Opinion ID: 1601400
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Arbitrability of the Diligent-Enforcement Issue

Text: It is well established that `the interpretation of an arbitration agreement within the scope of the [Federal Arbitration Act]' is governed by `general state-law principles of contract interpretation.' Orkin Exterminating Co. v. Larkin, 857 So.2d 97, 103 (Ala.2003) (quoting Volt Info. Sciences, Inc. v. Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior Univ., 489 U.S. 468, 475, 109 S.Ct. 1248, 103 L.Ed.2d 488 (1989)). `When a court construes a contract, the clear and plain meaning of the terms of the contract are to be given effect, and the parties are presumed to have intended what the terms clearly state.' H & S Homes, L.L.C. v. Shaner, 940 So.2d 981, 988 (Ala.2006) (quoting Polaris Sales, Inc. v. Heritage Imports, Inc., 879 So.2d 1129, 1133 (Ala.2003), quoting in turn Strickland v. Rahaim, 549 So.2d 58, 60 (Ala.1989)). `[I]n applying general state-law principles of contract interpretation to the interpretation of an arbitration agreement within the scope of the [Federal Arbitration] Act, due regard must be given to the federal policy favoring arbitration, and ambiguities as to the scope of the arbitration clause itself resolved in favor of arbitration.' Title Max of Birmingham, 973 So.2d at 1054 (quoting Homes of Legend, Inc. v. McCollough, 776 So.2d 741, 745 (Ala.2000), quoting in turn Volt Info. Sciences, Inc., 489 U.S. at 475-76, 109 S.Ct. 1248). The State argues that the diligent-enforcement question is not subject to arbitration because, it argues, any questions concerning the diligent enforcement of the State's qualifying statute should be decided by the Montgomery Circuit Court, which, under § VII, retains exclusive jurisdiction over the implementation and enforcement of the agreement. The State further argues that this Court should hold that the Montgomery Circuit Court should decide the diligent-enforcement question because, it argues, the provision that gives the Montgomery Circuit Court jurisdiction over the implementation and enforcement of the agreement precedes, and is inconsistent with, the arbitration clause. It is well established that `the duty to arbitrate is a contractual obligation and that a party cannot be required to submit to arbitration any dispute that he did not agree to submit.' UBS Fin. Servs., Inc. v. Johnson, 943 So.2d 118, 121 (Ala.2006) (quoting Capital Inv. Group, Inc. v. Woodson, 694 So.2d 1268, 1270 (Ala.1997)). The language of the contract entered into by the parties determines whether a particular dispute should be submitted to arbitration under the contract. Capital Inv. Group, 694 So.2d at 1270 (citing Blount Int'l, Ltd. v. James River-Pennington, Inc., 618 So.2d 1344 (Ala.1993)). In construing an arbitration agreement, a court must construe the contract as a whole; detached words or clauses standing alone are not controlling on the question of interpretation, each being viewed in relation to the agreement as an entity. Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc. v. Integrated Med. Sys., Inc., 808 So.2d 999, 1012 (Ala.2001) (quoting Cedars-Sinai Med. Ctr. v. State Board of Equalization, 162 Cal.App.3d 1182, 1188, 208 Cal.Rptr. 837, 840 (1984)). Additionally, this Court will interpret the terms of a contract to give `effect to all terms used.' Medical Servs., LLC v. GMW & Co., 969 So.2d 158, 162 (Ala.2006) (quoting Sullivan, Long & Hagerty v. Southern Elec. Generating Co., 667 So.2d 722, 725 (Ala.1995)). The enforcement provision of the agreement, § VII(a)(3), does provide that for the State the Montgomery Circuit Court shall be the only court to which disputes under this Agreement or the Consent Decree are presented. However, the Montgomery Circuit Court's broad jurisdictional mandate is limited by the preceding clause of § VII(a)(3) (except as provided in subsection[]... XI(c)). Section XI(c) provides for the arbitration of [a]ny dispute... arising out of or relating to calculations performed by, or any determinations made by, the Independent Auditor. Therefore, the Montgomery Circuit Court retains jurisdiction to determine whether the State diligently enforced its qualifying statute only if that question is not subject to the arbitration provision in the agreement. [7] The agreement, § XI(c), provides that [a]ny dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to calculations performed by, or any determinations made by, the Independent Auditor (including, without limitation, any dispute concerning the operation or application of any of the adjustments, reductions, offsets, carry-forwards and allocations...) shall be submitted to binding arbitration.... The State argues that the dispute over diligent enforcement is not arbitrable because, it says, the arbitration provision is narrow and extends only to a limited range of disputes. However, the PMs contend that the inclusion in the arbitration provision of the arising out of or relating to language indicates that the parties intended to subject to arbitration a broad field of issues having connection with or referring to the Independent Auditor's determinations. Original PMs' brief at 24. We conclude that the clear and unambiguous language of the arbitration provision compels arbitration of the dispute over the State's diligent enforcement of its qualifying statute. [8]
