All posts by Sarah Cole

Nobel Peace Prize goes to International Mediator

From Scientific American website, http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=no-peace-for-science-international-2008-10-10L Martti Ahtisaari takes the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize “for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts.” A former President of Finland, Ahtissari mediated conflicts ranging from apartheid South Africa’s occupation of Namibia in the 1980s to Kosovo in the 2000s and … Continue reading Nobel Peace Prize goes to International Mediator

Penn Plaza to be argued 12/1; Vaden to be argued today!

Discover Bank v. Vaden will have oral arguments today — this case will address: 1. Whether a suit seeking to enforce a state-law arbitration obligation brought under Section 4 of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 4, “aris[es] under” federal law, when the petition to compel itself raises no federal question but the dispute … Continue reading Penn Plaza to be argued 12/1; Vaden to be argued today!

Is there a flight from arbitration?

On SSRN, Chris Drahozal and Quentin Wittrock posted an article analyzing whether franchisors are moving away from mandatory arbitration. Their abstract states: Reports of dissatisfaction with arbitration are increasingly frequent. A recent article by Eisenberg and Miller suggests that businesses are fleeing arbitration, while [a]necdotal evidence suggests that franchisors are either abandoning arbitration altogether or … Continue reading Is there a flight from arbitration?

Pyett Files Brief in Supreme Court Arbitration Case

The Respondents in the Pyett v. 14 Penn Plaza case, to be argued in the United States Supreme Court this fall, filed their brief this week. http://www.adrworld.com/si.asp?id=2498 Pyett’s argument is based primarily on a belief that Gardner-Denver, is still good law. According to respondents, “This Court’s holding in Alexander v. Gardner-Denver-Co., 415 U.S. 36 (1974), … Continue reading Pyett Files Brief in Supreme Court Arbitration Case

Latest Empirical Study Supports Use of Consumer Arbitration

The Institute of Legal Reform, an arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, released a study today that offers further evidence that arbitration can be beneficial to consumers in their disputes with businesses. According to the report, at www.instituteforlegalreform.com/media/pressreleases/20080715.cfm, consumers fare better in arbitration than in litigation: “The new analysis, conducted by Navigant Consulting, looked … Continue reading Latest Empirical Study Supports Use of Consumer Arbitration

Lawyer Criticizes Employee Free Choice Act due to impact on Labor Arbitration

The Daily Labor Report had this story today about objections from labor law attorneys to the proposed Employee Free Choice Act: “The mandatory first contract arbitration provision of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800/S. 1041) has a “constitutional problem” and if enacted will be challenged in court, a management attorney said June 10. … Continue reading Lawyer Criticizes Employee Free Choice Act due to impact on Labor Arbitration