Magadia v. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., No. 19-16184, 2021 WL 2176584 (9th Cir., May 28, 2021) - Summary: An employee lacks Article III standing to bring a PAGA claim in.
Seyfarth Synopsis:
The Court of Appeal affirmed an order denying an employer’s motion to compel arbitration because the employer failed to authenticate the employee’s electronic signature on the arbitration agreement. Bannister v. Marinidence Opco, LLC.
Facts
Maureen Bannister was an office worker at a skilled nursing facility for three decades before the facility was purchased by Marinidence. When she lost her job a year later, she sued Marinidence for discrimination, retaliation, and defamation. Marinidence moved to compel enforcement of the arbitration agreement that Bannister apparently had signed electronically while completing her new employee paperwork for Marinidence.
Marinidence showed that Bannister, to access the online onboarding portal, would have had to enter her name, social security number, and Marinidence’s “Client ID” and pin code (which was the same for all employees). Marinidence also showed that a W-4 tax withholding form and an emergency-contact