In the wake of AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, the California Supreme Court granted review in three cases involving significant arbitration issues, including key questions about whether the Federal Arbitration Act preempts California law concerning the enforceability of arbitration agreements. My colleagues and I have filed amicus briefs on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: In re American Express Merchants Litigation
Supreme Court Appears Poised To Reject Second Circuit’s Articulation of “Effective Vindication Of Federal Statutory Rights” Defense For Avoiding Class Arbitration Waivers
Posted in Arbitration, U.S. Supreme CourtYesterday, my colleagues and I attended oral arguments before the Supreme Court in American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant, No. 12-133, in which we submitted an amicus brief on behalf of business groups. As readers of the blog know, the issue in American Express is whether plaintiffs may avoid their agreements to arbitrate… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Grants Review in Class Arbitration Case, Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter
Posted in Arbitration, U.S. Supreme CourtTwo years ago, the Supreme Court held “that a party may not be compelled under the [Federal Arbitration Act] to submit to class arbitration unless there is a contractual basis for concluding that the party agreed to do so.” Stolt-Nielsen v. AnimalFeeds International Corp., 130 S. Ct. 1758, 1775 (2010) (emphasis in original). But the… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in American Express Arbitration Case
Posted in Arbitration, U.S. Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court has just granted certiorari in American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant, No. 12-133. Earlier today, my colleague Andy Pincus previewed the issue presented to the Court, which is (in a nutshell) whether plaintiffs may avoid their agreements to arbitrate on an individual rather than class-wide basis by contending that they cannot… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Poised To Decide Whether To Grant Certiorari In Major Arbitration Case (In re American Express)
Posted in Arbitration, U.S. Supreme CourtWhen the Supreme Court convenes for its private conference today, the Justices will consider whether to grant certiorari in a case presenting one of the most significant questions regarding the meaning of the Court’s ruling in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion that remains unresolved in the lower courts. Following the Concepcion decision, opponents of arbitration tried… Continue Reading
Can Plaintiffs Dodge Concepcion By Arguing That They Need Class Actions To Vindicate Federal Statutory Claims?
Posted in Arbitration, U.S. Supreme CourtSince Concepcion, the plaintiffs’ bar has been searching for ways to avoid agreements to arbitrate on an individual basis. Because their efforts have largely failed so far, the new frontrunner is the argument that class procedures are necessary to permit “vindication of federal statutory rights.” Most courts to consider the argument have rejected it, but… Continue Reading
Schnuerle v. Insight Communications: Kentucky Supreme Court Rejects “Vindication of Statutory Rights” Challenge To Agreements To Arbitrate On An Individual Basis
Posted in ArbitrationIn Schnuerle v. Insight Communications (pdf), the Kentucky Supreme Court joins a number of other courts in rejecting a key argument that the plaintiffs’ bar has been making in the wake of AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion (pdf)—that arbitration agreements with class waivers should not be enforced whenever the plaintiff is able to persuade a court that… Continue Reading
Pendergast v. Sprint: Eleventh Circuit Holds That Federal Arbitration Act Preempts State-Law Attacks On Class-Action Waiver In Sprint’s Arbitration Agreement
Posted in ArbitrationSince the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, the Eleventh Circuit has consistently enforced agreements to arbitrate with class waivers. Earlier this week, it did so again in a case involving Sprint’s arbitration agreement in its service contracts. See Pendergast v. Sprint Nextel Corp. (pdf), No. 09-10612 (11th Cir. Aug. 20,… Continue Reading