Plaintiffs Win Big for Defendants in High Court Arbitration Case

The plaintiffs in the Smith v. Spizzirri employment law case prevailed 9-0. But in virtually all cases, it’s defendants who will benefit from the US Supreme Court’s May 16 holding—that Section 3 of the Federal Arbitration Act requires a stay of pending litigation when the underlying dispute is subject to arbitration and a party requests a stay. And that result is fully consistent with the text and structure of the statute.