`This Court has held [that] where a contract signed by the parties contains a valid arbitration clause that applies to claims arising out of or relating to  the contract, that clause has a broader application than an arbitration clause that refers only to claims arising from the agreement.' Green Tree Fin. Corp. v. Vintson, 753 So.2d 497, 505 (Ala.1999) (quoting Reynolds & Reynolds Co. v. King Autos., Inc., 689 So.2d 1, 2-3 (Ala.1996)). `This Court has repeatedly stated `that the words relating to in the arbitration context are given a broad construction.'' Carroll v. W.L. Petrey Wholesale Co., 941 So.2d 234, 236 (Ala.2006) (quoting Serra Chevrolet, Inc. v. Hock, 891 So.2d 844, 847 (Ala.2004), quoting in turn other cases). For a dispute to relate to the subject matter of the arbitration provision, there must be some legal and logical nexus between the dispute and the arbitration provision. Kenworth of Dothan, Inc. v. Bruner-Wells Trucking, Inc., 745 So.2d 271, 275 (Ala.1999). In this case, there is a legal and logical nexus between the auditor's determination not to apply the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment and the dispute over the State's diligent enforcement of its qualifying statute, because diligent enforcement is significant only in determining whether the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment applies, and, if so, how the adjustment is allocated among the settling states. See State v. Philip Morris, Inc., 179 Md.App. 140, 944 A.2d 1167, 1177 (Md.Ct.Spec.App.2008) (The diligent enforcement question ... is an indispensable underlying issue of the overall [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment and, thus, the determination and calculations are inextricably linked.); State v. Philip Morris, Inc., 8 N.Y.3d 574, 580, 838 N.Y.S.2d 460, 869 N.E.2d 636, 640 (2007) (By using the expansive words `any' and `relating to,' [the agreement] makes explicit that all claims that have a connection with the Independent Auditor's calculations and determinations are arbitrable.). Section IX(d)(1) specifies that the PMs shall be entitled to the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment if the PMs suffer a sufficient market-share loss and the firm determines that the agreement was a significant factor in that loss. Once those two requirements are satisfied, a settling state can avoid the application of the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment only if it demonstrates that it has enacted and diligently enforced a qualifying statute. See Commonwealth v. Philip Morris, Inc., 448 Mass. 836, 847, 864 N.E.2d 505, 513 (2007) ([B]ecause [the firm] had determined that the [agreement] was a significant factor in the loss of market share ..., the only means by which the auditor could have denied the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] adjustment for that year was by affirmatively finding that there was diligent enforcement by the [settling] States.). In this case, the auditor determined that the settling states were exempt from the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment because the auditor presumed that each settling state had enacted and was diligently enforcing a qualifying statute. Thus, there is an unequivocal nexus between the dispute over diligent enforcement and the auditor's determination as to whether the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment applies. The State insists that the dispute over diligent enforcement does not arise out of or relate to a calculation performed by or a determination made by the auditor because the question of whether [the State] diligently enforced its [qualifying] statute.... can be determined without any reference whatsoever to any calculation performed by, or any determination made by, the Auditor. State's brief at 32. Although a question about diligent enforcement may be resolved independently of any calculation or determination by the auditor, a dispute over diligent enforcement, which this case is, does relate to those calculations and determinations, because the auditor considers the question of diligent enforcement only, and necessarily, to determine whether the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment applies. There are only two references to diligent enforcement in the agreement, and both references relate to the allocation of the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment among the settling states. See § IX(d)(2)(B) (providing that the settling states shall be exempt from the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment if they enact a qualifying statute or the model statute and diligently enforced the provisions of such statute); see also State v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 155 N.H. 598, 608, 927 A.2d 503, 512 (2007) (While the State has attempted to rephrase this issue as unrelated to the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment, the