Court Opinion

ID: 9730011
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:56:58.151555+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:01.405734
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(specially concurring).
As I perceive appellants’ brief and oral argument before this Court, their principal advocacy is that the agreement between appellants and appellees was to accomplish a resolution of differences by the application of biblical — not legal — principles. According to appellants, a principal achievement between the parties was to be a reconciliation and this was to be far more important than a determination of legal rights. In effect, appellants advocate that the parties forsook their legal rights and prevailed upon the church to resolve their differences by biblical process rather than a legal process. I find no quarrel with the immortal words of Isaiah, “Come, let us reason together.” Isaiah 1:18. For if this were done, the courts of law across this land would not be facing a crisis such as we see today. The resolve of all conflict should not be in courts of law and the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Warren Burger, has prevailed upon American citizens to find avenues of resolution other than litigation in courts.
Reconciliation of these parties was to be the first consideration through the process of mediation and a minister of the gospel was selected as the mediator. The minister saw his duty this way:
Well, we were meeting together as members of the church. The intention, as I heard them being stated by both, all four parties, was that they were in disagreement with each other and they were Christians. And because they were Christians and in disagreement, they wanted to resolve that disagreement in a way that was forgiving and that was loving. And they saw the church as being one vehicle through which that process could be worked. Apart from say more formal legal proceedings. So I, as a Pastor, then would be directed to help them in that process. And the panel itself then was also to be working with that guideline, to reason together as scripture directs. To understand each other. To forgive each other. And to reach some concensus of resolution, so that the past which was inflicting so much pain upon all members could be forgiven. And that’s how I saw the purpose of the process.
The parties, however, by the same agreement subscribed that in the event that reconciliation and resolution were not achieved by the mediator, the parties would submit themselves to a board of arbitration. Once the parties agreed to arbitration, it would appear that the civil law attached to the arbitration panel. And within that arbitration panel, it was altogether possible that both good Christian ethics and sound equitable principles could simultaneously attend. In the law of equity, the conduct, acts, motives, and intentions of people are taken into consideration. So is it not, also, under God’s law?
Having agreed to arbitration, the parties could not agree, as appellants’ counsel would urge, that our system of justice and the jurisdiction of the courts be forsaken. The agreement between these parties called for a resolution of the issues by an arbitration panel in the event that mediation failed. Mediation did fail.
Appellants’ counsel would have us construe the agreement of the parties to, in *652effect, block appellees from a resolution of the differences of these parties in a court of law. If this agreement were so construed, and I do not believe that it can be under its terms, we would have before us the administration of justice being controlled by contract. “The administration of justice is not a subject to be controlled by contract, and the courts are agreed that agreements which have a tendency to obstruct, impede, or interfere with the administration of justice are contrary to public policy.” 17 Am.Jur.2d Contracts § 193 (1964).
Furthermore, this state has enacted a statement of public policy in furtherance of the text of which I have addressed as follows:
Every provision in a contract restricting a party from enforcing his rights under it by usual legal proceedings in ordinary tribunals or limiting his time to do so, is void providing however, that agreements to submit controversies to arbitration, as authorized by the Uniform Arbitration Act, shall be considered valid and enforceable.
SDCL 53-9-6.
These litigants submitted this controversy to arbitration and were thus bound by the Uniform Arbitration Act enacted by this state. I am in accord with the majority opinion that the arbitration panel clearly exceeded its authority by deciding matters outside of the framework of the issues submitted to them in arbitration. Accordingly, I concur.