As a general rule, only strong evidence of duress or fraud are sufficient to invalidate an arbitration clause.
Under California law, an arbitration award can be vacated when the award is procured by corruption, fraud, undue means or the arbitrators “exceeded their powers.” As mentioned above, there are very limited rights for any further review of an arbitration decision.
How do you protect yourself when you have one arbitrator who's hearing your dispute instead of a jury trial? One, you need to probably seek legal counsel if you're in a dispute like this. Either the lawyer can help you behind the scenes, guide you through the process or represent you at the arbitration.
The short answer is yes. No set of institutional rules prevents a party from abandoning claims it has raised in an arbitration. But there could be important implications to think through, depending on when the withdrawal occurs, and what else has occurred in the proceedings.
Some contracts give you the right to opt out of the forced arbitration clause within a certain period of time, often 30 to 60 days, after signing the agreement by notifying the company that you wish to opt out. Check your contract for the deadline and for specific instructions for opting out.
Some contracts give you the right to opt out of the forced arbitration clause within a certain period of time, often 30 to 60 days, after signing the agreement by notifying the company that you wish to opt out. Check your contract for the deadline and for specific instructions for opting out.
Once registered, the request for arbitration can no longer be withdrawn and a claimant seeking to withdraw from the proceedings will need to seek the “discontinuance” of the proceedings. It should be noted the Additional Facility Rules do not contain an analogous provision.
Many arbitration clauses have an opt out procedure. Usually something like submitting a written request to opt out within 60 days of accepting the agreement.