Catherwood LibraryILR School

In the Raiders first official response to the lawsuit filed by two of the team?s cheerleaders, the NFL franchise has revealed that within the cheerleaders? contracts is a clause that waives the women?s rights to sue the team in court. Instead of suing the team, cheerleaders who have a complaint or feel that their rights or contract has been violated must appeal to a binding arbitration with the NFL commissioner as arbitrator. The arbitration process leaves the rules of evidence, whether the sessions will be open or closed to the public and press, and whether the proceedings will be released or kept confidential afterwards within the judgment of the commissioner. The plaintiff?s lawyer has responded stating that taking ?all disputes? between cheerleaders and the Raiders to binding arbitration is an illegal clause in ?a contract full of illegal provisions?. Defeating the binding arbitration clause in California will require that the employees show that it contains ?unconscionable provisions?. Similar binding arbitration clauses can be found in more than 25% of U.S. companies.