Tag: Supreme Court

International Arbitration, Nonsignatories, Equitable Estoppel: SCOTUS Holds Enforcement Of Arbitration Agreement By Nonsignatory May Be Consistent With New York Convention

The US Supreme Court Was In Agreement About This One.           The Supreme Court has held unanimously, with Justice Sotomayor concurring, that the "New York Convention does not conflict with the enforcement of arbitration agreements by nonsignatories under domestic-law equitable estoppel doctrines." GE Energy Power Conversion France SAS v. Outokumpu Stainless USA, […]

Arbitration, Class Actions, Waiver, Construction of Agreement: SCOTUS Rules That Class Arbitration Is Not Allowed When Agreement Is Ambiguous

Majority Rejects State Law Rule That Ambiguous Contracts Are Interpreted Against The Drafter Because . . .      Frank Varela, an employee of Petitioner Lamps Plus, Inc., sued Lamps Plus because a hacker tricked Varela's employer into disclosing tax information about 1,300 employees. Mr. Varela was understandably miffed after a fraudulent income tax return was […]

Arbitration, Delegation, Arbitrability, FAA: Despite Delegation Clause, Court Decides Whether Transportation Worker’s Contract Falls Within FAA’s Ambit

This Is One Of Those Rare Cases In Which A Delegation Clause Is Not Enforced.     Generally, a court will decide arbitrability of a dispute unless that issue is clearly and unmistakably delegated to an arbitrator, as was the case here. But there are exceptions, and New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira (S. Ct. 1/15/19) […]

Arbitration, Class, Pending Cases: SCOTUS Case May Decide Whether Arbitration Clause Allowed For Class Arbitration

October 23, 2018 · Arbitration: Class, Pending Cases

The Case Is Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela.     Yesterday, I posted about three arbitration cases pending before the Supreme Court,  one of which is Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela. Charlotte Garden, Co-Associate Dean For Research and Faculty Development,  and Associate Professor at the Seattle University School of Law, has drilled down with a preview of […]

Arbitration, Gateway Issues, Delegation, Pending Cases, FAA: We Are Watching Three Cases Pending Before SCOTUS

Federal Arbitration Act Cases Pending Before SCOTUS Present Issues of Interpretation Of FAA, And Who Decides Gateway Issues.     Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales Inc., scheduled to be argued in November, presents as an issue whether judge or arbitrator decides the gateway issue of arbitrability. The general rule is that the […]

Pending Cases, Federal Arbitration Act, Delegation: New Prime v. Oliveira Is Scheduled For SCOTUS Oral Argument On October 3, 2018

Does Exemption In Section 1 Of The FAA For Workers Engaged In Interstate Commerce Apply To Independent Contractors? And Who Decides?     We posted earlier about this case on February 26, 2018. The issues presented are: (1) Whether a dispute over applicability of the Federal Arbitration Act's Section 1 exemption is an arbitrability issue […]