United States: Petitioners In FAA Preemption Case Receive Support Of Industry Groups In Brief Filed By Ballard Spahr With Supreme Court

On June 11, the American Bankers Association and the Consumer Bankers Association, represented by Ballard Spahr, filed an amicus brief in support of a petition for certiorari asking the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit's ruling in HRB Tax Group, Inc. v. Snarr that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt California's McGill rule. The amicus brief argues that review should be granted to preserve consumer-friendly procedures for resolving disputes and to ensure that courts uniformly apply the FAA as interpreted by the Court in decisions such as Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion and Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela.

The petition for certiorari, filed on May 10, argues that the McGill rule is inconsistent with fundamental precepts of the FAA and that a conflict has emerged in the federal courts on whether the FAA preempts the McGill rule. The respondent's brief is due July 12.

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