Opinion ID: 463372
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cal.Code Civ.P. Sec. 1288.

Text: 23 Section 1288 is a part of a California law dealing with arbitration proceedings. Cal.Code Civ.P. Tit. 9, Ch. 4, Art. 2. It provides: 24 A petition to confirm an award shall be served and filed not later than four years after the date of service of a signed copy of the award on the petitioner. A petition to vacate an award or to correct an award shall be served and filed not later than 100 days after the date of the service of a signed copy of the award on the petitioner. 25 Great Western asks us to borrow the second sentence and impose a 100 day statute of limitations. We find this difficult for several reasons. First, the present action to compel arbitration seems to us more closely analogous to a petition to confirm an award, having a four year limitations period, than to a petition to vacate it. As discussed above, however, a four year period is too long for this case. Great Western's suggested 100 day statute of limitations, on the other hand, is too short because it unnecessarily shortens the time during which the parties can work informally toward a resolution of the dispute. Fed. of Westinghouse Ind. v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 3 Cir., 1984, 736 F.2d 896, 901-902. 26 Finally, we note that no case cited by Great Western supports its argument that the 100 day limitations period is appropriate to a suit to compel arbitration. In United Parcel Service v. Mitchell, 1981, 451 U.S. 56, 101 S.Ct. 1559, 67 L.Ed.2d 732, an employee was discharged and sought and received arbitration of his claim that the discharge violated the collective bargaining agreement. The arbitrators ruled against him. He then brought an action in New York state court against the employer and the union, attacking the arbitrators' award. New York had a 90 day statute of limitations for actions to vacate or modify an arbitration award. The court held that the action was, in essence, an attack on the award, id. at 61-62, 101 S.Ct. at 1563, and applied the New York statute. Id. at 64, 101 S.Ct. at 1564. This situation is not analogous to an action to compel arbitration for the first time. The other cases cited by Great Western in support of applying Sec. 1288's statute of limitations for actions to vacate an arbitration award are similarly inapplicable to the present case. Singer v. Flying Tiger Line, Inc., 9 Cir., 1981, 652 F.2d 1349, 1352-53; United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners, Local 1020 AFL-CIO v. FMC Corp., 9 Cir., 1984, 724 F.2d 815, 817 (Local 1020-II ); Same, 9 Cir., 1981, 658 F.2d 1285, 1288-91 (Local 1020-I ); McNaughton v. Dillingham Corp., 9 Cir., 1983, 707 F.2d 1042, 1044-47. 27 We conclude that we should not apply Cal.Code Civ.P. Sec. 1288. 28