One More Opinion Rejects Reasoning In Felisilda. In Rivera et al. v. Superior Court of Ventura County, B334522 (2/6 9/23/24) (Gilbert, P.J.) petitioners Rivera and Espinosa sued Ford Motor Company under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (the "lemon law") after their Ford F-250 truck experienced repeated mechanical issues. They also included Ford of Ventura, […]
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 […]
Equitable Estoppel, Third-Party Beneficiary, And Agency Arguments Of Employer Failed To Gain Traction. Nelida Soltero sued her employer, which sought to compel arbitration, based on an arbitration agreement in a contract between Soltero and Real Time Staffing Services, a temporary worker staffing agency. However, the employer was not a signatory to the agreement between […]
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 […]
The Trial Judge Said He Had An Issue Of First Impression. Jessica Hernandez sued Meridian Management Services, LLC and other entities for employment violations. The defendants sought to piggyback on to an arbitration agreement that Ms. Hernandez had entered into with her employer Intelex in order to compel her to arbitrate. Her lawyer, however, […]
But Arbitration Is Enforceable Between Employee And His Employer (Except As To PAGA Claims). Enforcing an arbitration clause can sometimes become a sticky wicket, glue pot, or dog's breakfast when the party seeking enforcement must rely on more than one document. Such was the case for the defendants seeking to compel arbitration in Thomas Jarboe […]
Additional Insured Had Tried To Avoid Arbitration By Arguing It Was Not A Party To Arbitration Agreement. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company v. SMG Holdings, Inc., No. C082841 (3rd Dist. 12/31/19) (per curiam), "concerns whether a binding arbitration clause in an insurance policy issued by plaintiff Philadelphia Indemnity Ins. Co., applies to a third […]
The Security Agreement Included An Arbitration Clause, But The Purchase Agreement Did Not. It is not unusual for a consumer to execute more than one agreement at the time of purchase, only one of which contains an arbitration clause. Such was the case in Fuentes v. TMCSF, Inc., E066242 (4/2 8/23/18) (Ramirez, Slough, […]
Customer Agreement With Verizon And Samsung Product And Safety & Warranty Agreement In The Box Failed To Bind Plaintiff To Arbitrate. In Norcia v. Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, et al., No 14-16994 (9th Cir. 10/17/17) (Ikuta, Thomas, Bea), Judge Ikuta provides in depth analysis of whether a 101 page brochure containing an arbitration provision […]
Third-Party Non-Signatory Owed Duties Under Labor Code To Plaintiff, Independent Of Plaintiff’s Contract. Zepeda v. Paramount Citrus Packing Company LLC, F071593 (5th Dist. 7/14/16) (Pena, Levy, Smith) (unpublished) distinguishes two situations: (1) a plaintiff whose relationship with a third-party non-signatory merely presumes the existence of a contract; and (2) a plaintiff whose rights […]