Court of Appeal Is Skeptical About Gentry, But Avoids Addressing Gentry Factors, Because Record Was Lacking
Macy’s Department Store’s Flagship location in Manhattan, New York. Carol M. Highsmith Collection. Library of Congress.
The issue of the enforceability of class action waivers and compulsory arbitration in employment disputes is before the California Supreme Court by virtue of its grant of review in Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles, LLC, 206 Cal.App.4th 949 (2012) (review granted Sept. 6, 2012, S204032). See my June 5, 2012 post on Iskanian. Meanwhile, the Courts of Appeal must still deal with cases that present those issues, sometimes skirting the issues. Our next case, Outland v. Macy’s Department Stores, Inc., A133589 (1st Dist. Div. 1 January 16, 2013) (Margulies, J., author) (unpublished), concerns a class action brought on behalf of California residents employed as group sales managers for Macy’s, alleging they were not compensated for overtime and for missed meal and rest periods, because they were improperly classified as exempt.
The trial court granted Macy’s motion to enforce an arbitration agreement with a class action waiver. Plaintiff appealed, contending that AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion, 131 S.Ct. 1740 (2011) was distinguishable, and that dismissal of her class claims could be avoid by relying upon Gentry v. Superior Court, 42 Cal.4th 443 (2007), and D.R. Horton, Inc., a decision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Courts that take the position that Gentry is still good law point out Gentry did not establish “a categorical rule that invalidates class action waivers – the type of rule that Concepcion condemned.” Franco v. Arakelian Enterprises, Inc., 211 Cal.App.4th 314, 368 (2012). See my November 27, 2012 post on Franco. Unfortunately for plaintiff here, however, “plaintiff did not submit any evidence to the trial court concerning the Gentry factors.” Thus, there was no basis on the record for finding the class action waiver unconscionable.
The Court also says, somewhat cryptically, that notwithstanding another decision, Truly Nolen of America v. Superior Court, 208 Cal.App.4th 487 (2012), recognizing that Concepcion was inconsistent with Gentry, “we conclude we must follow Concepcion.” See my August 13, 2012 post on Truly Nolen. It is unclear how following Gentry is necessarily inconsistent with Concepcion, because Concepcion does not abolish unconscionability as a defense to arbitration. In Outland, the Court explains that there is no basis in the record “for finding the class action waiver unconscionable.” But if application of the Gentry factors, based on evidence, had led to a finding that the class action waiver was unconscionable, how would that be inconsistent with Concepcion?
Finally, like a number of other courts (including the Iskanian court) that have considered the issue, the Court of Appeal was not persuaded by the ruling in D.R. Horton., a case that held that the NLRA barred mandatory waivers of class arbitration over wages, hours, and working conditions. A ruling by the NLRB was not binding on the California courts. Nor did the Court of Appeal believe that the NLRB has any special expertise in the area of arbitration and class action waivers.
Judgment affirmed.
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