Justia Arbitration & Mediation Opinion Summaries

StoneMor, Inc. operates cemeteries and funeral homes, with maintenance workers at two cemeteries unionized under the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 469. The Union and StoneMor negotiated a collective bargaining agreement (the "Agreement"), which was ratified on October 5, 2020. The Agreement included a grievance procedure requiring the Union to file grievances within ten days of a dispute. After ratification, StoneMor sent drafts of the Agreement with a clarified wage provision, which the Union contested. The Union did not file a grievance until January 5, 2021, after the Agreement was executed on December 29, 2020.The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey reviewed the case and vacated the arbitrator's award. The District Court held that the Agreement was enforceable upon ratification on October 5, 2020, and that the grievance provision was triggered by October 30, 2020, when paychecks were issued without the salary increase. The court found that the arbitrator's decision, which allowed the Union to wait until January to file a grievance, was contrary to the Agreement's plain meaning.The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reviewed the case and affirmed the District Court's judgment. The Third Circuit held that the arbitrator exceeded her powers by disregarding the Agreement's clear terms, which made the Agreement binding upon ratification. The court emphasized that the grievance procedure was mandatory from the ratification date, and the arbitrator's decision to allow a delay in filing the grievance was not supported by the Agreement. The court concluded that the arbitration award reflected a manifest disregard of the Agreement and was correctly vacated. View "Stonemor Inc v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 469" on Justia Law

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kalitta Air, LLC implemented a vaccine mandate for all its employees. Employees who could not receive a vaccination due to a disability or a sincerely held religious belief could request an accommodation and would be placed on unpaid leave. If they remained unvaccinated after the leave period, they could either voluntarily resign or be terminated. Eleven employees, including five pilots, sued Kalitta under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming that the mandate discriminated against them based on their religious beliefs and/or disabled status.The district court found that the Railway Labor Act precluded it from hearing certain claims by the pilots, who were subject to a collective bargaining agreement. These claims had to first go through arbitration as minor disputes. The pilots appealed this decision.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. The court found that the pilots' claims under Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act required interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement, and thus were minor disputes that had to be resolved through arbitration. The court also held that the pilots' claim of discrimination based on perceived disability would require interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement, and was therefore also precluded by the Railway Labor Act. View "Odell v. Kalitta Air, LLC" on Justia Law

This case involves a dispute between the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees and the University of Rhode Island (plaintiffs) and the Hellenic Society Paideia – Rhode Island Chapter (defendant). The dispute arose from a breach-of-contract related to the construction of a Center for Hellenic Studies at the University of Rhode Island. The plaintiffs and defendant had entered into a Ground Lease Agreement that established the parameters for this construction project. The defendant failed to construct the Center for Hellenic Studies within the agreed timeframe, leading to litigation.The Superior Court stayed the litigation pending arbitration, as per the mandate. The arbitration proceedings were held, and the arbitrator issued a decision. The arbitrator found that the defendant had breached the lease agreement by failing to construct the Center for Hellenic Studies within the requisite timeframe, among other failures. The arbitrator also determined that a joint venture did not exist between the parties. The arbitrator directed the defendant to reimburse the plaintiffs for the cost and expenses that they will incur in their efforts to restore the construction site to its prior status.The plaintiffs filed a motion in Superior Court to confirm the arbitration award, which the defendant objected to and cross-moved to vacate. The trial justice granted the plaintiffs' motion to confirm the award and denied the defendant's cross-motion to vacate. The trial justice declined to review the arbitrator’s determination that the plaintiffs properly terminated the lease agreement and rejected the defendant’s objection to the arbitral remedy.The Supreme Court of Rhode Island affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court. The court concluded that the arbitrator's award drew its essence from the parties' lease agreement and lacked any indication that the arbitrator manifestly disregarded the law. The court rejected the defendant's arguments that the arbitrator had exceeded his authority. The court affirmed the trial justice's order confirming the arbitration award. View "The University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees v. Hellenic Society Paideia-Rhode Island Chapter" on Justia Law

