Home Health Franchisee Can’t Make Caregivers Arbitrate Wage Suit

A Griswold Home Care franchisee and its owner must litigate a home health aide’s proposed class claims for unpaid overtime and unlawful wage deductions, after a Connecticut federal court ruled that the relevant parties didn’t agree to arbitrate.

This arbitration agreement isn’t valid or enforceable because there’s no clear meeting of the minds about who it applies to, Judge Stefan R. Underhill of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut said Tuesday. The worker wasn’t reasonably certain about whom she was contracting with, the franchisee entity isn’t identified in the agreement, and the named defendants didn’t sign it. ...