However, California Supreme Court Will Likely Make Ultimate Determination of Issues in Pending Sanchez v. Valencia Holding Co. Case Arbitration clauses in contracts for automobile purchases and leases offer fertile ground for litigation. See our April 12, 2012 post about Kolev v. Euromotors West/The Auto Gallery, 586 F.3d 1024 (9th Cir. 2011) (opinion […]
Majority Opinion Identified Many State Law Contractual Problems With Arbitration Provision Plaintiff Sparks sued for wrongful termination, and employer Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services petitioned to arbitrate the dispute. The trial court denied the petition, and the employer appealed. Sparks v. Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, Case No. B234988 […]
The Arbitration Provision is Unconscionable, and Concepcion Does Not Change the Analysis “Unconscionability” may sound like an abstract legal principle, but it usually entails a very fact-specific analysis. Try out these facts: plaintiffs are carpet layers; they speak Spanish; contracts were presented to them only in English; they have difficulty reading simple written English; […]
Another Example of the Search for Wiggle Room Within the Concepcion Straightjacket California courts necessarily follow the ruling of AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, __ U.S. __ , 131 S.Ct. 1740 (2011), overruling the holding of Discover Bank v. Superior Court, 36 Cal.4th 148 (2005) that in turn had held that class action […]
No Need To Decide Whether Concepcion Overrules Gentry Here – Because "This Is Not A Close Case" These proceedings began in 2004 when Ralphs Grocery Company employees sued Ralphs for alleged violations of the Labor Code and Unfair Competition law. The proceedings moved up and down the appellate ladder. Eventually, after a remand, […]
Could Choice of Law and Procedural Unconscionability Provide A Lifeboat For Class Action Plaintiffs After AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion? Our latest arbitration case out of the Ninth Circuit contains an interesting twist on the analysis of collective-arbitration waivers in consumer contracts. Coneff, et al. v. AT&T Corp., et al., No. No. 09-35563 (9th Cir. […]
Court Also Lays Bare The Policy Consequences For The Privatization Of Consumer Justice In Kilgore v. KeyBank, No. 09-16703 & No. 10-15934 (9th Cir. March 7, 2012) (authored by Judge Trott) (for publication), the Ninth Circuit resolves an FAA preemption issue dividing the district courts, lays bare the policy consequences for consumer justice, […]
Delegation to the Arbitrator of the Power to Decide Whether the Arbitration Clause is Unconscionable Is “Horse of a Different Color” That Must Satisfy High Evidentiary Standard The employer, CantorCo2e, L.P., and an executive, appealed from an order denying their petition to compel arbitration of the claims under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) […]
Arbitration Provision Drafted By Employer in Contract of Adhesion Was Too One-Sided The next case, though unpublished, nicely lays out principles relevant to an arbitration clause in the employment context, including procedural and substantive unconscionability, Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preemption, and severability. Mayers v. Volt Managemnt Corp.,Case No. G045036 (4th Dist. Div. 3 […]
Plenty of Hurdles to Enforcement in This Particular Case In Wisdom v. AccentCare, Inc., No. C065744 (3rd Dist. January 3, 2012) (certified for publication), the Court of Appeal held: “that a clause in an application for employment with AccentCare, Inc. (AccentCare), requiring only the applicant agree that, if hired, all disputes that cannot […]