Arbitration

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In Heckman v Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., No. 23-55770 (9th Cir. Oct. 28, 2024), the Ninth Circuit revisited Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s arbitration clause and class action waiver after having upheld a previous version last year. Oberstein v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., 60F. 4th 505 (9th Cir. 2023). Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s latest attempt to contain burgeoning consumer litigation involves an effort to curtail what is known as “mass arbitration” — the practice of plaintiff-side attorneys whose clients are bound by class action waivers to inundate defendants with many individual small-stakes consumer claims in arbitration. Ultimately, the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision by Judge George H. Wu of the Central District of California to deny Defendants’ motion to compel arbitration, finding the delegation clause as well as the arbitration procedures procedurally unconscionable “to an extreme degree,” and substantively unconscionable to a “substantial degree” under California law. At bottom, the panel pushed back on what it appears to have viewed as an attempt by Live Nation and Ticketmaster to “have their cake and eat it too” by imposing barriers to multiple arbitrations after having succeeded in precluding the most likely alternative—a class action.Continue Reading The Ninth Circuit Criticizes Mass Arbitration Models

Consent is generally a precondition to an enforceable contract. Some website operators have attempted to enforce arbitration clauses set forth in the terms and conditions listed on their websites just because a consumer visited the website—a practice commonly known as a “browsewrap” agreement.Continue Reading California Court of Appeal Reaffirms Disapproval of “Browsewrap” Agreements to Arbitrate

In 23-3 Coinbase, Inc. v. Suski (05/23/2024) (supremecourt.gov) (May 23, 2024), the U.S. Supreme Court once again delved into the frequently litigated arena of arbitration agreements. Specifically, the Court considered whether the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) empowers courts or arbitrators to decide which contract controls when (1) parties have executed multiple contracts, and (2) at least one contract contains an arbitration agreement delegating the threshold issue of arbitrability to an arbitrator while another sends arbitrability disputes to the courts. Guided by “basic principles of contract” law, the Court unanimously held that courts—not arbitrators—must decide which contract governs the parties’ dispute.Continue Reading Supreme Court Rules That Judges – Not Arbitrators – Must Resolve Disputes Where Various Agreements May Govern a Particular Dispute and Those Agreements Conflict on the Forum for Deciding Arbitrability

On May 16, 2024, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that, when enforcing an arbitration clause subject to the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), if any party requests a stay, the district court lacks discretion to dismiss the underlying lawsuit. The high court’s ruling reverses the decision of the Ninth Circuit upholding dismissal, and resolves a long-simmering circuit split. Notwithstanding the FAA’s language appearing to mandate a stay, in which several circuits held that district courts have discretion to dismiss cases (without prejudice) pending arbitration. Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds that District Courts Must Stay – Not Dismiss – Actions Brought by Parties Subject to Binding Arbitration Agreements