Opinion ID: 765873
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: 23 As noted above, the district court found that the parties did not agree to arbitrate disputes arising between them. Our precedent reveals some confusion regarding the appropriate scope of our review of such a finding. For example, in American Bureau of Shipping v. Tencara Shipyard S.P.A., 170 F.3d 349, 352 (2d Cir. 1999), we stated that [w]e review the district court's conclusion as to the existence of an arbitration agreement for clear error, and cited our earlier decision in Genesco, Inc. v. T. Kakiuchi & Co., 815 F.2d 840, 845 (2d Cir. 1987), in which we referred to a district court's finding that the parties had agreed to arbitrate disputes as a factual finding, subject to review for clear error, see id.(citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a)). However, on another occasion, in Oldroyd, we held that we would review de novo all of the district court's determinations regarding the arbitrability of claims, including a finding as to whether the parties had agreed to arbitrate disputes in the first instance. See134 F.3d at 75-76 (also citing Genesco, 815 F.2d at 846). We believe, and now hold, that the determination that parties have contractually bound themselves to arbitrate disputes - a determination involving interpretation of state law - is a legal conclusion subject to our de novo review, see Shann v. Dunk, 84 F.3d 73, 77 (2d Cir. 1996) (The central issue - whether, based on the factual findings, a binding contract existed - is a question of law that we review de novo.); Chrysler Credit Corp. v. Religa (In re Males), 999 F.2d 607, 609 (2d Cir. 1993) ([W]e are not required to give deference to the district court's interpretation of the state law.), but that the findings upon which that conclusion is based are factual and thus may not be overturned unless clearly erroneous. 24 There is no question that, assuming the existence of an agreement to arbitrate, we review de novo the agreement's interpretation and scope. See Oldroyd, 134 F.3d at 76. 25