However, if a plaintiff unwittingly entered into an arbitration agreement due to coercion or deception, or if the terms of the arbitration agreement undermine the plaintiff's ability to vindicate their rights, courts can and sometimes do step in and invalidate the contract.
More broadly, courts will find arbitration agreements substantively unconscionable if they effectively limit a party's ability to assert their legal rights. For example, if an arbitration agreement limits the types of claims, or the remedies, that a party can assert, it may be held substantively unconscionable.
Although arbitration is encouraged as a preferred method of resolving disputes, arbitration agreements may be deemed unenforceable by courts where they are found to violate basic contract principles or exhibit traits of unconscionability.
If the arbitration agreement is claimed to be invalid based on reasons such as error, fraud, or threat, the validity of the arbitration agreement will be governed by the law chosen by the parties, and in the absence of a choice of law, the law of the place of arbitration applied.
The following matters shall be excluded from arbitration under this Agreement: (i) any disputes involving third Persons; (ii) breach of confidentiality by either Party; and (iii) intellectual property claims, whether initiated by third Persons or by one of the Parties to this Agreement.
Escalation (or multi-tier dispute resolution) clauses are commonly found in commercial contracts. For example, an agreement may require the parties to enter into good faith negotiation, mediation, conciliation and/or adjudication before an arbitration can be commenced.
Arbitration is the most commonly used method of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and you'll find an arbitration clause in the fine print of all kinds of contracts these days.
The arbitrator's final decision on the case is called the “award.” This is like a judge's or jury's decision in a court case. Once the arbitrator decides that all of the parties' evidence and arguments have been presented, the arbitrator will close the hearings. This means no more evidence or arguments will be allowed.
The parties should consider adding: “The number of arbitrators shall be (one or three)”; • “The place of arbitration shall be city, (province or state), country”; • “The language(s) of the arbitration shall be ___.” The model negotiation-arbitration clause above provides a single negotiation “step”.
The arbitrator listens to both sides, looks at the evidence you've sent in and decides what the outcome should be. In some cases, the arbitrator may choose to have several meetings with you both. When the arbitrator makes a decision, this is called an award and it's legally binding.