Ohio has a public policy favoring the enforcement of arbitration provisions in contracts and ORC 2711.01(A) provides that such provisions will be enforced unless grounds exist in law or equity for revocation of the contract.
Arbitration agreements require that persons who signed them resolve any disputes by binding arbitration, rather than in court before a judge and/or jury. What is binding arbitration? Binding arbitration involves the submission of a dispute to a neutral party who hears the case and makes a decision.
In some instances, you may be able to sue if you signed a valid arbitration agreement. While courts generally favor arbitration agreements, they will allow you to file a lawsuit if either you didn't understand your rights or your claims fall outside the arbitration provision's scope.
If a court finds any evidence of substantive unconscionability, it will deem the agreement unenforceable. It does not take more than a low level of substantive unconscionability for the agreement to be thrown out.
Arbitration might be the right choice for some cases. Limited discovery rights and costs might be useful when less is at stake. Arbitration might feel less adversarial, which could be an advantage where ongoing relationships are hoped to be preserved. Arbitration lends some confidentiality.
Arbitration is a legal process where a neutral third-party reviews all claim and appeal documentation and issues a final, binding decision.
Opting out of the arbitration agreement isn't damaging to you. You can always do arbitration if you would prefer that, although if you'd like to join class actions or sue the judge will throw out your case if you are still in this agreement.
What is an arbitration agreement? Arbitration agreements require that persons who signed them resolve any disputes by binding arbitration, rather than in court before a judge and/or jury.