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In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Congress has enacted legislation to assist people who pursue individual and class-action lawsuits in their ability to litigate disputes of sexual assault and sexual harassment. After President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 into law, Congress passed the Speak […]
You would think drafting an arbitration agreement should be simple enough. After all, arbitrating employment discrimination claims was court-approved several decades ago. But issues still persist, as we see in this very recent case from the El Paso Court of Appeals.
Courts have long favored arbitration as a method of dispute resolution under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court reinforced the policy favoring arbitration agreements in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. The Court ruled that the FAA requires enforcement of arbitration agreements that fall within its scope, including agreements in which […]
The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) favors the enforcement of arbitration agreements, but employers can’t wait too long to compel arbitration. Courts often apply a contract “waiver” rule if employers sit on their rights too long (meaning the court finds a party waived its right to arbitrate if it failed to start the process soon enough). […]
Voluntary arbitration agreements involving federal law are enforced under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Section 1 of the FAA exempts certain classes of workers, however, from the enforcement of arbitration. The U.S. Supreme Court recently resolved a federal circuit court split over whether employees who load cargo for the transportation of goods are engaged in […]
For decades, American employers have relied on judicial precedent and the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to enforce predispute mandatory arbitration agreements, which are signed before any known conflict arises between the employer and the employee (typically at the beginning of the employment relationship) requiring them to arbitrate any future employment disputes. They often contain provisions […]
Employers using agreements that require employees to arbitrate employment law claims should take note of a troubling decision by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over North Carolina).
Congress recently passed HR 4445, the Ending of Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, which prohibits the enforcement of mandatory arbitration or joint class action waivers in cases of alleged sexual assault or sexual harassment. Upon President Biden’s signature on March 3, 2022, the law took effect immediately. The legislation […]
by Judith E. Kramer The first Monday in October (October 5) marked the beginning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term. While during the course of the 2015-2016 term the Court could agree to hear additional cases, these are the labor and employment cases currently on the docket, as well as a case involving affirmative […]