Rent-A-Center v. Jackson

Antonio Jackson (plaintiff) signed a Mutual Agreement to Arbitrate Claims (Agreement) as a condition of his employment with Rent-A-Center, West, Inc. (Rent-A-Center) (defendant). The Agreement required arbitration of all employment disputes and separately delegated to the arbitrator, rather than a court, the power to decide whether the Agreement itself was enforceable. When Jackson later sued Rent-A-Center for employment discrimination, Rent-A-Center moved to compel arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), and Jackson opposed, arguing the Agreement as a whole was unconscionable. The district court found Jackson hadn't properly challenged the specific arbitration agreement, but the Ninth Circuit reversed.