Month: September 2024

Arbitration, Health Care, Agents: Trial Court Must Reconsider Arbitration Agreements In Light Of Harrod Case

Health Care Cases Continue To Generate Problematic Arbitration Agreements.         The case James Maxwell v. Atria, A168043 (1/1  9/19/24) (Siggins, J.) involves the death of 93-year-old Trudy Maxwell, a resident at Atria Park of San Mateo, who passed away after drinking industrial-strength cleaner mistakenly served by an Atria employee. Trudy's children, including James Maxwell III, […]

Deadlines: 30-Day Deadline To Pay Arbitration Fees Not Violated Where Mistake Was Made By Provider, Not Employer

September 30, 2024 · Arbitration: Deadlines

First Invoice Was Paid By Employee And Marked "Paid" And Employer Timely Paid Second Invoice.         In Anoke v. Twitter, Inc., A168675 (1/5 pub. 9/18/24) (Burns, J.), Sarah Anoke and other employees initiated arbitration against Twitter ("X") for employment-related disputes. Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.97, an employer must pay its share of […]

Delegation, Arbitrability, Third-Party Beneficiary: Ralph’s Wasn’t Third-Party Beneficiary Of Agreement Between Customer And Instacart

Delegation Of Threshold Issue To Arbitrator Must Be Unmistakably Clear.         Mahram used Instacart to purchase groceries and later sued Ralphs (The Kroger Co.) for allegedly raising prices after applying a coupon, claiming violations under false advertising and unfair competition laws. Ralphs moved to compel arbitration based on an agreement between Mahram and Instacart, even […]

Severability: Cal Supreme Court Explains There Is No Bright Line For Severing Unconscionable Provisions

Multiple Unconscionable Provisions Does Not Necessarily Make An Arbitration Agreement Unenforceable.         In Ramirez v. Charter Communications, Inc., No. S273802 (S.Ct. 7/15/24) (Corrigan, J.), Angelica Ramirez, a former employee of Charter Communications, sued the company for employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Charter sought to compel arbitration based on an agreement Ramirez signed during her onboarding. […]