Karl Bayer's Disputing Blog » U.S. Supreme Court

2012 Year-in-Review – SCOTUS Arbitration Case Law

By Victoria VanBuren - January 7, 2013

During 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decided several cases related to arbitration: On January 10, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down CompuCredit Corporation v. Greenwood. The issue in CompuCredit was whether claims under the Credit Repair Organizations Act are subject to arbitration. The Court held that because the Credit Repair Organizations Act is silent on whether claims can proceed in an arbitrable forum, the Federal Arbitration Act requ

U.S. Supreme Court Grants Certiorari to Yet Another Class Arbitration Case

By Victoria VanBuren - December 10, 2012

On December 7, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter, Docket No. 12-135. The case below is: Sutter v. Oxford Health Plans LLC, 675 F.3d 215 (3d Cir. N.J. 2012). The questions presented is as follows: In Stolt-Nielsen v. AnimalFeeds International Corp., 130 S. Ct. 1758, 1776 (2010), this Court made clear that “class-action arbitration changes the nature of arbitration to such a degree that it ca

U.S. Supreme Court Vacates Oklahoma Supreme Court: FAA Statue Prevails over Oklahoma State

By Jeremy Clare - November 26, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision because the decision ignored a basic tenet of the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) and did not allow the arbitrator to rule on the validity of the contracts. Background In Nitro-Lift Technologies, L.L.C. v. Eddie Lee Howard, et al, 568 U.S. ___ (Nov. 26, 2012), a dispute arose between Nitro-Lift Technologies (“Nitro-Lift”) and two of its former employees, Eddie Lee Howard and

U.S. Supreme Court Grants Cert to Class Arbitration Case

By Victoria VanBuren - November 14, 2012

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant, Docket No. 12-133. The issue is whether the Federal Arbitration Act permits courts, invoking the “federal substantive law of arbitrability,” to invalidate arbitration agreements on the ground that they do not permit class arbitration of a federal-law claim. Read our previous post about the case below here. Bloomberg’s coverage of the case is

U.S Supreme Court Considers Two Arbitration Petitions

By Victoria VanBuren - November 8, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering two significant arbitration-related petitions: BG Group PLC v. Republic of Argentina, Docket No. 12-138. The issue is whether, in disputes involving a multi-staged dispute resolution process, a court or the arbitrator determines whether a precondition to arbitration has been satis?ed. Opinion below: Republic of Argentina v. BG Group PLC, 665 F.3d 1363 (D.C. Cir. 2012) Nitro-Lift Technologies,

In Re American Express Merchants’ Litigation | The Meaning of AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion

By Victoria VanBuren - March 8, 2012

Bloomberg Law published recently an interesting article by Andrew Pincus from Mayer Brown LLP regarding the Second Circuit case In Re American Express Merchants’ Litigation, No. 06-1871-cv, (2d Cir. Feb. 1, 2012): Does the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion – holding that arbitration clauses may not be invalidated on the ground that they contain class-action waivers – apply only when the underlying caus

U.S. Supreme Court Remands Cases about Predispute Arbitration Agreements for Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Claims

By Victoria VanBuren - February 28, 2012

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed and remanded orders of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia which held unenforceable all predispute arbitration agreements that apply to claims alleging personal injury or wrongful death against nursing homes. See Marmet Health Care Center, Inc., et al. v. Clayton Brown, et al., Case Nos. 11–391 and 11–394, 565 U. S. ____ (Feb. 21, 2012). The underlying litigation involves three negligence lawsu

Supreme Court Petition Filed Alleging Fraud at FINRA Arbitration

By Victoria VanBuren - February 21, 2012

On January 23, 2012, Petitioner Christopher Wanken filed a writ of certiorari (Case Number 11-939) with the U.S. Supreme Court against Respondents Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and its branch manager, John Dwight Wanken, seeking review of the Fifth Circuit decision on Wanken v. Wanken, No. 11-102219, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 20014 (5th Cir. Tex. Sept. 29, 2011). The questions presented are: Can a court affirm a district court’s sua sponte co

U.S. Supreme Court Decides CompuCredit v. Greenwood

By Victoria VanBuren - January 11, 2012

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down CompuCredit Corporation v. Greenwood. The issue in CompuCredit was whether claims under the Credit Repair Organizations Act are subject to arbitration. The Court held that because the Credit Repair Organizations Act is silent on whether claims can proceed in an arbitrable forum, the Federal Arbitration Act requires the arbitration agreement to be enforced according to its terms. The opinion is here. W

2011 Arbitration Case Law | U.S. Supreme Court

By Victoria VanBuren - December 20, 2011

Welcome to Disputing‘s 2011 Year-End Highlights. During this year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided several cases related to arbitration: On April 27, 2011, in a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the the Federal Arbitration Act preempted California law with regard to class arbitration in AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion, 09-893, (April 27, 2011). Read James Gaitis guest-posts about the case here and here. On May 17, 2011,