This case involves a dispute between siblings Elizabeth and Jason Carter, who are both licensed dentists and co-owners of Carter Dental. In 2020, Jason accused Elizabeth of misusing the practice’s funds for her personal benefit. The parties agreed to mediation, which resulted in a settlement agreement that included a noncompete clause. Elizabeth later refused to sign a written mutual release, leading Jason to move to enforce the settlement agreement. The district court found the settlement agreement and noncompete clause enforceable and dismissed the case with prejudice. Elizabeth appealed, arguing that the noncompete clause and the settlement agreement were unenforceable.The Supreme Court of the State of Idaho affirmed the district court's judgments. The court found that Elizabeth was estopped from arguing that the settlement agreement was unenforceable because she had not appealed the district court’s dismissal of the case with prejudice. The court also held that the district court did not err in awarding attorney fees and costs to Jason and Carter Dental. The court concluded that Jason and Carter Dental were entitled to attorney fees and costs on appeal. View "Carter Dental v. Carter" on Justia Law

The case involves a group of consumers who filed arbitration claims against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., alleging that Samsung unlawfully collected and stored sensitive biometric data through their electronic devices, in violation of Illinois law. Samsung denied the allegations and refused to pay the administrative filing fees required by the American Arbitration Association (AAA). The AAA terminated the arbitration proceedings, and the consumers filed a petition to compel arbitration in district court. The district court ordered Samsung to arbitrate and to pay the associated AAA filing fees. Samsung appealed, disputing the existence of an arbitration agreement with the consumers and challenging the district court’s authority to require it to pay the AAA’s fees.The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the district court's decision. The court found that the consumers failed to meet their evidentiary burden in proving the existence of an arbitration agreement with Samsung. Furthermore, the court held that the district court exceeded its authority by ordering Samsung to pay the AAA's filing fees. The court reasoned that the parties' alleged agreement incorporated the AAA's rules and procedures, which granted the AAA substantial discretion over resolving fee disputes. Therefore, the court concluded that the arbitration had been conducted according to the terms of the alleged agreement, and the district court did not have the authority to order Samsung to pay the AAA's fees. View "Wallrich v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc." on Justia Law

This case involves a dispute over an arbitration award in a real estate transaction. The plaintiffs, Miguel and Lizette Valencia, purchased a home from the defendants, Armando Mendoza, Coastal Holdings, LLC, and Class A Realty, Inc. After discovering undisclosed defects in the home, the Valencias initiated an arbitration proceeding against the defendants. The arbitrator ruled in favor of the Valencias, awarding them damages for repairs, loss of use, statutory penalties, and inspection fees, as well as punitive damages and attorneys' fees.The defendants appealed the arbitration award to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, arguing that the court erred in denying their petition to vacate the arbitration award and in confirming the Valencias' petition to confirm the award. The defendants also contended that the arbitrator committed legal error by excluding key evidence from the arbitration hearing. The trial court affirmed the arbitration award, finding that the defendants' petition to vacate the award was untimely and that they failed to show that the arbitrator erred in its rulings excluding evidence.On appeal to the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District, Division Seven, the defendants argued that the trial court erred in not considering the evidence they submitted with their late-filed petition to vacate the arbitration award. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's decision, holding that the defendants failed to meet their burden of establishing the existence of error in the arbitration award. The court also found that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in confirming the award without considering the defendants' untimely evidence. View "Valencia v. Mendoza" on Justia Law

The case revolves around a dispute between the Estate of Ke Zhengguang and Stephany Yu, concerning the enforcement of an arbitral award issued in Hong Kong. The award was the result of a business dispute involving real estate in China. The arbitration panel ordered Yu and her two sisters to pay the Estate and Xu Hongbiao a sum of money for the losses they sustained. After Yu paid Xu his share, the Estate sought to collect the remaining half from Yu, a U.S. citizen residing in Maryland.Yu challenged the enforcement of the award in the District Court of Maryland, arguing that the court was an inconvenient forum, that necessary parties were not included in the proceedings, and that enforcing the award would violate Chinese currency control laws, thereby violating U.S. policy favoring international comity. She also argued that the judgment should be in Renminbi (RMB), as provided in the arbitral award, not in U.S. dollars. The district court rejected all of Yu's arguments and confirmed the award under the New York Convention, entering judgment in favor of the Estate against Yu in a total amount of $3.6 million.On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. The court found none of Yu's arguments persuasive and held that the district court was correct in confirming and enforcing the arbitral award. The court also held that the district court did not err in entering the judgment in U.S. dollars, as it was within its discretion to do so. View "In re Estate of Ke Zhengguang v. Yu" on Justia Law

