In a recent Commercial Division case, Justice Elizabeth H. Emerson was asked to determine whether certain parties were bound by an arbitration clause and whether that arbitration clause applied to a particular controversy—two questions typically determined by the court. Then why did Justice Emerson defer these questions to the arbitrator? The answer requires a close
Commercial Division Holds Nonsignatories Are Bound By Agreement’s Arbitration Clause
“Read before you sign”, is what we counsel our clients, since we all know that courts will bind one contractually to a signed agreement even if not read. But, what if you never signed the agreement? Can you still be bound by it? In earlier blogs — here and here — we addressed this very
Vacating An Arbitration Award: Part II
You may have recently read on this blog that “vacating an arbitration award is an uphill battle.” As my colleague Hamutal G. Lieberman discussed, there are only two instances when an arbitration award may be vacated: (1) instances involving fraud, corruption or misconduct of the arbitrators or (2) where an arbitration award exhibits
Law firm’s “no poaching” agreement escapes judicial review, and heads to arbitration
Neil Sedaka was right. “Breaking up is hard to do.” It’s no easier for law firms. The saga over the departure of key partners from Quinn Emanuel continues, but this time in arbitration, not the courts.
Justice Saliann Scarpulla was faced with a motion by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to dismiss
CAN A NON-SIGNATORY BE COMPELLED TO ARBITRATE CLAIMS?
Your client who was just subpoenaed to provide documents in an arbitration, advises you, but with confidence says “But we did not agree to arbitrate, so I can ignore this, right?” After some discussion, your client agrees it’s in her best interest to comply with the subpoena, but only after you promise she
Those Seeking to Vacate An Arbitration Award Face An Uphill Battle
You’ve just represented a client in an arbitration proceeding…and lost. The client wants to “appeal” the decision. Now what? The only remedy your client has is to request that the court vacate or modify the arbitration award. However, this is no small task.
A recent decision by New York County Commercial Division Justice Charles E.
Court Confirms Arbitration Award Against Respondent Who Failed to Check Her Mail
A recent decision out of the Suffolk County Commercial Division underscores the importance of staying on top of your mail if you plan on leaving New York for an extended period of time. Last week, in Matter of New Brunswick Theological Seminary v Van Dyke, 2018 NY Slip Op 51204(U), Justice Emerson confirmed
No Privity? No Problem!
ay a stranger to an arbitration agreement compel arbitration against its signatories? According to the Second Department in Degraw Construction Group v McGowan Builders, Inc., 2017 NY Slip Op 05580 (2nd Dept July 12, 2017), the answer is “sometimes”: a plaintiff cannot avoid arbitration with a company by substituting the company’s employees as
It’s Sweet to be NutraSweet: Commercial Division Overturns Arbitration Award Entered in Favor of Would-be Seller of Aspartame Business to Iconic Artificial Sweetener Brand
As any seasoned commercial litigator knows, courts are generally loathe to overturn the independent decisions of arbitrators.
New York County Commercial Division Justice Charles E. Ramos recently examined the standard for doing so in Daesang Corp. v NutraSweet Co., a dispute arising from Daesang Corporation’s attempted $79,250,000 sale of its aspartame business to iconic