Cintas Corporation, et al. v. Raymond Hawkins, et al.
Arbitration ERISA LaborRelations Privacy
Whether an agreement to arbitrate claims against an ERISA plan's fiduciaries under Section 502(a)(2) of ERISA is enforceable without regard to whether the plan is a party to the agreement
QUESTION PRESENTED Cintas Corporation sponsors a defined contribution retirement plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Respondents are former Cintas employees who participated in the Cintas retirement plan. In their employment contracts with Cintas, respondents agreed that “all of [their] rights or claims arising out of or in any way related to [their] employment with” Cintas, “such as rights or claims arising under ... the Employee Retirement Income Security Act,” shall be resolved through arbitration. Respondents later filed a complaint in federal court asserting claims under Section 502(a)(2) of ERISA, which authorizes any “participant, beneficiary or fiduciary” of a retirement plan to sue the plan’s fiduciaries for breach of their fiduciary duties. The question presented is: Whether an agreement to arbitrate claims against an ERISA plan’s fiduciaries under Section 502(a)(2) of ERISA is enforceable without regard to whether the plan is a party to the agreement. (i)