California’s Code of Civil Procedure Provisions Governing International Arbitration Differ From Ordinary Domestic Arbitration Provisions
With this post, we inaugurate a new sidebar category: “Arbitration: International.”
Comerica Bank v. Howsam, et al. Case No. B232749 (2nd Dist. Div. 5 August 20, 2012) (Turner, P.J., author)(partially published) involves appeals from orders confirming three international arbitration awards. The underlying disputes concerned Comerica Bank’s loans totaling $37 million to Mr. Howsam, a Canadian resident, and various Canadian corporations controlled by him. The loans were to fund the production of seven films. The loans, which the bank alleged had been obtained through fraud, were not repaid. The bank initiated legal action, and several defendants moved to compel arbitration. The arbitrator found in favor of the bank, the superior court denied a motion to vacate the awards (vacatur), and appeals followed.
The Court of Appeal affirmed across the board, after addressing four issues.
First, the Court of Appeal discussed whether the arbitrator’s failure to timely disclose an alleged disqualifying factor – he had once had signature authority for a client on a Comerica Bank account – is a proper vacatur ground (i.e., a ground upon which the trial court judge could have vacated the arbitration award). However, the failure to timely disclose potential disqualifying circumstances, as required by “Arbitration and Conciliation of International Commercial Disputes” provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, specifically, section 1297.121, simply is not a ground for vacatur under section 1286.2(a)(6)(A) , the ground relied upon by Defendants, and governing vacatur by the trial judge of an arbitration award. Therefore, the trial judge did not err by failing to vacate an award on the basis of a disqualifying factor in international arbitrations that is not a basis for vacatur under 1286.2(a). The Court of Appeal notes, however, that failure of the arbitrator to disclose disqualifying factors in an international arbitration is not immune to review – but it requires following a different procedural path: “A litigant remains free to raise the failure to disclose issue in a writ petition.” Beware: trap for the unwary.
Second, the Court of Appeal concluded that the award was not secured by corruption, fraud, or other undue means. Billing errors of the arbitrator had no bearing on the outcome, and were explainable by procedural complexities “with fast moving substantive changes being pursued by both sides.”
Third, the award did not result from a manifest disregard of the law – an issue forfeited in any case by Defendants who withdrew from the arbitration and who therefore failed to raise the point before the arbitrator.
Fourth, the arbitrator did not exceed his power when he decided alter ego issues. The rules of the arbitral organization (Independent Film & Television Alliance) and Code of Civ. Proc. section 1297.161, providing that in international arbitration, the arbitrator may rule on his or her own jurisdiction, allowed him to do decide alter ego issues.
COMMENT: We gleaned interesting tidbits from this case.
First, title 9.3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, entitled “Arbitration and Conciliation of Commercial Disputes”, sections 1297.11 et seq., while similar to domestic arbitration provisions, also differs substantially in some respects, for reasons that are not intuitively obvious. For example, “the disclosure duties and the consequences of a failure to disclose differ in domestic and international arbitrations.” Therefore, if you have a case involving international arbitration, we urge you to read Cal. Code of Civ. Proc. sections 1297.11 et seq. Comerica Bank v. Howsam will also be a useful case to read.
Second,”federal Courts of Appeals are divided as to whether the arbitrator’s manifest disregard of the law remains a basis for vacatur in federal court . . . . But one thing is clear, an arbitrator’s manifest disregard of the law is not a ground for vacatur under California law.”
Comments