The U.S. Supreme Court has clarified that a federal trial court that stays a case under the Federal Arbitration Act may remain involved in the case after arbitration occurs to confirm or vacate the award, even if the post-arbitration request would not independently qualify for federal court jurisdiction. The Court’s ruling in Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties resolved a circuit split over where parties must go to confirm or challenge an arbitration award after a case is stayed.
For employers, the decision makes the arbitration process more straightforward by clarifying that when a federal court stays a case for arbitration, an employer may return to that same court to seek confirmation of the award or respond to a motion to vacate it, rather than litigating that issue elsewhere.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.