Court finds the argument unavailing. The parties do not point to, and the Court is not aware of, any provisions in [the agreement] other than those regarding the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment, where the diligent enforcement of a Qualifying Statute has any relevance.). The State also contends that the dispute over diligent enforcement does not relate to a calculation performed by or a determination made by the auditor because, it says, the agreement does not authorize the auditor to make a diligent-enforcement determination. The State emphasizes that the auditor is a national accounting firm that is neither responsible for nor equipped to handle the responsibility of making the quintessentially legal determination of whether the State had diligently enforced its qualifying statute. Regardless, the contention that the auditor is not authorized to make the determination is contradicted by the plain language of the agreement, which provides that the auditor shall calculate and determine the amount of all payments owed pursuant to this Agreement, the adjustments, reductions and offsets thereto (and all resulting carry-forwards, if any), the allocation of such payments, adjustments, reductions, offsets and carry-forwards among the [PMs] and among the Settling States. § XI(a)(1). The nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment is one of several adjustments the auditor is directed to calculate and determine. In deciding whether to apply the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment, the auditor must determine if the settling states qualify for the diligent-enforcement exemption. As the Supreme Court of New Hampshire stated, the agreement not only authorizes the [auditor] to make the initial determination of whether to apply the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment to the PMs' annual payments, but it requires the [auditor] to make this determination. State v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 155 N.H. at 606, 927 A.2d at 510 (emphasis omitted). The State further argues that the dispute over diligent enforcement does not relate to a calculation or determination by the auditor because, it says, the auditor did not actually determine whether the State diligently enforced its qualifying statute. The State maintains that the arbitration provision in the agreement is a mechanism for review of calculations or determinations made by the [auditor]. State's brief at 35. In support of this argument, the State points out that the auditor presumed that the State diligently enforced its qualifying statute, and a presumption, the State contends, is different from a determination. However, this argument ignores the broad language in the agreement that encompasses disputes over those issues that are decided by the auditor and issues that arise out of or relate to calculations performed by or determinations made by the auditor. See Commonwealth v. Philip Morris, Inc., 448 Mass. at 846, 864 N.E.2d at 513 (Focusing on this language in the arbitration clause ignores, or at least reduces the force of, the preceding phrase, which brings under the clause ` [a]ny dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to ' the auditor's calculations or determinations.). As we noted above, the dispute over diligent enforcement relates to the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment because the auditor declined to apply the adjustment based on a presumption of the State's diligent enforcement of its qualifying statute. See § IX(d)(2)(B) (A Settling State's Allocated Payment shall not be subject to [a nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment ... if such Settling State continuously had a Qualifying Statute ... in full force and effect ... and diligently enforced the provisions of such statute.). Even if the arbitration provision of the agreement extends only to issues actually decided by the auditor, the dispute over diligent enforcement still would be arbitrable. When the auditor presumed that the settling states had diligently enforced their respective qualifying statutes, the auditor made a determination. State ex rel. Carter v. Philip Morris Tobacco Co., 879 N.E.2d 1212, 1218 (Ind.Ct.App.2008) (The decision of the Independent Auditor to employ this presumption [of diligent enforcement of the qualifying statute] constitutes a determination.); Commonwealth v. Philip Morris, Inc., 448 Mass. at 847, 864 N.E.2d at 513 (Whether the auditor made this determination [of diligent enforcement of the qualifying statute] explicitly, or impliedly, or by employing a presumption makes no difference.); State v. Philip Morris, Inc., 155 N.H. at 606, 927 A.2d at 510 (We concur with other appellate courts that have held that the [auditor] did, in fact, make a determination regarding diligent enforcement of Qualifying Statutes.). Once the PMs satisfied the requirements for the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment, the settling states could avoid the application of the adjustment only by affirmatively demonstrating diligent enforcement of their qualifying statutes. The fact that the auditor declined