[20180531]LSB10142_最高法院的一项重大裁决：最高法院规定雇员集体诉讼豁免可强制执行.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i An Epic Decision from the Supreme Court: The Supreme Court Rules Employee Class Action Waivers Are Enforceable May 31, 2018 Can agreements between employers and employees to arbitrate their disputes in lieu of class action lawsuits and other collective actions be enforced in court? In Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, decided on May 21, 2018, the Supreme Court answered in the affirmative, holding that the Federal Arbitration Act of 1925 (FAA) generally requires the enforcement of arbitration agreements between employers and employees, even when such agreements preclude actions brought collectively by employees against their employer. Epic Systems, although focused on employment contracts, implicates a broader debate about the efficacy of arbitration agreements, particularly in the class action context. The case is the latest in a series of 5-4 decisions from the Court applying the FAA to enforce the application of a bilateral arbitration clause waiving class or collective proceedings. Each of these cases turned on the Courts view that arbitration is fundamentally an informal, bilateral procedure, a