Most questions of arbitrability can be resolved on motion, using a summary judgment-like standard. However, just like summary judgment, if there are genuine disputes of material fact about whether a claim must be arbitrated — like competing evidence about whether the parties ever formed an arbitration agreement — those should be determined by a trial.
In a beautifully written opinion, the Tenth Circuit examined an under-used aspect of the Federal Arbitration Act this week: having a jury or court trial. Usually disputes about arbitrability can be determined on a motion akin to summary judgment, but the FAA states in Section Four: “If the making of the arbitration agreement or the
In an opinion that feels a bit like a report from the annual meeting of arbitration nerds, the Third Circuit last week clarified when district courts must allow discovery about arbitrability. Guidotti v. Legal Helpers Debt Resolution, LLC, ___ F.3d ___, 2013 WL 2302324 (3d Cir. May 28, 2013). Although the standard articulated is a