08-29-16

Do I Need a Transcript of My Arbitration Hearing?

By Christopher Solop


Generally, most attorneys would say that you do not need a transcript of an arbitration hearing. However, there are exceptions–one of which was made apparent in a recent decision by the Mississippi Court of Appeals. In The City of Hattiesburg v. Precision Construction, LLC [Link to Decision] the City of Hattiesburg ("the City") attempted to challenge an arbitration award to Precision Construction, LLC ("Precision") alleging evident and material miscalculations in the award after Precision had filed a motion to confirm an arbitration award in its favor. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-123 provides that a party may request reconsideration of the arbitration award under limited circumstances if the request is made "within twenty (20) days of the receipt of the award". In response to Precision’s motion to confirm, the City filed a motion to amend, modify and/or correct the arbitration award under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-15-135. The trial court affirmed the award to Precision and the City appealed.

The City’s appeal of the award to Precision was unavailing in part due to the absence of a record.

…[T]here is no record of the arbitration hearing, so we cannot know whether the documents on which the City now relies were even presented at the hearing. The arbitrator’s decision indicates that no such argument was made. The concept of an "evident miscalculation" presupposes that the parties presented the arbitrator with evidence from which a "correct" calculation could have been made. If his calculations were consistent with the evidence and argument presented, then there is no miscalculation. Because there is no record of the hearing, it is impossible for us to say that the arbitrator made an "evident miscalculation." See Godeau v. Picheloup Constr. Co., 567 So.2d 697, 800 (La. Ct. App. 1990).

It may, therefore, be prudent to request a transcript of an arbitration hearing as a precautionary measure in the event a challenge to the arbitrator’s award is necessary.