T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d byN i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T FA RA Z SA LEEM I a n dSO B, LLC, P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. G O S H E N T E R P R I S E S , I N C ., D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 11- 35027 D . C. N o . 3 : 1 0 - c v - 0 5 7 0 7 - RBL ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on R ona l d B . L e i ght on, D i s tr i c tJudge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d J anua ry9, 2012

S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: G R A B E R , F IS H E R , an dR A W L IN S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. D e f e nda nt , G os h E nt e rpr i s e s , I nc . , t e rm i na t e d af r anc hi s e a gr e e m e nt( " the A g r e e m e n t" ) w ith P l ai nt i ff s, F ar az S al ee m i and S O B , L L C . P l ai nt i ff s f i l ed a s t at ec o u rt a c tio n a g a in s t D e f e n d a n t, w h ic h D e f

e n d an t r e m o v e dto f

e d e r a l c o u rt, as se rt i ng a num ber of c l ai m s ari si ng fr om thei r pre vi ou s r el at i on shi p. T he di stri ct c o u rt d is m is s e dth e c a s e w ith o u t p r e ju d ic e b e c au s e th e c la im s w e r e s ub je c t to 

# FI LED FEB 03 2 012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

arb itra ti o n an db ec au se W as h in g to n w as an im p ro p erv en u e u n d erth e A g re em en t’ s f orum - s e l e c t i on pr ovi s i on. P l a i nt i f f s appe a l . R e vi e w i ng de novo, B r i dge F und C api t alC orp. v. F as tbu cks F ranchi se C orp. , 62 2 F . 3d 99 6, 10 00 (9th C i r. 20 10 ), w e va c a t e a nd r e m a nd. T he pres um pt i on thatdi sput e r es ol ut i on prov i si on s s urvi ve t erm i nat i on of a c ontr a c ti s r e butt abl e . S e e L i tt on F i n. P r i nt i ng D i v. v. N L R B , 501 U . S . 190, 204 (199 1); 13 C orbi n o n C on tra ct s § 67 . 2 (re v. ed. 20 03 & S up p. 20 11 ). H er e, D e f e n d a n t’s M a r c h 1 7 , 2 0 0 8 e m a il s a idth a t th e f r an c h is e a g r e e m e n t w a s " f u lly te rm in a te d " a n dth a t " n o c o n tr a c tu a l o b lig a tio n s e x is t an y m o r e ." A t o r a l ar g u m e n t, coun se l for D ef

endantas se rt ed thatthi s e m ai l ext i ng ui shed al l of P l ai nt i ff s’ future c ontr a c tua l obl i ga t i ons , i nc l udi ng thos e w i th e xpr e s s s urvi va l c l aus e s , butnot ba c kgr ound obl i ga t i ons gove rni ng di s put e r e s ol ut i on— the f orum - s e l e c t i on and a rb itr a tio n p r o v is io n s . P la in tif f s c o n te n dth a t th e e m a il r e lie v e dth e m o f a ll co n tractu al o b l i g at i o n s, i n cl u d i n g th e fo ru m -sel ect i o n an darb i trat i o n p ro v i si o n s, th e r e b yr e b u ttin g th e p r e s u m p tio n . W e h o ldth a t th e r e c o r dis in s u f f ic ie n tly de ve l ope d on thi s na rr ow f a c tque s t i on and the r e f

or e va c a t e a nd r e m and f orthe di stri ctcourtt o d et erm i ne the i m po rtof the M ar ch 17 em ai l . W e r em and o n an ope n r e c or d a nd ur ge the di s tr i c tc ourtt o r e s ol ve thi s f a c tua l que s t i on thr ough w ha t e ve rpr oc e dur a l m e c ha ni s m m aybe appr opr i a t e a nd e f f i c i e ntunde rtheP la in tif f s a r g u e th a t W a s h in g to n law g o v e rn s th e u n c o n s c io n ab ility 1 q u e s tio n , a n dD e f

