Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Defining Arbitration, Jill I. Gross

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not define the term “arbitration,” the very process the one-hundred-year-old statute was enacted to promote. The absence of a definition has led to courts’ inconsistent and unpredictable application of the FAA’s regulatory benefits to agreements to resolve disputes in processes other than traditional, binding arbitration, such as appraisal, evaluation, and mediation. Additionally, with no clear definition as guidance, companies have inserted arbitration clauses into adhesive consumer and employment agreements that require “arbitration” of disputes but designate a process lacking hallmarks of due process. The Supreme Court even justified enforcing class action waivers in arbitration …

Promise And Pitfalls Of Ai In Mass Arbitration, Amy J. Schmitz

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Mass arbitration has emerged as a strategic response to arbitration clauses that preclude class actions, allowing large numbers of claimants to bring individual arbitration demands against companies for similar grievances. Unlike class actions where a lead claimant represents others, mass arbitration requires each claimant’s active participation in separate proceedings, creating significant administrative burdens and costs. Following a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that solidified mandatory individual arbitration clauses, consumers and employees increasingly turned to mass arbitration filings. While the American Arbitration Association’s rule updates aimed to improve efficiency through measures like one-time initiation fees and process arbitrators, challenges remain in managing …

Designing A Victims’ Compensation System Amidst California’S Insurance Crisis: The Aftermath Of The 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires, Federica Simonelli

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Commentary will explore critical aspects necessary for creating victims’ compensation mechanisms capable of handling claims stemming from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires from a theoretical perspective. Drawing from the successful examples of the 2020 PG&E Fire Victim Trust, the 2023 Maui Wildfires compensation schemes, and other forms of dispute resolution (such as mediation), this Commentary will demonstrate that the challenging fallouts of environmental disasters pose increased challenges and necessitate unique dispute system design to better respond to the need for fair and equitable solutions. These systems increasingly rely on settlement funds tailored to claimants’ specific needs and have proven …

The U.S. Supreme Court Decision In Smith V. Spizzirri: An Analysis Of Its Impact On Enforcing International Arbitration Agreements And Awards Falling Under The New York Convention In The United States, Charles E. Woode

Buffalo Law Review

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. courts’ role in the interpretation, enforcement, and confirmation of international arbitration agreements and awards under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and the New York Convention. It delves into the intricacies of FAA Chapters 1 and 2, which govern domestic and international arbitration respectively, and their interplay in shaping the arbitration landscape in the United States. Initially, this article addresses the significant circuit split regarding 9 U.S.C. § 3, which required clarification by the United States Supreme Court in Smith v. Spizzirri. The Court’s decision provided much-needed clarity on whether a district …

Restorative Justice In Legal Education, Lindsey Pointer, Aparna Polavarapu, Alanna Ojibway

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Volume 48 Masthead, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Volume 48 Masthead

Defining Arbitration, Jill I. Gross

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not define the term “arbitration,” the very process the one-hundred-year-old statute was enacted to promote. The absence of a definition has led to courts' inconsistent and unpredictable application of the FAA's regulatory benefits to agreements to resolve disputes in processes other than traditional, binding arbitration, such as appraisal, evaluation, and mediation. Additionally, with no clear definition as guidance, companies have inserted arbitration clauses into adhesive consumer and employment agreements that require “arbitration” of disputes but designate a process lacking hallmarks of due process. The Supreme Court even justified enforcing class action waivers in arbitration …

Dispute System Counter-Design, Andrew B. Mamo

FIU Law Review

This article introduces the concept of “counter-design” as a practice of challenging and reimagining dispute resolution systems from the ground up and from the inside out. Counter-design provides a critical response to traditional Dispute System Design (DSD) by positing that designs necessarily privilege certain perspectives and interests over others, even when designers follow best practices and ethical principles. Through practices of counter-design, individuals interact with dispute resolution systems, not merely to seek resolutions within the existing framework, but to actively challenge and reshape these systems from within. This concept underscores the dynamics of power, inclusion, and representation within DSD. Counter-design …

Equitable Obligations And Property In Choice Of Law, Tiong Min Yeo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This chapter argues against the unitary characterisation, for choice of law purposes, of equitable principlesas they apply to claims relating to property as either property or obligation, and that they should be characterised as property or obligation in accordance with the functions of the equitable principles in each instance.

The Position Of The United States Of America Vis-A-Vis The Question Of Western Sahara: Assessing The Role Of Think Tanks In The Conflict, Hamid Baadeche

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

The Position of the United States of America Vis-à-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict

Hamid Baadeche

Think tank organizations, particularly in the United States, have become a prominent feature of the political landscape. They act as advocates for specific policies that they consider beneficial for the country or a particular societal group. They function as a primary source of information, which they then aim to transform into well-informed policies and sound decisions. They are referred to as "the revolving doors," "idea brokers," and "idea factory." As such, their foremost objective …

Asking The Right Questions About Legal Finance In United States Aggregate Dispute Resolution, J. Maria Glover

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Third-party legal finance is one of the most controversial modern developments in civil justice, both in the United States and across the globe. It is particularly controversial when mentioned in the same breath as aggregate litigation. Current debate trains on a series of repeated questions: whether and how to ban litigation finance in aggregate litigation; whether the use of litigation finance should be disclosed in discovery; and whether litigation finance is allowed under various (and often ancient) legal doctrines. Obscured from view is what I believe to be the most fundamental question: What is the proper role of litigation finance …

Securities Arbitration Case Law Update 2024–2025 (July 2025), Elissa Germaine, Anthony Rivera

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

This article summarizes recent cases regarding the constitutionality of FINRA and leading arbitration cases that are of particular relevance to securities arbitration practitioners.

