The Problem

A class-action litigation against a major corporation with multiple restaurant franchises was de-certified, resulting in thousands of current and former employees ordered to pursue their claims for off-the-clock overtime and side work individually by mediation and/or arbitration. 

By: Lance Tanaka, Vice President, AAA^® Commercial Division

The cannabis industry has gravitated toward using arbitration to resolve its disputes. Because some jurisdictions do not recognize authority over disputes in this field, accessing justice in court for cannabis-industry parties continues to be a challenge.

Cannabis

Named after Charlotte E. Ray, the first Black woman to be admitted to a bar in the U.S., the Ray Corollary Initiative (RCI), Inc. aims “to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] in the selection of arbitrators, mediators, and other ADR neutrals” to 30% diverse and offers a plan to do so.

To this end, three categories of those associated with alternative dispute resolution are asked to sign the RCI pledge to do their parts to increase the number of diverse

By: Lisa Romeo, Assistant Vice President, AAA^® Commercial Division

Emergency or expedited measures of protection provide a framework for a party to an arbitration to request immediate though short-term relief before the full arbitrator-appointment process is completed. Emergency relief most commonly is petitioned for upon the filing of the arbitration demand and may be compared to motions for