SHELLE HARDIN, Plaintiff-Appellee/Cross-Appellant, v. FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., d/b/a FIRST CASH AUTO PAWN, Defendant-Appellant/Cross-Appellee., 465 F.3d 470

Summary

The employer created a Dispute Resolution Program (DRP), which required its employees to submit all employment-related legal disputes to arbitration. The DRP provided that participation became mandatory after March 1, 2003, and an employee's continued employment constituted acceptance of the terms of the DRP. The employee did not sign the agreement and told her supervisor that her continued employment was not intended to serve as her assent. The appellate court determined that the district court properly granted the employer's motion to stay pending appeal because the employer's appeal automatically divested the district court of jurisdiction. Appellate jurisdiction existed because the district court issued a final order under 9 U.S.C.S. § 4 of the FAA. The appellate court determined that the employee's continued employment after March 1 constituted acceptance of the terms of the arbitration agreement because the employee's refusal to abide by the terms of the arbitration agreement ...