Best Buy Gets to Arbitrate Ex-Employee’s Gender, Age Bias Claims

Best Buy Co. is entitled to arbitration of a former employee’s age and gender discrimination claims, because she electronically assented to the retailer’s arbitration policy, a federal court said.

Case precedent and Illinois law recognize the ability of workers to electronically accept employment contracts that include arbitration provisions, said Judge David W. Dugan of the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in a Tuesday order. While Dugan granted Best Buy’s motion to compel arbitration and stayed the case while it’s arbitrated, he rejected Best Buy’s request to dismiss the matter.

When Alica K. Bergman submitted an online ...