The New Mass Arbitration: Just Deserts or Just Another Abuse?

In recent years, many companies have required consumers and employees to agree to individually arbitrate any disputes that might arise, eliminating aggregate dispute resolution devices like class actions. In response, plaintiffs’ lawyers have begun filing masses of individual arbitration demands on behalf of employees and consumers against companies like Intuit, Uber, and American Express. The demands place companies on the hook for millions of dollars in arbitration fees, and companies have begun resisting payment and asking to return to court for aggregate dispute resolution, or to create aggregate arbitration procedures. Is this just deserts for corporations or an abuse of the system by plaintiffs’ lawyers? What about the claimants: does mass arbitration deliver for them? Our speakers will explore these and other questions in this lively and timely event.Featuring:Daniel Fisher, Chartered Financial Analyst, Walden Consultants, LLCMaria Glover, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law CenterModerator: Brian Fitzpatrick, Milton R. Underwood Chair in Free Enterprise, Vanderbilt University Law School