Author: calmediation

Automobiles, Nonsignatories: Hyundai Is Unable To Piggback Onto Dealership’s Arbitration Agreement

California Court of Appeal, 3rd District, Disagrees With California Court of Appeal, 3rd District.         A Third District California Court of Appeal panel composed of Justices Renner, Earl, and Hull, disagrees with an earlier Third District panel composed of Justices Hoch, Robie, and Murray. The issue is whether an automobile manufacturer can rely on an […]

PAGA: California Courts Will Now Hold PAGA Plaintiffs Arbitrating Their Claims Have Standing To Litigate Representative Claims Of Others

September 5, 2023 · Uncategorized

The Issue Was Resolved By The California Supreme Court In July 2023, And Lower Courts Are In-Step.         Earlier this year the California Supreme Court addressed the following question: "[W]hether an aggrieved employee who has been compelled to arbitrate claims under PAGA that are 'premised on Labor Code violations actually sustained by' the plaintiff . […]

FAA, Appealability, Discovery: 9th Circuit Holds That Non-Reviewable Order Does Not Become Reviewable When Combined With Reviewable Order Denying Arbitration

Two Orders Combined In One Document Did Not Metamorphose Into Single Appealable Order.   Metamorphosis of butterfly. Wikipedia article "Metamorphosis".         The district court denied a motion to compel arbitration brought by the defendant and denied a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction brought by the defendant based, in part on defendant's claim of […]

Scope, Equitable Estoppel: 9th Circuit Holds Discrimination Claims Were Outside Scope Of Arbitration, And Equitable Estoppel Prevented Bank From Arguing Borrower Couldn’t Opt Out

There Were Two Agreements To Arbitrate And Neither Worked.         Iliana Perez entered into two arbitration agreements: one, with Citibank in 2010 in connection with a student loan, the second, with Discover Bank in 2018, in connection with a consolidation loan for her student loan. She sued Discover Bank after her application for a consolidation […]

FAA, Transportation Workers: Domino’s Pizza Drivers Involved In “Last-Leg” Of Interstate Commerce Are Exempt From Arbitration

Ninth Circuit Explains Drivers Inside California May Be Engaged In Interstate Commerce.         The ingredients for Domino's pizzas are delivered from out-of-state to warehouses in California where they are weighed, redistributed, packaged, and delivered by truck drivers in California to Domino's Pizza franchisees located in California. Do the California drivers qualify as a class of […]

Delegation: Ninth Circuit Concludes That Delegation Clause Is Enforceable, Regardless Of Whether Arbitration Clause Is Found To Be Enforceable

Nesting dolls (Matryoshka dolls). Wikipedia. Published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2, and any subsequent versions.         We can analogize the next case to a nesting doll problem. The delegation clause in an arbitration agreement (Agreement) is a mini-agreement nested in the Agreement. The Agreement is nested in an employment contract, consumer contract, or […]

Arbitration, Scope: 9th Circuit Ruled Amazon Arbitration Agreement With Flex Drivers Did Not Apply To Spying On Drivers On Facebook

Two Judge Majority With Judge Susan P. Graber Concurring And Dissenting.         Amazon Flex Drivers sued Amazon for allegedly spying on them in a closed Facebook group where the drivers discussed employment-related issues when they were not working. A panel of the 9th Circuit held that a 2016 arbitration agreement applied, because the employer seems […]

Arbitration, Deadlines, Prompt Payment, Fees: Plaintiff Successfully Exercises Option To Withdraw From Arbitration Because Defendant Employer Was Tardy Paying Arbitration Fees

Courts Have Been Unforgiving In Interpreting An Unambiguous Statute. See CCP § 1281.98.         "A statute gave Milan Cvejic the option to get out of arbitration if Skyview was tardy in paying its arbitration fees. Skyview was tardy in paying its arbitration fee. Cvejic was entitled to get out." Milan Cvejic v. Skyview Capital, LLC, […]

Nonsignatories: Second Dist., Div. 7 Holds Ford Motor Company Cannot Compel Arbitration Under Dealership Contract

Second District, Div. 7 Sides With Second Dist., Div. 8, Rejects Reasoning In Third District Case.         Rejecting equitable estoppel and third-party beneficiary theories, the Court of Appeal holds that Ford Motor Company cannot piggyback on to the arbitration provision in a dealership contract, and thus Ford is unable to compel arbitration with the buyer […]