State's top court overruled by U.S. Supreme Court
BY CHRIS CASTEEL NewsOK.com
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
11/27/12 at 6:25 AM
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Oklahoma Supreme Court failed to follow federal law last year when it got involved in a contract dispute that should have been settled by an arbitrator.
In an unsigned decision, the nation's high court reversed the Oklahoma court and ordered new proceedings in a case involving two former employees of an oil and gas well service company.
The employees had contracts with stipulations regarding working for the company's competitors, and the contracts required disputes to be resolved by an arbitrator. After the employees quit the company and went to work for a competitor, they were served with a demand for arbitration.
The workers filed suit in Johnston County, but a judge there ruled that their contracts had valid arbitration clauses. The Oklahoma Supreme Court, however, took the workers' appeal and, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, failed to adhere to the Federal Arbitration Act and high court decisions regarding the act.
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Original Print Headline: Top state court overruled by U.S. Supreme Court
ccasteel@opubco.com
