriment of non-union employees.

Giving Meaning To The Second Generation Of Adr Education: Attorneys' Duty To Learn About Adr And What They Must Learn, Suzanne J. Schmitz

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article explores the need for attorneys to learn about ADR and sets out a basic primer for the second generation of ADR education. Part II of this article details why attorneys have a duty to be educated about ADR. Part IV sets out an ADR primer, with recommended readings, for litigation and transactional attorneys who desire to meet the expectations of the courts and of their clients.

The Right Mix, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

This edition of Dispute Resolution Magazine explores several aspects of the problem. It begins with a debate between Jean Sternlight and Theodore 0. Rogers over the propriety of mandatory predispute arbitration processes in the consumer and employment contexts, followed by a proposal by Terry Trantina for a "constructive compromise" regarding the general validity of arbitration agreements in contracts of adhesion.

This trio of essays is followed by articles on two major arbitration reform efforts. The first, by Thomas J. Stipanowich and J. Clark Kelso, discusses the rise of protocols and other industry standards intended to bring fairness to the arbitratica …

Employment Protection And Domestic Violence: Addressing Abuse In The Labor Grievance Process, Jennifer Atterbury

Journal of Dispute Resolution

The effects of domestic violence are not limited to the home environment. Its effects are felt in employment when abused employees are absent from work and when violent incidents erupt in the workplace. For example, a bruised employee might be too injured and embarrassed to attend work, or an estranged spouse might stalk and harass a victim on the job. Another issue arises in that employers often discipline victims of domestic violence for absenteeism and incidents of violence that occur in the workplace. Discipline of union members is governed by collective bargaining agreements and subject to the labor grievance process. …

Utilitarian Analysis Of The Objectives Of Criminal Plea Negotiation And Negotiation Strategy Choice, Joseph W. Vanover

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article examines the repercussions of choosing a negotiating style for the present criminal case on the actions of opposing counsel in future cases. It scrutinizes the criminal plea negotiating process from the perspective of both a prosecuting attorney and a defense attorney. It analyzes this process using two philosophical theories: act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.