Law, Conflict, And Hybrid Warfare: A Teaching Imperative For A Changing World, Cynthia Alkon, Andrea Kupfer Schneider

Faculty Scholarship

Lawyers increasingly find themselves at the frontlines of the battlefield, just not in the traditional sense. Hybrid warfare is a conflict form that combines traditional military offensive measures with nontraditional methods, including the harnessing of legal systems to achieve strategic goals. Lawyers have always been at the frontline of typical legal risk assessment, thinking about a client's risk of liability or regulation costs generally. Now, lawyers must stand at the ready for a lot more: lawyers must be prepared for cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns using artificial intelligence, the use of court systems to suppress reporting or shield bad actors, and so …

"Arbitration In Name Only": A Race Claims Mismatch, Michael Z. Green

Faculty Scholarship

With arbitration's meteoric rise as a tool in resolving statutory employment discrimination matters beginning in the 1990s, concerns about lack of employee bargaining power received little consideration when raised in court challenges to the enforcement of employer-mandated agreements to arbitrate those claims. Only in rare circumstances, when an employer appeared to go to extremes in using its overwhelming bargaining power to implement an arbitration process so clearly unfair would a court find the agreement created an unfair "arbitration in name only" that should not be enforced. 

Employers have become savvier in how they require employees to agree to resolve discrimination …

Scaling 'Reverse Cfius': A Comparative Review Of Outbound Foreign Investment, Hannah Pérez

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines the evolution of U.S. regulations on outbound foreign investments, particularly under Executive Order 14105, known as "Reverse CFIUS," aimed at mitigating national security risks by restricting investments in critical industries in countries like China. It explores the legal, economic, and geopolitical implications of these regulations and compares them with similar measures in the EU, Japan, and Australia, emphasizing the need for international cooperation to effectively address these security concerns.

Duped: The Implications Of The Proliferaiton Of Superfake Luxury Goods And What Consumers May Not Have Considered, Riann Colbert

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The proliferation of "Superfake" luxury goods, which are high-quality counterfeit items nearly indistinguishable from authentic products, poses significant challenges to trademark law, consumer protection, and the broader economy. These items, often sold through e-commerce platforms, not only undermine legitimate businesses but also expose consumers to health risks, support organized crime, and perpetuate environmental harm. The note advocates for enhanced legal frameworks and consumer education to mitigate these issues.

Healing An Unimaginable Loss: How Social Media Platforms Can Help Bereaved Parents Through Adr, Molly Baraban

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will argue that Alternative Dispute Resolution ("ADR") can successfully be utilized to mediate disputes between parents and social media platforms to facilitate account access in certain instances where a minor child has passed away in a manner that warrants answers. This Note will argue that the rise in mediation being used to resolve probate issues and reform of arbitration use amongst social media platforms, coupled with the continued increase of minors using social media, indicates opportunities for settlements between parents and platforms. This Note will then propose a multi-tiered approach, that would first utilize a conciliator who is …

Three-Stripe Life: How Adidas Can Act As A Model In Trademark Disputes By Promoting Internal Alternative Dispute Resolutions, Adam Gaudet

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will propose that large brands with broad trademarks develop internal strategies and departments which facilitate preemptive mediation and negotiations with smaller designers, ultimately deescalating disputes before any formal legal issues arise. These negotiations and mediations could lead to brand collaborations and new business ventures, could persuade smaller brands to stop their intellectual property infringement, and, in the least ideal situation, lead to a lawsuit. The strategies outlined in this Note, while focused on Adidas, can be applied by other fashion companies as well, as large brands often own many broad trademarks that small businesses might accidentally use. Businesses …

Having Fun Is Not As Hard When You Have An Arbitration Clause: The Current Benefits And Possible Changes To The Arbitration Agreements Of Amusement Parks And Recreational Resorts For Consumers, Cynthia Spitzer

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will evaluate options that are more favorable for consumers to bring their injury claims against amusement parks and recreational resorts when the route for resolution is limited by an agreement. For instance, the option of an arbitration agreement would be more preferable when faced with only the option of a liability waiver. However, with possible future changes of consumer contracts from the FAIR Act, opt-in provision, or mandatory arbitration imposed on the corporations, the route for resolution can drastically change and improve the realm of possibility for consumers of amusement parks and recreational resorts.

How To Beat The Nfl’S Best Defense: Attacking The Mass Arbitration Phenomenon With Class Arbitration, Thomas Riley

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

During his seventeen-year tenure as Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), Roger Goodell never testified at trial. However, that changed when a class of plaintiffs sued the NFL for antitrust violations, alleging the League artificially inflated the cost of its viewership package—NFL Sunday Ticket—and thereby harmed consumers. NFL Sunday Ticket is described as a “premium sports package” that allows fans to watch out-of-market games they otherwise would not be able to view in their current market. This David and Goliath moment was a chance to discipline the pricing of one of the most popular television products in the United …