Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

A Review Of Nevada Patron Dispute Decisions, Mark Lerner, Emily Cunningham

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Realizing Dispute Resolution: Meeting The Challenges Of Legal Realism Through Mediation, Robert Rubinson

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Washoe Cty. Sch. Dist. V. White, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 43 (June 29, 2017), Margarita Elias

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Kara White (“White”) was terminated from her role as elementary school principal after the school district’s decision to terminate her was affirmed in an arbitration hearing. White filed a motion to vacate the award in district court. The district court granted White’s motion, holding that (1) the arbitrator exceeded his authority, (2) the arbitrator manifestly disregarded NRS 391.3116, and (3) the award was arbitrary and capricious. The school district appealed to the Supreme Court of Nevada, which reversed the district court’s ruling.

Notes From A Quiet Corner: User Concerns About Reinsurance Arbitration – And Attendant Lessons For Selection Of Dispute Resolution Forums And Methods, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Arbitration between insurers and reinsurers – those who insure insurance companies – should logically run as smoothly as any arbitration process. Like the traditional commercial arbitration that drove enactment of the Federal Arbitration Act, reinsurance arbitration involves experienced actors in a confined industry in which the parties should be constructively aware of the rules, norms, customs and practices of the industry. But in spite of this, reinsurance arbitration experiences consistent problems of which the participants complain. This article reviews the complaints and exams possible solutions – including the possibility of arbitrating less and litigating more. Although these possible solutions would …

Trial And Error: Legislating Adr For Medical Malpractice Reform, Lydia Nussbaum

Scholarly Works

The U.S. healthcare system has a problem: hundreds of thousands of people die each year, and over a million are injured, by medical mistakes that could have been avoided. Furthermore, over ninety percent of these patients and their families never learn of the errors or receive redress. This problem persists, despite myriad reforms to the medical malpractice system, because of lawmakers' dominant focus on reducing providers' liability insurance costs. Reform objectives are beginning to change, however, and the vehicle for implementing these changes is alternative dispute resolution ("ADR"). Historically, legislatures deployed ADR to curb malpractice litigation and restrict patients' access …

The Three Phases Of The Supreme Court’S Arbitration Jurisprudence: Empowering The Already-Empowered, Martin H. Malin

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Magistrate Judges, Settlement, And Procedural Justice, Nancy A. Welsh

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Principal Investments V. Harrison, 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 2 (Jan. 14, 2016), Katherine Maher

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held unless the arbitration agreement commits the question to the arbitrator with “clear and unmistakable” language, a litigation-conduct waiver is presumptively for the court to decide because it is a waiver based on active litigation in court. Thus, the district court judge in this case did not err in addressing whether the moving party waived its right to arbitrate, instead of referring the question to the arbitrator.

Decriminalizing Violence: A Critique Of Restorative Justice And Proposal For Diversionary Mediation, M. Eve Hanan

Scholarly Works

In this article, Professor Hanan explores the issues surrounding reforms to the criminal justice system, juveniles, and conflict resolution. She asserts that enthusiasm for restorative justice as the best method of out-of-court dispute resolution in criminal cases should be tempered in favor of mediation, which is neutral because it does not assume that the accused is guilty and that "healing" or repair is warranted. Because decriminalization is not complete and the state retains jurisdiction, Professor Hanan argues for a neutral mediation program, which should (1) function to reduce overall contact with the criminal courts and (2) include procedural safeguards in …

Hurrah For The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Consumer Arbitration As A Poster Child For Regulation, Jean R. Sternlight

Scholarly Works

Drawing on economic, psychological and philosophical considerations, this Essay considers whether consumers should be "free" to "agree" to contractually trade their opportunity to litigate in a class action for the opportunity to bring an arbitration claim against a company. The Essay suggests that by looking at the CFPB's regulation through these three lenses, one sees that the regulation is desirable—even a poster child—for the potential value of regulation when market forces are not sufficient to protect individual or public interests.

Helfstein V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 91 (Dec. 3, 2015), Heather Caliguire

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Nevada Supreme Court determined that the six-month deadline to set aside a voluntary dismissal or settlement agreement found within NRCP 60(b) could not be extended, despite an allegation of fraud.

Tallman V. Eight Judicial District Court, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 60673 (Sep. 24, 2015), Marta Kurshumova

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held that an employment arbitration agreement, which contains a clause waiving the right to initiate or participate in class actions, constitutes a valid contract, even though it is not signed by the employer. The Court further determined that the Federal Arbitration Act applies to all transactions involving commerce and does not conflict with the National Labor Relations Act, which permits and requires arbitration. Finally, the Court found that a party does not automatically waive its contractual rights to arbitration by removing an action to federal court.

Mika V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 71 (Sep. 24, 2015), Kory Koerperich

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The court denied extraordinary writ relief from the district court’s decision to compel arbitration between Petitioners and their employer based on a long-form arbitration agreement signed only by the Petitioners, and federal law favoring arbitration agreements.

