The Fourth Circuit found this week that the Dodd-Frank Act did not override all arbitration agreements between publicly-traded employers and their employees. Santoro v. Accenture Federal Servs., LLC, 2014 WL 1759072 (4th Cir. May 5, 2014).  Instead, “where the plaintiff is not pursuing Dodd-Frank whistleblower claims, neither [section of the Dodd-Frank Act] overrides the FAA’s mandate that arbitration agreements are enforceable.”

This case involved the termination of a 66-year-old Accenture employee.  The employee sued for age discrimination and Accenture moved to compel arbitration.  The employee opposed the motion, arguing that the arbitration provision in his employment agreement was void under the Dodd-Frank Act.  The district court granted the motion to compel arbitration and the Fourth Circuit affirmed.

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