Nearly ten years after arbitration proceedings commenced involving a claim arising from the purchase and sale of various insurance companies, the Texas Supreme Court vacated the $26 million arbitration award entered against Americo Life, Inc. et. al. (“Americo”) in favor of Robert L. Myer and Strider Marketing Group, Inc. (“Myer”) and reversed the Court of Appeal’s judgment, finding that the arbitration panel exceeded its authority because the panel was formed contrary to the express terms of the arbitration agreement. The arbitration clause contained in the agreement between Americo and Myers provided for a tripartite arbitration, where each party appointed an arbitrator and the two arbitrators would select a third. Each arbitrator was to be a “knowledgeable, independent business person or professional.” The arbitration clause also provided that the arbitration proceedings “shall be conducted in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). At the time the agreement was executed, AAA rules did not require arbitrator impartiality, but by the time the arbitration was invoked, AAA rules required by default that any arbitrator shall be “impartial and independent…”
The issue in this case centered around the AAA striking the arbitrator selected by Americo on the basis the arbitrator was not impartial. America moved to vacate the award and argued that in disqualifying the arbitrator, the AAA failed to follow the arbitrator-selection process specified in the parties’ agreement because the parties never agreed that the arbitrators must be “impartial.” The Texas Supreme Court agreed.
First, the Texas Supreme Court rejected Myer’s argument that the term “independent”, which was contained in the parties’ agreement, was the same as the term “impartial.” The Court then turned to the question of whether the incorporation by reference of the AAA Rules also incorporated the impartiality requirement even though the requirement did not exist at the time the agreement was signed. The Americo Court held the impartiality requirement was not incorporated because it conflicted with the terms of the parties’ agreement. The parties agreed to arbitrators who were “knowledgeable” and “independent,” but not impartial. Thus, because the AAA impartiality rules conflicted with the parties’ agreement, the agreement controls over the AAA rules. Therefore, the AAA should not have disqualified Americo’s arbitrator on the grounds of impartiality and the arbitration panel exceeded its authority, requiring that the award be vacated. Americo Life, Inc. v. Myer, No. 12-0739 (Texas June 20, 2014).
This post written by Leonor Lagomasino.
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