e n d a n t c o n c e d e dth a t p o in t f o rth e p u rp o s e s o f

th e m o tio n to d i sm i ss. 3 c i r c um s t a nc e s . S e e K ukj e H w a j a e I ns . C o. v. M /V H yunda i L i be rty , 408 F . 3d 1 2 5 0 , 1 2 5 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ( " A m o tio n to e n f o r c e af o ru m - s e le c tio n c lau s e is tr e a te da s am o tio n p u r s u a n t to F e d e r a l R u le o f C iv il P r o c e du r e 1 2 ( b ) ( 3 ) . C ons e que nt l y , the pl e a di ngs ne e d notbe a c c e pt e d a s true , a nd f a c t s out s i de the p l e a d i n g s p r o p e r l ymayb e c o n s i d e r e d . " ( c i t a t i o n o mi tt e d ) ) ; s e e a l s o Fe d . R. Ci v . P. 56. F o r reaso n s o f j u d i ci al eco n o m y, w e al so d eci d e th e fo l l o w i n g m att ers, w hi ch have been ful l y bri ef ed on thi s app ea l and w hi ch m ayre m ai n i f the di stri ct courtrul es thatthe arbi trat i on and forum -s el ec t i on cl ause s di d n otl apse . 1. T he a rbi tr a t i on c l aus e e nc om pa s s e s di s put e s s uc h a s thos e i nvol vi ng the c la im s in P la in tif

f s ’ c o m p la in t. P la in tif

f s ’ a r g u m e n ts r e la tin g to as e m an tic d i fferen ce b etw een "cl ai m s" an d"d i sp u t es" i s u n p ersu asi v e; reg ard l ess, "as a m a tte ro f f e d e r a l law , a n yd o ub ts c o n c e rn in g th e s c o p e o f a rb itr ab le is s u e s s h o u ld be re sol ved i n favor of arbi trat i on . " M oses H . C on e M em ’ l H osp. v. M er cury C o n s tr . C o rp ., 4 6 0 U .S . 1 , 2 4

– 2 5 ( 1 9 8 3 ) . 2 . T h e a rb itr a tio n c lau s e is n o t s ub s tan tiv e lyu n c o n s c io n ab le , e v e n in p art. 1 S e e ge ne r a l l yZ uve rv. A i rt ouc h C om m c ’ ns , I nc . , 103 P . 3d 753, 759 ( W a s h. 2004)4

( " S ubs t a nt i ve unc ons c i onabi l i tyi nvol ve s thos e c a s e s w he r e ac l aus e ort e rm i n the contra cti s a l l eged t o b e one-s i ded o r overl y har sh, " i nv ol vi ng t erm s thatar e

" [ s ]h o c k in g to th e c o n s c ie n c e ," " m o n s tr o u s lyh ar s h ," o r" e x c e e d in g lyc a llo u s e d ." ( i nt e rna l quot a t i ons m a rks om i tt e d) ) . T he pr ovi s i on i s notunf a i r l yone - s i de d, nor do es i tcont ai n any other f eature i dent i fi ed by the W as hi ng t on S up re m e C ou rtas u n c o n s c io n ab le . 3. T he di stri ctcourt ’ s dec i si on t o enforce the forum se l ec t i on i s r evi ew ed f orabus e of

di s c r e t i on. D oe 1 v. A O L L L C , 552 F . 3d 1077, 1081 ( 9th C i r . 2009) ( pe rc ur i a m ) ; C ha t e au D e s C ha rm e s W i ne s L t d. v. S aba t e U S A I nc . , 328 F . 3d 528, 5 3 0 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) ( p e rc u r ia m ) . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt d idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in e nf or c i ng the c hoi c e of

f orum . S e e D i x v. I C T G rp. , I nc . , 161 P . 3d 1016, 1020–22 (W ash . 2 0 0 7 ) ("F o ru m sel ect i o n cl au ses are p ri m a faci e v al i d [] " u n l ess

" ‘e n f o r c e m e n t w o u ldc o n tr a v e n e as tr o n g p ub lic p o lic yo f th e f o ru m in w h ic h s u it is b r o u g h t.’" ( q u o tin g B r e m e n v . Z ap a taO f f - S h o r e C o ., 4 0 7 U .S . 1 , 1 5 ( 1 9 7 2 ) ) ) . N othi ng i n the A gree m entprec l ud es the fi l i ng of P l ai nt i ff s’ W as hi ng t on st at e- l aw c la im s in a rb itr a tio n o rin O h io . V AC AT E D A ND RE MAND E D. T he pa rt i e s s ha l l be arthe i row n c os t s on ap p e a l.