QUICK NOTE: COMPELLING ARBITRATION BASED ON EQUITABLE ESTOPPEL

Posted on March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 by Edward Garber

In the prior posting, I discussed arbitration provisions and to clearly and unmistakably include in the arbitration provision the person — judge or arbitrator — you want to determine the arbitrability of a given dispute.

In another posting, I discussed how the doctrine of equitable estoppel can be used by a non-signatory to a contract with an arbitration provision to compel arbitration or to compel a non-signatory to arbitration. This occurs “when a signatory to a contract containing the arbitration clause raises allegations of substantially interdependent and concerted misconduct by both a non-signatory [to the contract] and one or more of the signatories to the agreement.” Kratos Investments LLC v. ABS Healthcare Services, LLC, 46 Fla.L.Weekly D603a (Fla. 3d DCA 2021) (internal citations omitted).

Whether or not to include an arbitration provision in your contract is a dispute resolution consideration that should be factored in on the frontend. Further, whether or not to compel a given dispute to arbitration based on an arbitration provision (whether or not you are a non-signatory to the contract with the arbitration provision and want to raise equitable estoppel) is another dispute resolution consideration that should be factored in when the dispute arises. It is always best to consult with counsel during the contract drafting and negotiation process and when the dispute arises to best prepare for your dispute resolution options moving forward

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.

CLEARLY DETERMINING IN CONTRACT WHO DETERMINES ARBITRABILITY OF DISPUTE

Posted on March 27, 2021March 27, 2021 by Edward Garber

As you know from prior postings: “Arbitration provisions are creatures of contract and must be construed ‘as a matter of contract interpretation.’ ” Fallang Family Limited Partnership v. Privcap Companies, LLC, 46 Fla.L.Weekly D639e (Fla. 4^th DCA 2021) (citation omitted). Thus, if you prefer to arbitrate potential disputes, instead of litigating potential disputes, you want to include an arbitration provision in your contract. While there are positives and negatives to arbitration, no different than litigation, these positives and negatives should be considered during the contract negotiation process when dealing with the dispute resolution process in the contract.

Generally, under the law, the arbitrability of a dispute is determined by the court. However, this can be deferred to the arbitrator with clear and unmistakable language in the contract.

By way of example, the American Arbitration Association includes a rule that allows an arbitrator to rule on the arbitrability of the dispute, i.e., the claims asserted are subject to the governing arbitration provision in the contract. Recent law has suggested that if the objective is to authorize an American Arbitration Association arbitrator to make this determination, the contract clearly and unmistakably needs to state this intent and generally referring to the American Arbitration Association rules is not good enough. For this reason, I have included in arbitration provisions language that specifically states, “In the event of any dispute as to the arbitrability of any claim or dispute, the parties agree that an appointed arbitrator within the American Arbitration Association shall make this determination.” I have also included in arbitration provisions the converse so that if there is a dispute as to the arbitrability of a claim or dispute, the court, and not the arbitrator, will make this determination.

In Fallang Family Limited Partnership, the arbitration provision simply read: “In the event of any dispute under this agreement the parties agree to submit to binding arbitration in the state of Florida with a panel of one arbitrator. The arbitrator shall be chosen by the AAA [American Arbitration Association] and the AAA rules and procedure shall apply, and the arbitration will be governed by the law of the state of Florida.” A lawsuit was filed and the court compelled certain claims to arbitration finding that such claims were arbitrable; however, the court authorized the arbitrator to make the final determination as to the arbitrability of the claims.

As mentioned, the rules of the American Arbitration Association allow the arbitrator to rule on the arbitrability of claims subject to the arbitration provision. However, the simple arbitration provision did not clearly and unmistakably specify this intent. The Fourth District concluded “that the general reference to the ‘AAA rules’ in this case left ambiguity as to whether the arbitrator has authority to decide arbitrability to the exclusion of the trial court.” Fallang Family Limited Partnership, supra. Based on this ambiguity, the Fourth District held that the trial court’s ruling was right making the initial determination as to which claims were arbitrable with the final decision left to the arbitrator. Fallang Family Limited Partnership, supra (“[W]e conclude that the trial judge’s order in this case properly made a preliminary decision as to which counts of the complaint are covered by the arbitration agreement, based on a limited showing of the facts in this multiple count, factually complex case, and properly left the final decision as to what was arbitrable to the arbitrator.”).

