Opinion ID: 1476880
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Ex Parte Communications

Text: Because of alleged ex parte communications between Groom and the arbitration panel, appellant claims that the arbitration award should be vacated and that a new proceeding before a new panel should be ordered. She contends that the panel relied on assertions made by Groom in correspondence without notifying her or giving her an opportunity to respond. She also alleges that, as of the time of her appeal, these materials had not yet been provided to her. The communications at issue dealt with how the panel came to learn that Groom had paid appellant a certain portion of the back pay award without direct evidence to that effect in the record. Appellant surmises that the panel could not have reached its conclusion on its own, without reliance on undisclosed communications. Appellant's recollection of the record is inadequate, and as a result her argument fails. [13] In a letter sent to appellant in May 2000, Groom stated that it was paying her $19,519 in back pay. On March 21, 2001, Groom sent a letter to the arbitration panel, with a copy to appellant, indicating that she was entitled to a back pay figure of $18,031. [14] The difference of $1,488 between the two amounts represents the interest that accrued on the back pay from the date it was awarded by the panel until its disbursement. Despite the fact that this difference can be readily understood as a matter of simple arithmetic, appellant claims that the panel could not have concluded that $18,031 was principal and $1,488 was interest unless it relied on undisclosed communications. In the first place, the letters about which she complains plainly do not qualify as ex parte communications because copies were provided to appellant at the time they were sent. Moreover, even if any ex parte communications were made, individual communications with the arbitration panel were not prohibited in this case because the parties specifically agreed to disregard Rule 22 of the AAA Rules, which prohibits ex parte contacts.