Category: Arbitration: Confidentiality

Unable To Apply “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” Retroactively, Fourth Dist. Div. 3 Nevertheless Finds Arbitration Provisions Unconscionable

Panel Is Very Critical Of Confidentiality Provisions In Sexual Harassment Dispute With Arbitration Provision.         Some California Appellate panels and justices make it a practice to neatly summarize the opinion in the first paragraph. I like that practice. Our next case, in which the Court of Appeal issued a peremptory writ of mandate issue directing […]

Confidentiality, Videoconferencing: What Information Does Zoom Keep?

Do You Know What Information Zoom Has About Your Communications?         Mediators, arbitrators, litigators, and parties are rightly concerned about the confidentiality of communications. Mediators rely on the mediation confidentiality protections in the California  Evidence Code, sections 1119 et seq, and litigators and arbitrators rely on confidentiality agreements. Today, many of us are using online […]

Arbitration, Mediation, Confidentiality: Statements Of Director, Who Had Served As Mediator And Arbitrator, Are Admissible In Evidence

Trial Judge Parsed Declaration To Determine Whether Statements Were Made By Judge DickranTevrizian (Ret.) In Capacity As Mediator, Arbitrator, Or Director.         When an opinion begins, "Leo Tolstoy famously observed that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," you can be sure that you are in for a dismal tale. And the reader's […]

Arbitrator, Confidentiality, Disclosures, Discovery, Unconscionability: Former Employee Advanced No Meritorious Reasons For Why An Employment Agreement Was Unconscionable

Also, Arbitrator’s Religious Affiliation Is No Reason For Disqualification, With Jewish Affiliation Not Showing Any Inherent Bias Against Homosexuals.             Bogue v. Anesthesia Service Medical Group, Inc., Case No. D073518 (4th Dist., Div. 1 July 17, 2019) (unpublished) (McConnell, P.J.; Benke, J.; and Irion, J.) is a case where a former employee lost an arbitration […]

Arbitration, Employment, Confidentiality, Construction, Unconscionability: First District, Division 1: Armendariz Is Good Law, Making Law Firm’s Arbitration Agreement Unconscionable

Under Armendariz Framework, Court Finds Parties' Arbitration Agreement Is Unconscionable.      Constance Ramos, "an experienced litigator and patent practitioner with a doctorate in biophysics" petitioned the Court of Appeal to vacate superior court Judge John Stewart's order granting the motion of her erstwhile employer, Winston & Strawn, to compel arbitration of her employment/FEHA dispute. […]

Arbitration/Confidentiality: Is Arbitration Confidential?

August 31, 2017 · Arbitration: Confidentiality

My Article, "Confidentiality in Arbitration" Is In The Latest Issue of California Litigation And Available Through This Post.         My article on "Confidentiality in Arbitration" and an accompanying MCLE test are published in California Litigation, The Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of California, Vol. 30, No. 2 (2017), p. 6.  With the permission of […]

Construction Of Arbitration Agreements/Non-Signatories: Homes Sellers Will Be Required To Arbitrate Disputes With Brokers And Service Providers

Must Reading For Home Sellers, Brokers And Service Providers Who Want To Understand Their Obligations To Arbitrate.     Home sellers sign Residential Listing Agreements (RLAs) with their brokers, and Residential Purchase Agreements (RPAs) with their buyers.  Both RLAs and RPAs constantly undergo drafting revisions in California.  And both types of standard agreements include arbitration […]

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 […]

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.  […]