Rushing, et al. v. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., et al. — 9th Cir. (Sep 3, 2026)
The Ninth Circuit considers whether some members of a class action over Williams-Sonoma's thread-count advertising must arbitrate. Federal law allows an immediate appeal from an order refusing to compel arbitration, so the court first must decide whether the district judge issued such an order or merely maintained the class definition. On the merits, the judge found Williams-Sonoma had not shown which screens consumers saw or when, and that its links to contract terms were not conspicuous enough. Williams-Sonoma will seek reversal; the plaintiffs will defend the ruling.
Rushing, et al. v. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., et al. (No. 25-5252) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued September 3, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/09/03/25-5252.mp3
Argument record — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-5252&hearingDate=2026-09-03
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://n76qzwo6zclpoahpmjr4buzwf40yjjly.lambda-url.us-west-2.on.aws/?date=2026-09-03&loc=SF
Appellate docket — PACER court record via Docket Alarm:https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/US_Court_of_Appeals_Ninth_Circuit/25-5252/Rushing_et_al._v._Williams-Sonoma_Inc._et_al/
Appealed district-court order — N.D. Cal. via Justia:https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2016cv01421/296909/382/0.pdf
2022 district-court order — N.D. Cal. via GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01421/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01421-19.pdf
In re Williams-Sonoma, Inc. — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/01/13/19-70522.pdf
9 U.S.C. § 16 — GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title9/pdf/USCODE-2024-title9-chap1-sec16.pdf
Van Dusen v. Swift Transportation Co. — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/07/26/15-15257.pdf
P. Craig Cardon — State Bar of California:https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/168646
Kevin Kamuf Green — State Bar of California:https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/180919
Opinion search — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://rf9ecr1p0i.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prod/opinions/search?q=25-5252
Memorandum search — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://xcglumg9bj.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prod/memoranda/search?q=25-5252
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