Arbitration

In putative privacy class action Hodges v. Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, involving  Comcast’s privacy and data-collection practices, Comcast moved to compel arbitration based on its subscriber agreement.  The district court denied the motion based on California’s McGill rule, which may invalidate arbitration agreements that purport to waive the right to seek public injunctive relief in any forum.
Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Narrowly Defines “Public Injunctive Relief” in Privacy Case, Limiting Plaintiffs’ Ability to Circumvent Arbitration Agreements.

On April 24, 2019, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Lamps Plus, Inc., et al. v. Varela, addressing the question of whether an ambiguous arbitration agreement can be read to compel class arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16 (2000). Underscoring the controversial nature of this decision, the case was decided by a 5-4 split that included dissenting opinions authored by Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice Roberts, held that contract ambiguity did not suffice to compel class arbitration.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Affirms the Necessity of Express Authorization for Class Arbitration

The American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) now will require businesses seeking to use AAA’s services for consumer arbitrations to submit their arbitration clauses for AAA’s review and approval.  Approved clauses will become part of the AAA’s “Consumer Clause Registry,” which “will contain a list of businesses that have submitted…
Continue Reading American Arbitration Rule Now in Effect

On January 10, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in CompuCredit Corp. et al. v. Wanda Greenwood et al. that the Credit Repair Organizations Act (“CROA”) does not override arbitration clauses in agreements between consumers and credit repair organizations.  The CROA prohibits credit repair organizations (i.e., companies that…

Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Rules CROA Does Not Override Arbitration Clauses