The Seventh Circuit recently ruled that a party was bound to an arbitration award despite not being a signatory to the agreement to arbitrate. The court based its decision on the doctrine of "direct benefits estoppel," ruling that, even though the plaintiff was a...
In yet another decision that underscores the "elemental tenet" of arbitration that a party cannot be compelled to arbitrate if he or she has not agreed to arbitrate, the Massachusetts Appeals Court recently ruled that a non-signatory to an agreement cannot be...
A couple of weeks ago, social media exploded with outrage over a news story in the NYT that reported that, by "liking" a brand on Facebook, a consumer would lose his or her ability to sue the company. The story referred to an update in General Mills's online "terms of...
Like other states, Massachusetts has enacted an arbitration statute that provides a streamlined procedure for compelling a party to arbitrate. Section 1 of the Massachusetts Uniform Arbitration Act, G.L. c. 251, recognizes two types of arbitration agreements: (i)...
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