Saltman Center For Conflict Resolution Tenth Anniversary Honors Nelson Mandela, Jean R. Sternlight

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Making Peace With Your Enemy: Nelson Mandela And His Contributions To Conflict Resolution, Jean R. Sternlight, Andrea Schneider, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Robert Mnookin, Richard Goldstone, Penelope Andrews

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Beyond Fairness: The Place Of Moral Foundations Theory In Mediation And Negotiation, Jonathan M. Hyman

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Disarming Employees: How American Employers Are Using Mandatory Arbitration To Deprive Workers Of Legal Protection, Jean R. Sternlight

Scholarly Works

Employers’ imposition of mandatory arbitration constricts employees’ access to justice. The twenty percent of the American workforce covered by mandatory arbitration clauses file just 2,000 arbitration claims annually, a minuscule number even compared to the small number of employees who litigate claims individually or as part of a class action. Exploring how mandatory arbitration prevents employees from enforcing their rights the Article shows employees covered by mandatory arbitration clauses (1) win far less frequently and far less money than employees who litigate; (2) have a harder time obtaining legal representation; (3) are often precluded from participating in class, collective or …

Book Review: “The Good Lawyer: Seeking Quality In The Practice Of Law”, Linda H. Edwards

Scholarly Works

In their first collaboration, The Happy Lawyer, the writing team of Nancy Levit and Doug Linder tackled a crucially important subject: how to have a happy life in the law. As part of that project, they interviewed more than two hundred lawyers about what makes them happy in their jobs. Levit and Linder noticed that happy lawyers nearly always talked about doing good work. Curious about the connection, the authors turned to recent research in neuroscience and learned, not to their surprise, that a key to a happy life is, indeed, the sense of doing good work. It is …

The Trouble With Categories: What Theory Can Teach Us About The Doctrine-Skills Divide, Linda H. Edwards

Scholarly Works

We might not need another article decrying the doctrine/skills dichotomy. That conversation seems increasingly old and tired. But like it or not, in conversations about the urgent need to reform legal education, the dichotomy’s entailments confront us at every turn. Is there something more to be said? Perhaps surprisingly, yes. We teach our students to examine language carefully, to question received categories, and to understand legal questions in light of their history and theory. Yet when we talk about the doctrine/skills divide, we seem to forget our own instruction.

This article does not exactly take sides in the typical skills …

Summary Of Lytle V. Rosemere Estate Prop. Owners, 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 98, Allison Vitangeli

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined two issues: (1) whether an NRCP 59(e) motion to alter or amend may be properly directed at a post-judgment order or whether that rule is limited to final judgments; and (2) whether NRAP 4(a)(4) tolling applied to the appellants’ NRCP 59(e) motion.

Forced Arbitration Undermines Enforcement Of Federal Laws By Suppressing Consumers' And Employees' Ability To Bring Claims, Jean R. Sternlight

Congressional Testimony

Testimony of Professor Jean R. Sternlight to the Senate Judiciary Committee, arguing for the passage of the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2013.

Summary Of Mcknight Family, Llp V. Adept Mgmt. Services, Inc., Et. Al., 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 64, Whitney E. Short

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined three issues: (1) whether the district court had the authority to dismiss the complaint pursuant to NRS 38.310;2 (2) whether the district court erred in dismissing all seven claims (preliminary/permanent injunction, negligence, breach of contract, violation of NAC 116.300,3 violation of NAC 116.341,4 violation of NRS 116.1113 and 116.3103, and slander of title/wrongful foreclosure/quiet title) subject to NRS 38.310; and (3) whether the district court erred in setting aside the default judgment against Design 3.2.

Summary Of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. V. O’Brien, 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 71, Patrick Opdyke

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined whether a district court order for judicial review of foreclosure mediation and remanding for further mediation is final and appealable, or whether it is not final and not appealable.

Summary Of Sylver V. Regents Bank, N.A., 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 30, Kelli Michelle Devaney

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Consolidated appeals from a district court order confirming an arbitration award and an amended judgment and order of sale, in which the Court considered two issues: (1) whether an arbitration awards was obtained through undue means and (2) whether the arbitrator’s refusal to void a loan in the underlying dispute constituted a manifest disregard for the law.

Summary Of I. Cox Construction Co. V. Ch2 Investments, 129 Nev. Adv. Op. 14, Katelyn M. Franklin

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court considered I. Cox Construction Company, LLC’s (Cox) appeal from a district court’s order releasing Cox’s mechanic’s lien. Cox challenged the district court’s finding that the lien was untimely as clearly erroneous, arguing (1) the court should not have considered the timeliness of the lien in light of parties’ failure to raise the issue in pleadings; and (2) the district court incorrectly relied on Vaughn Materials v. Meadowvale Homes to find the lien untimely.

Pre-Dispute Binding Arbitration In Consumer Warranties: The Ninth Circuit Concludes Correctly For All The Wrong Reasons, Aaron K. Haar

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

What's Left To Remedy Wage Theft? How Arbitration Mandates That Bar Class Actions Impact Low-Wage Workers, Nantiya Ruan

Scholarly Works

For low-wage workers who suffer “wage theft” – employers illegally withholding portions of their wages – the dollars missing from their paychecks violate existing law and significantly impact the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Despite this dire societal problem, the Supreme Court continues “closing the courtroom doors” in two ways: allowing employers to force workers out of court and into private arbitration; and prohibiting aggregate claims. Such trends, in combination, silence wage theft, leaving many claims unheard while unscrupulous employers gain direct advantage.

This Article explains how various procedural rulings have combined to prevent meaningful redress for wage theft. …

Live Free Or Regulate: Considering A, B And Their Dispute Resolution Clause Regarding Blackacre, Jean R. Sternlight

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Adr's Place In Foreclosure: Remedying The Flaws Of A Securitized Housing Market, Lydia Nussbaum

Scholarly Works

Millions of Americans lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis, an unprecedented disaster still plaguing local and national economies. A primary factor contributing to the crisis has been the failure of conventional foreclosure procedures to account for the new realities of securitization and the secondary mortgage market, which transformed the traditional borrower-lender relationship. To compensate for the shortcomings of conventional foreclosure procedures and stem the tide of residential foreclosure, state and local governments turned to ADR processes for a solution. Some foreclosure ADR programs, however, have greater potential to avoid foreclosures than others. This Article comprehensively examines the key components …

Summary Of Jones V. Suntrust Mortgage, Inc., 128 Nev. Adv. Op. 18, Rami Hernandez

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

An appeal from a district court order denying judicial review in a foreclosure mediation matter.