The bottom line is that, naturally, it may not be the most efficient for the trial court to make a preliminary determination as to the arbitrability of the claim with a final decision left to the arbitrator. However, this ruling was due to the fact that the American Arbitration Association’s rules were incorporated into the contract but did NOT clearly and mistakably say that the arbitrator, and the arbitrator alone, would rule on the arbitrability of claims. For this reason, there is value taking the extra step in the contract to clearly and mistakably reflect this intent, one way or the other.

THE ARBITRATION PROVISION SHOULD DICTATE WHETHER JUDGE OR ARBITRATOR DECIDES ARBITRABILITY OF ISSUE

Posted on April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 by Edward Garber

An arbitration provision should specifically dictate whether you want a judge or arbitrator to decide the arbitrability of a claim or issue. The reality is, if you prefer your disputes to be resolved by arbitration, you should dictate that the arbitrator decides the arbitrability of issues or claims. This way the party opposing arbitration cannot try to circumvent this by having the judge decide, potentially altering the forum for disputes, and otherwise slowing down the dispute resolution process. The recent case discussed below highlights why specifying who decides the arbitrability of a claim or issue is worthy.

In Doe v. Natt, 45 Fla. L. Weekly D712a (Fla. 2d DCA 2020), involving an arbitration agreement in an Airbnb clickwrap agreement, the matter at-issue was who decides whether a dispute is arbitrable, i.e., subject to the arbitration provision, a judge or the arbitrator. (A clickwrap agreement is an online agreement we enter into with a company that requires us to click “I agree” boxes to proceed. We have all entered into one.) The arbitration provision required the parties to proceed to arbitration with the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”):

Arbitration Rules and Governing Law. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect, except as modified by this Dispute Resolution section. (The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org/arb_med or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879.) The Federal Arbitration Act will govern the interpretation and enforcement of this section.

AAA’s rules (whether dealing with a commercial or construction dispute) provide, “The arbitrator shall have the power to rule on his or her own jurisdiction, including any objections with respect to the existence, scope or validity of the arbitration agreement or the arbitrability of any claim or counterclaim.” In other words, the arbitrator determines the arbitrability of a claim.

However, the Second District Court of Appeal focused on the fact that the arbitration provision at-issue did not specifically state the arbitrator is to decide issues of arbitrability and AAA’s rules were not attached to the clickwrap agreement. And, while other appellate courts that have found that an arbitrator determines arbitrability when AAA’s rules have been incorporated by reference into an arbitration provision, the Second District disagreed with those holdings finding that generally incorporating AAA’s rules was too general and ambiguous as to who decides the arbitrability of a dispute:

We hold that the clickwrap agreement’s arbitration provision and the AAA rule it references that addresses an arbitrator’s authority to decide arbitrability did not, in themselves, arise to “clear and unmistakable” evidence that the parties intended to remove the court’s presumed authority to decide such questions. The evidence on what these parties may have agreed to about the “who decides” arbitrability question was ambiguous; therefore, the court retained its presumed authority to decide the arbitrability dispute.

Doe, supra.

To avoid this generality or ambiguity, and arbitration provision should unmistakably dictate whether a judge or arbitrator decides the arbitrability of a claim or issue.

YOU CANNOT ARBITRATE CLAIMS NOT COVERED BY THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT

Posted on December 21, 2019December 21, 2019 by Edward Garber

Regardless of the type of contract you are dealing with, “[a]rbitration provisions are contractual in nature, and therefore, construction of such provisions and the contracts in which they appear is a matter of contract interpretation.” Wiener v. Taylor Morrison Services, Inc., 44 Fla. L. Weekly D3012f (Fla. 1^st DCA 2019). This means if you want to preserve your right to arbitrate claims you want to make sure your contract unambiguously expresses this right. Taking this one step further, if you want to make sure an arbitrator, and not the court, determines whether the claim is arbitrable if a dispute arises, you want to make sure that right is expressly contained in the arbitration provision.