Dominique Keeton, an employee of Tesla, Inc., filed a lawsuit against her employer alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The parties agreed to resolve the dispute through arbitration as per their employment agreement. However, when Tesla failed to pay its arbitration fees within the stipulated 30-day window, Keeton moved to vacate the order submitting the dispute to arbitration. The trial court granted Keeton's motion, ruling that Tesla had materially breached the arbitration agreement, thereby allowing Keeton to proceed with her claims in court.Tesla appealed the decision, arguing that the trial court erred in granting Keeton's motion to vacate. Tesla's arguments were threefold: the arbitration agreement delegated issues of arbitrability to the arbitrator; the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preempts the relevant section of the California Code of Civil Procedure; and the same section of the California Code of Civil Procedure constitutes an unconstitutional impairment of the arbitration agreement.The Court of Appeal of the State of California, First Appellate District, disagreed with Tesla's arguments and affirmed the trial court's decision. The court found that the arbitration agreement did not clearly delegate issues of arbitrability to the arbitrator. It also held that the FAA did not preempt the relevant section of the California Code of Civil Procedure, and that this section did not unconstitutionally impair the arbitration agreement. The court concluded that Tesla had materially breached the arbitration agreement by failing to pay its arbitration fees within the stipulated time, and thus Keeton was entitled to proceed with her claims in court. View "Keeton v. Tesla" on Justia Law

Ascension Data & Analytics, Rocktop Partners, and Rocktop Holdings II (collectively, "Ascension") entered into a contract with Pairprep, Inc. for data extraction services. The contract was terminated due to an alleged data breach and Pairprep's failure to extract reliable data. Ascension then contracted with another vendor, Altada Technologies Solutions, but that contract was also terminated early due to Altada's financial crisis. Ascension initiated arbitration proceedings against Pairprep to recover remediation costs incurred as a result of the data breach. Pairprep counterclaimed, alleging breach of contract and violation of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act. The arbitration panel rejected Ascension's defenses and granted Pairprep a monetary award.Ascension filed an application in the Northern District of Texas to vacate the arbitration award, arguing that Pairprep's counterclaims were barred by res judicata due to a previous dismissal of identical claims against Altada. Pairprep filed an application to confirm the arbitral award in a Texas state court, which was granted. The district court dismissed Ascension's application for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and denied its motion for preliminary injunctive relief.The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. The court applied the Supreme Court's decision in Badgerow v. Walters, which held that a district court must have an independent jurisdictional basis to consider applications to confirm, modify, or vacate arbitral awards under the Federal Arbitration Act. The court found that Ascension had not established an independent basis for subject matter jurisdiction, as the parties were not diverse and Ascension did not identify any federal law entitling it to relief. Therefore, the court concluded that the dispute over the enforceability of the arbitral award must be litigated in state court. View "Ascension Data v. Pairprep" on Justia Law

Spencer Mathis and Jaden Fenstermaker, who worked as delivery drivers for Amazon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were fired by their employer, James Kerr, after Mathis filed a workers' compensation claim. The plaintiffs alleged that Kerr had retaliated against them for pursuing the claim and filed a lawsuit against him. Kerr moved to compel arbitration based on the arbitration provisions in the plaintiffs' employment contracts. The plaintiffs objected, arguing that federal and state law exempted them from arbitration.The trial court granted Kerr's motion to compel arbitration and stayed the lawsuit until the completion of arbitration. The plaintiffs appealed this decision, but the Court of Civil Appeals affirmed the trial court's ruling.The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma granted certiorari to review the case. The court held that employees who deliver Amazon packages are exempt from arbitration under federal law. The court also found that the district court's exclusive jurisdiction over retaliatory discharge claims precluded arbitration of those claims under Oklahoma law. The court reversed the trial court's decision, vacated the Court of Civil Appeals' opinion, and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "MATHIS v. KERR" on Justia Law