“Heads I win, tails you lose.”
That’s how the Sixth Circuit described one hospital’s strategy after it tried to switch to arbitration only after losing some key early motions in court. The judges didn’t flip for it. Continue reading
In 2022, Congress passed a law that makes it harder for employers to require arbitration in certain workplace cases. Some employees are now trying to use that law to keep sex discrimination lawsuits in court. A recent case in Connecticut shows the limits of that strategy: not every sex discrimination claim counts as sexual harassment, and only sexual harassment (or sexual assault) cases are exempt from arbitration. Continue reading
A recent decision from the Third Circuit shows how courts are looking closely—not just at what arbitration agreements say, but also at how they’re rolled out. And even if a dispute doesn’t qualify for the new federal carveout for sexual harassment claims, employers still need to be ready to prove their agreements are enforceable. Continue reading
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Continue reading
This week, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12) reintroduced the Restoring Justice for Workers Act, which Ms. Murray describes as legislation to end forced arbitration clauses and protect workers’ ability to pursue work-related claims in court. Continue reading
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee announced that it had advanced the Protecting Older Americans Act, which would invalidate forced arbitration clauses requiring employees to arbitrate age discrimination claims, whether for disparate treatment, disparate impact, harassment, or retaliation.
15 Senators voted in favor and 6 against.
Continue reading
A recent federal appellate court decision is an important reminder to confirm early—not later—whether the employee suing your business signed an arbitration agreement. Continue reading
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting Older Americans Act. The legislation would invalidate forced arbitration clauses that require employees to arbitrate claims of age discrimination, whether for disparate treatment, disparate impact, harassment, and retaliation. Continue reading
A 30-plus-year employee found out the hard way that missing a deadline — by just 24 hours — to arbitrate her claim against her former employer under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act is enough to lose it forever when her brief delay violates the plain terms of an arbitration agreement.
Last year, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 into law. The name of the new law speaks for itself. Victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault at work that previously signed arbitration agreements can arbitrate their claims but don’t have to.
Yesterday, multiple news outlets, including Roll Call’s Ryan Tarinelli, reported that both the House and Senate will introduce a bill soon to end the forced arbitration of race discrimination claims in the workplace. Continue reading
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