Domingo v. Ameriquest Mortgage Co.
Domingo v. Ameriquest Mortgage Co.
Opinion of the Court
Carla H. Domingo appeals the district court’s grant of Ameriquest Mortgage Company’s (“Ameriquest”) motion to compel arbitration and its dismissal of her case. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.
A contract of adhesion is unenforceable under Hawaii law if: (1) it resulted from “coercive bargaining between parties of unequal bargaining strength; and (2)[it] unfairly limits the obligations and liabilities of, or otherwise unfairly advantages, the stronger party.”
Hawaii courts recognize that contracts for hire are often “take-it-or-leave-it” style contracts of adhesion satisfying the first prong of Hawaii’s test.
As for the second prong, we conclude that three provisions of the arbitration agreement “unfairly limit[ ] the obligations and liabilities of, or otherwise unfairly advantage, the stronger party”:
We examine the forum selection clause for unconscionability as of the time the parties executed the agreement.
The discovery provisions — in particular, the provision governing depositions — unfairly advantages Ameriquest as well. Ameriquest will generally have no more than one person to depose: the claimant.
When viewed in tandem with the discovery provisions, the provision allowing for motions for summary judgment also works to the employee’s disadvantage. Lacking the ability to conduct adequate discovery, the employee will almost never be in a position to move for summary judgment. She will, however, be quite vulnerable to such motions on the part of Ameriquest. And Ameriquest will be in a far better position to make such motions, as the witnesses to the allegedly wrongful action will generally be in its employ.
Thus, three provisions of the agreement strongly support our conclusion that the agreement is unconscionable. The exclusion of certain of Ameriquest’s otherwise arbitrable claims,
The remaining provisions Domingo cites neither support, nor undermine, our conclusion and have no affect on our analysis.
For the foregoing reasons, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
. The district court had jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332. Thus, in accord with its diversity jurisdiction and the relevant provision of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 2, the district court properly consulted generally applicable state contract law to resolve the dispute. See Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams, 279 F.3d 889, 892-93 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 535 U.S. 1112, 122 S.Ct. 2329, 153 L.Ed.2d 160 (2002).
. Circuit City, 279 F.3d at 892 n. 2.
. Moses H. Cone Mem’l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U.S. 1, 24, 103 S.Ct. 927, 74 L.Ed.2d 765 (1983).
. Brown v. KFC Nat’l Mgmt. Co., 82 Hawai’i 226, 921 P.2d 146, 167 (1996).
. Potter v. Haw. Newspaper Agency, 89 Hawai’i 411, 974 P.2d 51, 64 (1999); see Brown, 921 P.2d at 166-67.
. Brown, 921 P.2d at 166-67.
. Id. at 147.
. See Haw.Rev.Stat. § 490:2-302.
. See Pac. Reins. Mgmt. Corp. v. Ohio Reins. Corp., 935 F.2d 1019, 1022-23 (9th Cir. 1991) (arbitrators may issue, and courts may enforce, equitable and injunctive relief).
. The agreement exempts no claims of the employee that would otherwise be arbitrable. See Ferguson v. Countrywide Credit Indus., Inc., 298 F.3d 778, 784-85 n. 6 (9th Cir. 2002) (noting that workers compensation and unemployment have "their own adjudicatory systems” and that this fact renders them “an improper subject matter for arbitration”).
. See Potter, 974 P.2d at 64; Brown, 921 P.2d at 166-67.
. The panel appreciates counsel’s candid letter regarding the statute of limitations issue. It has resolved the panel’s concerns.
Concurring Opinion
concurring separately.
In Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams, 194 F.3d 1070 (9th Cir.), rev’d 532 U.S. 105, 121 S.Ct. 1302, 149 L.Ed.2d 234 (1999), this court held that employment contracts were beyond the reach of the Federal Arbitration Act. Upon reversal and remand by the Supreme Court, this court decided Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams, 279 F.3d 889 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 535 U.S. 1112, 122 S.Ct. 2329, 153 L.Ed.2d 160 (2002). There the Ninth Circuit held that, as employment contracts are generally considered to be unconscionable contracts of adhesion, any arbitration clauses contained within them, judged to be unfair by a court, render them unenforceable.
This circuit has the familiar stare decisis rule that one panel cannot overrule a prior panel’s holding. Sitting as a member of a panel of the Ninth Circuit, and, respecting stare decisis, I concur. Contra Musnick v. King Motor Co., 325 F.3d 1255 (11th Cir. 2003)(Hill, J.).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.