Consumer Arbitration Agreements: 5.6.3.3.3 Equitable estoppel or third-party beneficiary status as grounds to enforce arbitration requirement
When the language of an arbitration agreement does not allow debt collectors and collection attorneys to enforce the arbitration requirement, they may try to enforce the arbitration agreement under an equitable estoppel argument. However, courts find this doctrine generally applies only when the consumer has alleged interdependent and concerted misconduct between the creditor (who is a signatory to and can enforce the arbitration requirement) and the non-signatory collection agency.455