For Halloween, an illusory arbitration clause

Employer sought to enforce two arbitration agreements in an employee handbook, which also gave Employer the right to unilaterally “supersede, modify, or eliminate existing policies.”  Scuderio v. Radio One of Texas II, LLC, No. 13-20114 (Oct. 24, 2013, unpublished).  Applying In re 24R, Inc., 324 S.W.3d 564 (Tex. 2010), the Fifth Circuit noted a distinction between an arbitration clause that is in a separate instrument from a handbook with such a provision, and a clause that is part of the handbook.  Here, “because the arbitration provision is in the handbook that contains the language allowing the employer to unilaterally revise the handbook, the agreement to arbitrate is illusory and unenforceable.”  See also Carey v. 24 Hour Fitness, 669 F.3d 202 (5th Cir. 2012) (finding another arbitration provision illusory in an employment setting).