Karl Bayer's Disputing Blog » Court Decisions about Arbitration

Read Our Guest-Post: Hall Street Meets S. Maestri Place

By Victoria VanBuren - May 5, 2009

We invite you to read our recent guest-post at the Loree Reinsurance and Arbitration Law Forum. Introduction by Philip J. Loree Jr: Guest Blogger Victoria VanBuren Discusses the Role of Federal Arbitration Act Section 10(a)(4) After Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. v. Bacon Guest-Post: Hall Street Meets S. Maestri Place: What Standards of Review Will the Fifth Circuit Apply to Arbitration Awards Under FAA Section 10(a)(4) after Citigroup? Technorat

U.S. Supreme Court Decided Arthur Andersen Case Today

By Victoria VanBuren - May 4, 2009

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Arthur Andersen LLP v. Carlisle, No. 08-146. One of the issues resolved by the Court is whether a contract to arbitrate a dispute is enforceable by a nonsignatory party to the agreement. The text of the opinion is here. We will blog on this case after we read it.

Fifth Circuit Hears Appeal on Arbitration of Tort Claims in Employment Contract

By Victoria VanBuren - April 28, 2009

The Fifth Circuit heard arguments yesterday on Halliburton‘s appeal of Jones v. Halliburton, coming from the Southern District of Texas. The lower court refused to compel arbitration of plaintiff’s claims for: assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress arising out of an alleged assault, negligent hiring, retention and supervision of employees involved in the assault, and false imprisonment. That court, however,

Texas Supreme Court Orders Arbitration in Oil and Gas Dispute

By Victoria VanBuren - April 21, 2009

Last week, the Supreme Court of Texas decided In re Gulf Exploration, LLC, No. 07-0055 (Tex. Apr. 17, 2009). The issue was whether mandamus review of orders compelling arbitration should be entirely precluded. Thanks to Don Philbin for bringing this case to our attention. First, the court noted the narrow exception articulated by the Fifth Circuit in Apache Bohai v. Texaco China, that mandamus might be available if an applicant can show “cl

You Can’t Have It Both Ways: Fifth Circuit Finds Arbitration Waiver

By Victoria VanBuren - April 20, 2009

Last week, the Fifth Circuit decided Geraldine Nicholas v. KBR, Inc., No. 08-20140, (5th Cir. Mar. 15, 2009). The court affirmed the district court’s ruling denying Nicholas’ motion to compel arbitration of her contract dispute with KBR. Nicholas waived her right to arbitrate (pursuant to an arbitration clause) because she substantially invoked the judicial process to the prejudice of KBR. The court applied a two-prong test: Did Nicho

Court Affirms Arbitration Panel’s Order to Reinstate In-House Attorney in Employment Discrimination Case

By Victoria VanBuren - April 17, 2009

This week, a Court of Appeals for the State of Wisconsin decided Sands v. Menard, Inc., No. 2008AP1703, 2009 WI App 70. Sands is a former general counsel for Menard, Inc. Her employment was terminated following a dispute over compensation. Pursuant to a mandatory arbitration agreement, Sands submitted her claims to an arbitration panel. The panel found that Menard violated the Equal Pay Act by paying Sands less than a male employee and also found

NY Federal Court Refuses to Compel Arbitration in Case Involving Law Student Loans

By Victoria VanBuren - April 14, 2009

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York decided recently Fensterstock v. Education Finance Partners, Inc., No. 08-CV-3622, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30457 (S.D.N.Y. 2009). Plaintiff Fensterstock claims, on behalf of a class, that defendants Education Finance Partners (“EFP”) and Affiliated Computer Services (“ACS”) improperly applied an undisclosed fee to his law student loans. EFP and ACS filed a motion

Second Circuit Rules on Expenses of Arbitration

By Victoria VanBuren - April 9, 2009

Today, the Second Circuit decided ReliaStar Life Ins. Co, of N.Y. v. EMC Nat’l Life Co., No. 07-0828 (2nd Cir. Apr. 9, 2009). The court held that inclusion in an arbitration agreement of a broad statement that each party will bear the expenses of its own arbitrator and attorney’s fees does not deprive the arbitration panel of authority to award those expenses as a sanction against a party whom the panel determines failed to arbitrate

Fifth Circuit Denies Motion to Vacate Arbitration Award

By Victoria VanBuren - April 7, 2009

In Nat’l Resort Mgmt v. Cortez, No. 08-10805 (5th Cir. Mar. 31, 2009), the Fifth Circuit cited Hall Street v. Mattel and Citigroup v. Bacon, stating that “the number of grounds for challenging an arbitration award has been substantially reduced.” The two-paragraph unpublished opinion affirmed the lower court’s ruling. The court added that “given the deference accorded to arbitration awards, there is no flaw in this p

14 Penn Plaza v. Pyett: Conflicts of Interest

By Victoria VanBuren - April 6, 2009

Last Friday, we wrote about the latest U.S. Supreme Court case related to arbitration. As we re-read the lengthy opinion, one of the issues that caught our attention was the composition of the parties (fully described here) and the potential for conflicts of interest. As Justice Stevens‘ dissenting opinion points out, the majority noted “the problem of entrusting a union with certain arbitration decisions given the potential conflict