A party can waive the contractual right to arbitrate.  Waiver is the “voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known right or conduct which implies the voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known right.”  Ship IV Harbour Island, LLC v. Boylan, 44 Fla. L. Weekly D831a (Fla. 5th DCA 2019) (citation and internal quotation omitted).  Thus, a party can waive its right to arbitrate a dispute by engaging in conduct inconsistent with the right to arbitrate.  One way a party can act inconsistently with the right to compel a dispute to arbitration is by engaging in discovery in litigation, particularly discovery as to the merits of the case.  See Ship IV Harbour Island, supra (after court ordered limited discovery regarding arbitration, party thereafter waived right to arbitration by engaging in discovery as to the merits of the dispute).    For this reason, if your desire is to preserve the integrity of a contractual arbitration provision, do not do anything inconsistent with this right such that you give the other party the argument that you waived the contractual right to arbitration.  

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.