The Arbitration Agreement You Signed With Someone Else

You signed an arbitration agreement when the staffing agency placed you.  Months later, something happened at the actual job site, not with the agency, with the company you showed up to every day.

When you tried to raise the issue, that company pointed at the paper you signed with someone else’s name at the top and said you had to arbitrate.

It’s a pattern worth recognizing.  Many workers assume that any agreement they signed, with anyone, at any point in the placement process, locks them into arbitration everywhere, including with a company that never actually signed it.

It might not work that way.  In May 2026, the California Court of Appeal held in Toothman v. Redwood Toxicology Laboratory, Inc. that a company could not enforce an arbitration agreement the worker had signed only with the staffing agency that originally placed him.  The company was neither a signatory to that agreement nor a corporate affiliate of the agency, and the agreement did not extend to the later period when the worker became a direct employee of the company itself.

If a company you never signed anything directly with is telling you that you’re locked out of court, that’s a question worth asking someone about, not assuming.

The facts of how the placement was structured, and what the agreement actually says, determine whether that argument holds up.

Contact Michael Trust Law, APC for a no-charge initial consultation.  The facts determine whether you have a claim — and how much of a conversation that takes.

This post shares general information based on common patterns I see in California workplaces.  It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and outcomes depend on specific facts — no lawyer can guarantee a result.  Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes.  AI may have been used to create this post.  All content reviewed by a CA attorney before publication.