arbitration clauses News

5th Circuit: Louisiana Law Voids Arbitration Clause in Surplus Lines Policies

A panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that a Louisiana statute voids the formation of an arbitration clause in a surplus lines insurance contract. In its opinion, the appellate court reasoned that the general principles …

Texas High Court: Wrongful Death Suit Against Gentlemen’s Club in Hands of Arbitrator

Three terms in a written contract between a gentlemen’s club and a deceased employee are not so unclear as to nullify the contract’s arbitration agreement, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in a March 18 per curiam opinion. In Baby Dolls …

House Passes Ban on Mandatory Arbitration for Sexual Misconduct Claims

The U.S. House has passed legislation barring contracts that force people to settle sexual assault or harassment cases through arbitration rather than in court, a process that often benefits employers and keeps misconduct allegations from becoming public. The measure, passed …

Alphabet Settles Suit Over Executives’ Exit Pay, Coverups Linked to Sexual Misconduct

Alphabet Inc. on Friday settled a shareholder lawsuit that accused the Google parent of covering up lavish exit packages to executives found responsible for sexual misconduct, saying it would overhaul workplace policies and increase oversight of its diversity efforts. The …

Microsoft to Stop Requiring Arbitration for Employees’ Harassment, Bias Claims

Microsoft Corp. is eliminating a requirement that employees pursue sexual harassment and gender bias claims through arbitration instead of in court, after revelations this year of improper behavior across technology, entertainment and other industries. The tech giant also endorsed a …

Some Banks Already Follow Consumer Bureau’s Softer Arbitration Policy

Senator Elizabeth Warren, who opposes efforts to dismantle a new rule allowing customers to sue financial companies in class actions, released letters on Tuesday from U.S. bank CEOs in which they declined to defend lobbying against the measure and several …

California Lawmakers May Allow Consumers to Sue Banks Instead of Arbitration

California lawmakers are making headway on legislation to allow state residents to sue financial institutions for fraud, rather than letting banks force customers to settle disputes in arbitration. The state Senate passed the bill, spurred by last year’s Wells Fargo …

Battle Against Forced Arbitration in Financial Contracts Could Take Years

A U.S. agency’s plans to ban forced arbitration clauses from financial contracts faces a tough road, with early reaction pointing to a years-long battle that could take a Supreme Court test to settle. Thousands of angry consumers and business representatives …

Consumer Agency Seeks to Limit Financial Firms’ Arbitration Clauses

Banks and credit card companies may not force customers to sign away their legal rights to take part in class action lawsuits, under an early-stage U.S. government proposal that is likely to draw ire from Wall Street. The Consumer Financial …

U.S. Consumer Bureau Moves to Restrict Mandatory Arbitration Clauses

Financial companies routinely use mandatory arbitration to block class-action lawsuits, making it difficult for consumers to win big payouts in disputes over credit cards and other products, a U.S. regulator found. When credit card issuers have faced suits seeking class- …