Gonzalez

BACKGROUND

A. Arbitration Agreement Nowhere Santa Monica and eight other Nowhere LLCs operate nine organic grocery stores and cafes known as Erewhon in the Los Angeles area. A tenth LLC, Nowhere Holdco, is their managing member. Gonzalez worked for Nowhere Santa Monica at its Erewhon market for approximately five months. As a condition of employment, Gonzalez entered into an individual (i.e., non-class) arbitration agreement with Nowhere Santa Monica which provided that any dispute “between Nowhere Santa Monica, LLC DBA Erewhon-Santa Monica” and Gonzalez relating to his employment would be submitted to arbitration, including any claims for “compensation, wages, claims alleging failure to compensate for all hours worked, failure to pay overtime, failure to pay minimum wage, failure to reimburse expenses, failure to pay wages upon termination,

2 failure to provide accurate and itemized wage statements, failure to provide meal and/or rest breaks, entitlement to waiting time penalties and/or other claims involving employee wages, [or] benefits.” B. Complaint On May 25, 2022, Gonzalez filed suit against the ten Nowhere entities, defining as “Defendants” those ten entities plus…