Circuit Split

Supreme Court to Hear Case on Detainee Labor and Sovereign Immunity

On October 22, 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed by over 60,000 detainees of GEO Group’s Processing Immigration Center against GEO Group Inc. for violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and unjustly enriching itself under unlawful labor practices. The class of detainees alleged that they were forced into labor by threats of facing solitary confinement. They allege that they were forced to clean common areas, walls, floors, toilets, tables, chairs, and windows, as well as run the understaffed processing center for $1 a day. In 2017, the class was certified by the U.S. District Court […]

By Sasha Magruder|2025-06-09T09:50:19-04:00June 6th, 2025|Practice Areas: Class Action|Topics: Circuit Split, Class Action, Derivative sovereign immunity, EO Group lawsuit, Federal appeals court, supreme court 2025, Supreme Court appeal, Trafficking Victims Protection Act|

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Federal Courts Must Grant Requests for Stays Pending Arbitration

Last week, in Smith v. Spizzirri, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that a federal court must grant a party’s request for a stay while arbitration is pending. In Spizzirri, a group of delivery drivers sued their current and former employers in Arizona state court. The plaintiffs alleged they were misclassified as independent contracts and were denied benefits. The defendants removed the case to federal court. The defendants also moved to compel arbitration and dismiss the suit.

Plaintiffs agreed their claims are arbitrable but argued the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) only requires the court to stay, […]

By Stuart Davis|2024-05-21T09:20:05-04:00May 21st, 2024|Practice Areas: Class Action|Topics: Arbitration, Circuit Split, Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), Federal Court, Judicial Rulings, Legal Decision, Legal Process, Litigation, Smith v. Spizzirri, Supreme Court|

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