GableGotwals Secures Federal Court Victory Upholding Arbitration Award

March 20, 2026 |Plaintiffs tried to unwind our arbitration win in federal court. It didn’t work.

GableGotwals recently secured a significant victory in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, where the court refused to vacate an employment arbitrator’s orders and dismissed the challenge with prejudice.

Here’s why this matters beyond a single case:

Our top-ranked employment law and litigation team has been working with a multi-state employer to strengthen and operationalize its mandatory employment arbitration program as part of a broader strategy to reduce the risk, cost, and disruption of employment claims. That strategy has been paying off, including in a recent arbitration of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims, where the arbitrator ordered the matter to remain strictly confidential.

An aggressive plaintiffs’ firm from Ohio then filed in federal court to attack that confidentiality order, arguing it violated the FLSA and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The court rejected the attempt to undo the arbitrator’s rulings and closed the case for good.

Key takeaway: When thoughtfully designed and properly implemented, employment arbitration programs can be a powerful risk-management tool helping employers resolve disputes more efficiently. Arbitration can control costs and reduce the collateral business disruption that often comes with public litigation. And you can often maximize confidentiality of the dispute, thus averting PR nightmares.

Kudos to Chris Thrutchley, SHRM-SCP, Justin Lollman, and Amy Fogleman for their outstanding work securing this result.

About GableGotwals
GableGotwals® is a full-service law firm with more than 100 attorneys and 70 other business professionals in Oklahoma and Texas. We represent a diversified client base across the nation, and our connections and reach are global. Fortune 500 corporations, privately owned companies, entrepreneurs, foundations, and individuals entrust us every day with the stewardship and strategic management of their legal challenges.