to apply the adjustment necessitates the conclusion that the auditor made a determination regarding diligent enforcement. See Commonwealth v. Philip Morris, Inc., 448 Mass. at 847, 864 N.E.2d at 513 (holding that the only means by which the auditor could have denied the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] adjustment for that year was by affirmatively finding that there was diligent enforcement by the [settling] States. It is therefore logically necessary that the auditor did make a diligent enforcement determination.). Finally, this Court has stated that `[c]ourts cannot make contracts for parties, but must give such contracts as are made a reasonable construction and enforce them accordingly.' Lyles v. Pioneer Housing Sys., Inc., 858 So.2d 226, 231 (Ala.2003) (quoting Charles H. McCauley Assocs., Inc. v. Snook, 339 So.2d 1011, 1015 (Ala. 1976)). The State has agreed to arbitrate the auditor's decision not to apply the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment but insists that the question of diligent enforcement should be determined by the Montgomery Circuit Court. However, if the Montgomery Circuit Court decided the diligent-enforcement issue, there would be no reason to arbitrate the auditor's decision not to apply the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment. The nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment and the diligent-enforcement exemption are so inextricably intertwined that resolution of the diligent-enforcement dispute by the Montgomery Circuit Court would render arbitration superfluous. The State's interpretation of the arbitration provision in the agreement leads to an unreasonable result, because it would render meaningless any arbitration as it relates to the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment. See Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., 808 So.2d at 1013 (holding that the argument that nonmaterial breaches are outside the scope of an arbitration clause was unreasonable because [w]hether a breach is material is ordinarily a question for the trier of fact). We, therefore, conclude that the arbitration provision in the agreement encompasses the dispute regarding diligent enforcement of the qualifying statute because that dispute relates to the auditor's determination not to apply the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment.
This Court's conclusion that the arbitration provision in the agreement encompasses the diligent-enforcement dispute is further reinforced by the parenthetical clause that enumerates a list of arbitrable disputes. Arbitrable disputes are described as including, without limitation, any dispute concerning the operation or application of any of the adjustments, reductions, offsets, carry-forwards and allocations described in subsection IX(j) or subsection XI(i). The use of the phrase including, without limitation, indicates that the disputes listed are illustrative only and do not constitute an exhaustive list of arbitrable disputes. See In re Mark Anthony Constr., Inc., 886 F.2d 1101, 1106 (9th Cir.1989) (In construing a statute, the use of a form of the word `include' is significant, and generally thought to imply that terms listed immediately afterwards are an inexhaustive list of examples, rather than a bounded set of applicable items.). In construing a contract, this Court is guided by the principle that `[t]he intention of the parties controls ... and the intention of the parties is to be derived from the contract itself, where the language is plain and unambiguous.' Dunes of GP, L.L.C. v. Bradford, 966 So.2d 924, 928 (Ala.2007) (quoting Loerch v. National Bank of Commerce of Birmingham, 624 So.2d 552, 553 (Ala.1993)). Subsection IX(j), which is included in the list of arbitrable disputes, establishes the calculation method to be employed by the auditor in determining the PMs' annual payment obligations. The sixth clause of § IX(j) specifically states that the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment shall be applied to the results of clause `Fifth' pursuant to subsections IX(d)(1) and (d)(2). Subsection IX(d)(1) explains how the auditor shall calculate the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment for the original PMs. Subsection IX(d)(2)(A) provides that the [nonparticipating-manufacturer] Adjustment set forth in subsection (d)(1) shall apply to the Allocated Payments of all Settling States, unless a settling state can satisfy the requirements of subsection IX(d)(2)(B), which provides that a settling state's allocated payment will be exempt from the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment if the settling state had a Qualifying Statute ... in full force and effect and diligently enforced the provisions of such statute during such entire calendar year. The parenthetical list in the agreement of arbitrable disputes indirectly refers to diligent enforcement as an arbitrable dispute. Thus, applying the plain and unambiguous language of the list of arbitrable disputes contained in the agreement, we conclude that the arbitration provision compels arbitration of the diligent-enforcement issue.
