Author: calmediation

Automobiles, Consumers: Buyer’s Arbitration Award Exceeded $100K, And Auto Dealer Gets A “Do-Over” If Not Exactly An Appeal

Dealer Wanted To Go To Three-Arbitrator Panel After Receiving Adverse Arbitration Award, And Everyone Agreed That ADR Arbitral Forum Lacked “Appellate” Rules.  So?       Plenty of arbitration disputes arise from arbitration clauses in auto sales contracts and leases – hence our sidebar category, “Automobiles.”.  Here’s an unusual one, based on fairly common arbitration provisions.  Condon […]

PAGA: Agreement To Arbitrate “Aggrieved Person Status” Under PAGA Does Not Enable Employer To Enforce Arbitration Of Any Portion Of Representative Claim

November 30, 2016 · Arbitration: PAGA

Employer Sought To Distinguish Its Case Based On Specific Language Of Arbitration Clause . . . No Go.      Williams v. Superior Court, 237 Cal.App.4th 642 (2015) recognizes that a representative action waiver of a PAGA claim is ineffective because the PAGA claim is not divisible into separate individual and representative claims.  Because a representative […]

Conflicts: Disqualification Of Conflicted Attorney Does Not Extend To Law Firm Whose Retention Attorney Facilitates And To Whom Attorney Transfers Files

November 29, 2016 · Conflicts

Mediation Of Dispute Between Brothers Drew Our Attention To This Case.      Jogani v. Jogani, B268162 (2/1 11/25/16, mod. 11/28/16) (Chaney, Rothschild, Johnson) (unpublished) is about attorney disqualification and conflicts.  The underlying dispute among the Jogani brothers appears to have been sliding up and down the California courts for fifteen years, involving a number of […]

Settlement Agreements: California Court Won’t Interfere With Texas Judge’s Ruling Allowing Discovery Of Information Subject To Confidentiality Provisions In California Settlement

November 29, 2016 · Settlement Agreements

There Is No Absolute Bar To Discovery Of Information Designated Confidential In A Settlement Agreement.      In 2007, Younan Properties entered into a settlement agreement with its CFO Thompson requiring confidentiality.  Thompson had claimed that Younan Properties had engaged in unfair business practices, and wrongfully discharged him.  In 2014, investors sued Younan Properties for fraud […]

Arbitration/CCP 1281.2: CCA 4/3 Affirms Order Denying Arbitration In Lawsuit Between Law Firm And Ex-Client Because Ex-Client’s Lawsuit Against Another Law Firm Created Possibility Of Conflicting Rulings

November 27, 2016 · Arbitration: Section 1281.2

Key Issue:  Who Is A Third Party Within The Meaning of 1281.2(c)?     Reger v. Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro, LLP, G052352 (4/3 11/22/16) (Aronson, Bedsworth, Ikola) (unpublished) shows how a party with an otherwise valid arbitration clause can be thwarted from arbitrating through the application of Cal. Code Civ. Proc., section 1281.2(c) […]

Arbitration, Enforceability, Consumers: MarketWatch Reports Trump University Could Be Sued In Court Because It Didn’t Have Arbitration Clause With Students

Obama Administration Has Sought Change In Law To Prevent Educational Institutions Getting Federal Funds From Requiring Students To Sign Pre-Dispute Arbitration Clauses.      Jillian Berman reports on July 22, 2016 in MarketWatch that students were able to sue Trump University in the courts because the students were not required to sign pre-dispute arbitration clauses.       […]

Mediation and Arbitration Confidentiality: Acquaint Yourself With The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield If You Are Involved With Data Transfers From The EU To The US

The European Commission Has Deemed The Privacy Shield Framework Adequate To Enable Data Transfers To US Under EU Law.      On July 12, 2016, the European Commission adopted the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.  I am blogging about this because it relates to transfer of data from the EU to the U.S., and this impacts legal matters […]

Recommended Reading: The High Cost Of An Inexpensive Forum: An Empirical Analysis Of Employment Discrimination Claims Heard In Arbitration And Civil Litigation

November 15, 2016 · Reviews

Mark D. Gough’s Study Seeks To Correct For Systematic Differences In Case Characteristics Between Arbitral And Court Forums.      Back on August 19, 2014, I posted about Mark D. Gough’s study of arbitration outcomes arising from his research comparing employment discrimination cases heard in arbitration and civil litigation.  At the time, I couldn’t find his […]

International Arbitration And Confidentiality: What Confidentiality Should One Expect In International Arbitration?

Confidentiality May Seem A Self-Evident Feature Of International Arbitration – In Which Case, You May Be Surprised.      At the 41st Annual IP Conference held in Santa Barbara, I was asked an excellent question yesterday about dealing with confidentiality in international arbitrations.  Unfortunately, this is not a subject about which I had devoted enough thought.  […]

Miscellany: Panel On IP And ADR At 41st Annual IP Institute In Santa Barbara

November 10, 2016 · Miscellaneous

Fellow Mediators Erica Bristol, Phyllis G. Pollack, and I Participated On Panel. Above:  President Roosevelt and party visiting Old Franciscan Mission in Santa Barbara.  1903.  Library of Congress.      On November 10, 2016, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel with fellow mediators Erica Bristol and Phyllis G. Pollack in Santa Barbara.       […]