Court Opinion

ID: 9650696
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 15:49:13.073173+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:25.313837
License: Public Domain

On Petition for Rehearing.
FRANK, Circuit Judge.
In the light of the petition for rehearing, our previous opinion must be modified in two respects:
1. In our former opinion we said, “There is no showing that, on the issue of the deficiency of Sirrine’s award, the testimony of any other witness for either party is needed.” Appellee points out that it may be able to introduce additional- evidence (for example, the correspondence files of Sirrine & Co.) which will show that Sirrine did in fact take earnings into consideration in making his award. We agree that appellee should have the opportunity to do so. We'therefore remand for a trial on the issue whether the arbitrator conformed to the terms of the submission, *967i. e., gave appropriate consideration to earnings.
2. The arbitrator named in the contract was J. E. Sirrine & Company, not Mr. Sirrine as an individual. Appellee now asserts that that company is still in existence, capable of undertaking the duties of an arbitrator. Appellant argues, on the other hand, that the J. E. Sirrine & Company named in the contract was a partnership, which expired on the death of its dominant partner, so that the company now known as J. E. Sirrine & Company is not the arbitrator named in the contract. He argues further that the parties understood and intended that the actual arbitration should be done personally by Mr. Sirrine.1
We think that the questions raised by these arguments must be considered by the court which tries the case. Assuming that the trial shows that the award did not conform to the submission, we reach the following result: Appellee, on its showing that the J. E. Sirrine & Company named in the contract is still in existence, will be entitled to a redetermination made by that company rather than by the District Court, unless appellant (with due regard to the parol evidence rule) shows that the parties meant to designate Sirrine individually.

 He points out that various correspondence was directed to Mi'. Sirrine, that the attorneys for the parties communicated by telephone with Mr. Sirrine personally to determine whether he would undertake the appraisal, that in appellee’s affidavit and brief reference was made to the fact that the appraisal was understood by both parties to be conducted by Mr. Sirrine personally, and that compensation was to be paid on a basis of $200 per day for the services of Mr. Sirrine and $75 per day for services of an assistant.