This Court is also persuaded by the argument that the unitary-payment structure and the method for allocating the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment among the settling states compels arbitration of the diligent-enforcement dispute. The State contends that one national arbitration would be a logistical nightmare that involv[es] forty-seven companies and fifty-two States and territories, in which every State defends its own enforcement efforts and points fingers at other States, taking months, if not years, to complete. State's brief at 41. The State also argues that the diligent-enforcement exemption is a state-separate determination and that separate proceedings to determine each State's diligent enforcement of its qualifying statute would not result in inconsistent or conflicting decisions. We disagree. The agreement requires each PM to make one annual payment. After combining the annual payments of all the PMs, the auditor calculates each setting state's share of the funds. In calculating each settling state's share, the auditor must reduce the payment obligation of each PM if the auditor determines that the nonparticipating-manufacturer adjustment applies. If, however, the auditor determines that a settling state diligently enforced its qualifying statute or that a group of settling states diligently enforced their qualifying statutes, the remaining nonexempt settling states will be subject to the reallocation provision in subsection IX(d)(2)(C) of the agreement, which provides that the adjustment that would have applied to the exempt settling states shall be reallocated among the nonexempt settling states according to each nonexempt state's allocable share. Because a diligent-enforcement determination as to one settling state will have an adverse impact on the remaining nonexempt settling states, it is essential that disputes regarding diligent enforcement be resolved in a national arbitration proceeding. Individual resolution of diligent-enforcement disputes in 52 separate state courts would involve the application of different standards in determining what activities constitute diligent enforcement and could lead to inconsistent and conflicting determinations on the issue. A national arbitration proceeding will ensure that disputes regarding diligent enforcement are resolved by three neutral arbitrators `who are guided by one clearly articulated set of rules that apply universally in a process where all parties can fully and effectively participate.' State v. Philip Morris, Inc., 8 N.Y.3d at 581, 838 N.Y.S.2d 460, 869 N.E.2d at 640 (quoting State v. Philip Morris, Inc., 30 A.D.3d 26, 32-33, 813 N.Y.S.2d 71, 76 (N.Y.App.Div.2006)). The State also argues that even if the dispute regarding diligent enforcement is an arbitrable issue, the dispute should be resolved in a local proceeding that excludes the other settling states. The State maintains that the agreement does not envision a national arbitration proceeding based on language in the arbitration provision stating that [e]ach of the two sides to the dispute shall select one arbitrator. The State infers from this language that the agreement does not contemplate a national arbitration because the settling states have competing interests as to diligent enforcement. However, as noted previously, we conclude that the agreement requires a national, as opposed to a local, arbitration proceeding. The agreement is an agreement between 52 states and territories and numerous PMs; it provides that the settling states would dismiss all tobacco-related lawsuits and, as consideration for doing so, would receive annual monetary compensation from the PMs. The settling states represent one side to the agreement; the PMs represent the other side. Therefore, the language of the agreement refers to the collective settling states and the collective PMs, each choosing an arbitrator. We also note that conducting 52 separate arbitration proceedings would likely be fraught with the same type of inequitable and inconsistent results that would arise were the individual state courts to resolve this dispute. Independent resolution of diligent-enforcement disputes by local arbitration panels would likely result in the development of `fifty-two different sets of payment rules' that would unfairly burden some states and benefit others and result in `wave after costly wave of new litigation.' Connecticut v. Philip Morris, Inc., 279 Conn. 785, 800, 905 A.2d 42, 50 (2006) (quoting trial court). We therefore conclude that both the language and the structure of the agreement compel arbitration of the dispute regarding the State's diligent enforcement of its qualifying statute. We further conclude that the structure and purpose of the agreement envision a national, as opposed to a local, arbitration proceeding. [9]