Arbitration has found some favor in the construction industry with parties over the last decade in part because of its finality. Unlike civil litigation, the right to appeal an arbitrator’s award is extremely limited under the Mississippi Construction Arbitration Act, Miss. Code Ann. §11-15-101, et seq. The specific grounds for vacating an arbitrator’s award are set forth in Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-133(1). Click here to read Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-133(1).
The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently considered a challenge to an arbitrator’s award which was confirmed by the circuit court. (It appears from the opinion that the arbitration was governed by the Construction Industry Arbitration Rules for the American Arbitration Association.) The appellant objected to the arbitrator’s decision not to grant appellant a continuance when requested and also prohibiting appellant from introducing evidence that it had not produced during discovery. The Court found that the refusal to grant the continuance was justified by the appellant’s dilatory conduct in refusing to pay its half of the arbitration cost and its four changes in legal counsel. The Court also found the arbitrator acted within its authority when it denied appellant’s admission of evidence where it failed to produce any documents during the discovery period or prior to the arbitration.
Once again, the lesson to be learned is that while arbitration is a more informal proceeding than litigation, there are procedural rules that govern arbitration. When an arbitrator renders a decision on these procedural matters, the courts will be inclined to enforce such decision because of the extremely narrow scope of appellate review.
Arbitration has found some favor in the construction industry with parties over the last decade in part because of its finality. Unlike civil litigation, the right to appeal an arbitrator’s award is extremely limited under the Mississippi Construction Arbitration Act, Miss. Code Ann. §11-15-101, et seq. The specific grounds for vacating an arbitrator’s award are set forth in Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-133(1). Click here to read Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-133(1).
The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently considered a challenge to an arbitrator’s award which was confirmed by the circuit court. (It appears from the opinion that the arbitration was governed by the Construction Industry Arbitration Rules for the American Arbitration Association.) The appellant objected to the arbitrator’s decision not to grant appellant a continuance when requested and also prohibiting appellant from introducing evidence that it had not produced during discovery. The Court found that the refusal to grant the continuance was justified by the appellant’s dilatory conduct in refusing to pay its half of the arbitration cost and its four changes in legal counsel. The Court also found the arbitrator acted within its authority when it denied appellant’s admission of evidence where it failed to produce any documents during the discovery period or prior to the arbitration.
Once again, the lesson to be learned is that while arbitration is a more informal proceeding than litigation, there are procedural rules that govern arbitration. When an arbitrator renders a decision on these procedural matters, the courts will be inclined to enforce such decision because of the extremely narrow scope of appellate review.
