LA Fitness’s Arbitration Push Revived by Appeals Court

A trial judge failed to properly explain why it shut down a popular gym chain’s effort to arbitrate a worker’s sexual harassment lawsuit, a New Jersey appeals court said April 10.

The trial judge issued a one-sentence order when it denied LA Fitness’s motion to dismiss Nikki Cordero’s workplace sexual harassment lawsuit and compel arbitration. The order denying reconsideration was similarly brief.

A scant handful of sentences aren’t sufficient for legal decisions, the New Jersey Superior Court’s Appellate Division said in its April 10 per curiam opinion.

Parties to the suit and reviewing courts aren’t able analyze such taciturn ...