The Opinion Sets Forth The Steps For Analyzing A Delegation Issue. The Chicksaw Nation opposed arbitrating a dispute with Caremark, the pharmacy benefit manager for health-insurance plans that cover many tribal members. The Nation argued that it could not be compelled to arbitrate because it had not waived tribal immunity and because a provision of […]
Existence Of Agreement Was Not An Issue To Delegate To Arbitrator. Fiona Trinity sued Life Insurance Company of North America and individuals (LINA parties) for employment-related claims. The LINA Parties moved unsuccessfully to compel arbitration in the trial court, and the Court of Appeal affirmed. The LINA parties could not establish the […]
Substantive Unconscionability To Trip Over. This is a tragic case involving the death of a recently graduated UCLA engineering student in the throes of an acute psychotic episode. He was briefly in a care facility where the precariousness of his condition was recognized. Allegedly he required constant supervision, which was not provided, and he […]
Sign-In Wrap Contracts Are Hybrids Of Browserwrap (Hard To Enforce) And Clickwrap (Easier To Enforce) Contracts. B.D., a minor, and his father sued the videogame company Blizzard, contending that the game Overwatch encouraged gambling. Specifically, they alleged Overwatch used “real money” to make in-game purchases of “Loot Boxes”—items that offer “randomized chances . . […]
Whether An Arbitration Agreement Exists Was A Gateway Issue For The Court To Decide. Agreeing with the trial court that there was no agreement express or implied to arbitrate, the Court of Appeal affirms the trial court's order denying employer's motion to compel arbitration in a putative class action wage and hours case brought […]
Failure To Communicate . . . Cool Hand Luke. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." Reversing the district court's order to compel arbitration, the Ninth Circuit holds that the issue of formation of the contract to arbitrate should have been decided by the court, despite delegation of issues of validity and […]
Ineffective Delegation Clauses, Fraud In The Execution, And Unconsciconability Result In Reversals. In Najarro v. Sup. Ct. of the County of San Bernardino; Horizon Personnel Services Inc., et al, E076328 (4/2 10/22/21) (Raphael, Codrington, Slough), the court does plenty of slicing and dicing, because there are two arbitration agreements, two sets of employees, […]
August 12, 2021 Was A Day Rich In 9th Circuit Arbitration Decisions. Santiago Lim v. TForce Logistics, LLC, No. 20-55564 (9th Cir. 8/12/21) (Smith, Owens, Robreno). This case is about the gateway decision of arbitrability, delegation of that decision, and unconscionability. The panel holds that the delegation and arbitration clauses are procedurally and substantively […]
Ninth Circuit Agrees With District Court That Labor Dispute Was Not Arbitrable And That Arbitrability Was Properly Decided By The Court. In Tramon Wilson-Davis v. SSP America, et al., B306781 (2/3 4/9/21) (Edmon, Lavin, Egerton), a dishwasher sued his employer, individually and behalf of a putative class, for wage and hour violations. A collective […]
Efforts By Employers To Have An Arbitrator Decide A Dispositive Part Of A PAGA Claim Continue To Founder. The wreck of the Atlantic. c1873. Currier and Ives. Library of Congress. The Court of Appeal holds that the delegation of the question whether plaintiffs are "aggrieved employees" to an arbitrator frustrates the purpose of the […]