For example, in Wiener, a homeowner sued a home-builder for violation of the building code – a fairly common claim in a construction defect action. The homeowner’s claim dealt with a violation of building code as to exterior stucco deficiencies. The home-builder moved to compel the lawsuit to arbitration based on a structural warranty it provided to the homeowner that contained an arbitration provision. The structural warranty, however, was limited and did not apply to non-load-bearing elements which, per the warranty, were not deemed to have the potential for a major structural defect (e.g., a structural defect to load-bearing elements that would cause the home to be unsafe or inhabitable). The trial court compelled the dispute to arbitration pursuant to the arbitration provision in the structural warranty.

But, the First District Court of Appeal held the trial court was wrong to compel the dispute to arbitration. Why? The homeowner did not sue the home-builder for a breach of the structural warranty. Even if the homeowner was trying to navigate around the structural warranty, the warranty was limited in nature and would NOT apply to a claim dealing with defective stucco, which is not a load-bearing issue, to say the least. See Wiener, supra (“[C]onsidering the plain meaning of the structural warranty agreement, the [plaintiff’s] complaint does not raise claims subject to arbitration under that agreement.”). The home-builder could not have its cake and eat it too — it could not exclude claims from the warranty and then try to arbitrate those very excluded claims per an arbitration provision in the warranty.

Here, the issue of whether the claim was arbitrable (subject to arbitration), was decided by the court, as it typically is. The arbitrability of a claim is typically a question for the court. Wiener, supra. This does not mean that it needs to be that way. Parties can clearly include in their arbitration provision that the determination of the arbitrability of a claim is a determination for an arbitrator, and not the court.

SUPREME COURT HOLDS ARBITRATOR CAN FULLY DECIDE THRESHOLD ARBITRABILITY ISSUE

Posted on January 19, 2019April 24, 2020 by Edward Garber

The United States Supreme Court recently decided parties to a contract can agree, under the Federal Arbitration Act, an arbitrator, rather than a court, can fully resolve the initial arbitrability question. Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer and White Sales, Inc., 2019 WL 122164 (2019). The arbitrability question is whether the dispute itself is subject to arbitration under an arbitration provision. Parties that do not want to arbitrate try to circumvent this process by filing a lawsuit and asking the court to determine the threshold arbitrability question.

In Henry Schein, Inc., the contract at-issue provided:

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina. Any dispute arising under or related to this Agreement (except for actions seeking injunctive relief and disputes related to trademarks, trade secrets, or other intellectual property) shall be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. The place of arbitration shall be in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The plaintiff in this case asserted a claim for injunctive relief (among other claims) and argued that, therefore, the dispute is not subject to arbitration based on the exception in the provision. The initial, threshold issue became whether the dispute was subject to arbitration and, importantly, who decides this issue. The Court further looked at whether a trial court can resolve this issue under the “wholly groundless” exception, i.e.,the court can decide the issue if the argument for arbitration is wholly groundless.

The Supreme Court held that, “[w]hen the parties’ contract delegates the arbitrability question to an arbitrator, a court may not override the contract. In those circumstances, a court possesses no power to decide the arbitrability issue. That is true even if the court thinks that the argument that the arbitration agreement applies to a particular dispute is wholly groundless.” Henry Schein, Inc, supra, at *4. Through this ruling, the Court rejected the wholly groundless exception that would allow a trial court to rule on an threshold arbitrability question if the argument for arbitration is wholly groundless.

The Court did not rule as to whether the arbitration provision at-issue delegated the arbitrability question to the arbitrator. However, the American Arbitration Association’s rules provide that arbitrators have the power to resolve such threshold arbitrability questions so there is an argument that the provision through reference to the American Arbitration Association gave this authority to the arbitrator. But, the best thing to do, as always, is to be clear. Include language in the arbitration provision that specifically states that an arbitrator is authorized to decide the arbitrability of issues, particularly if it is your arbitration provision and you want disputes resolved by arbitration. Conversely, if you want the initial, threshold issue of arbitrability to be decided by a court, make sure to specify that in the provision.