Court Rejects Procedural Gambit
The appeals panel wasn’t convinced. Labeling the move another procedural stall in a long-running saga, the judges said the case remains firmly in the lower court’s hands.
During oral arguments, judges even floated whether the collateral order doctrine might justify appellate jurisdiction. But Alliance’s lawyers rejected that lifeline, insisting arbitration agreements alone were sufficient—a stance the court swiftly dismissed.
“Because Alliance has not demonstrated a permissible basis for us to exercise jurisdiction … we lack the authority to decide the merits of this appeal,” the decision concluded.
The Lawyers in the Fight
The plaintiffs are represented by Anne T. Regan and Brian W. Nelson of Hellmuth & Johnson PLLC and Steve McCann of Ball & McCann PC.
Alliance’s legal team includes Nicole M. Moen, Haley L. Waller Pitts, Patrick D.J. Mahlberg, Aron J. Frakes, and Samuel M. Andre of Fredrikson & Byron PA.
The Eighth Circuit panel was composed of Judges James B. Loken, Ralph R. Erickson, and Jonathan A. Kobes.
