The US Supreme Court held on Wednesday that under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) an ambiguous contract could not compel parties to submit to class arbitration.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court reversed the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Writing the opinion for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts stated that “arbitration is strictly a matter of consent” and without Lamp Plus’ express consent to class arbitration it would be improper to compel them to engage in it.
