Court Opinion

ID: 9636347
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:24:50.846098+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:44.480852
License: Public Domain

McEWEN, Judge,
dissenting:
While the opinion of the majority reflects a careful analysis and presents its holding in quite persuasive fashion, I must, nonetheless, very respectfully dissent. I share the following views expressed in the able opinion of the distinguished court en banc, specifically the learned Judges James T. Walsh and S. John Cottone:
It is not disputed that the controversy at issue was intended by both parties to be subject to arbitration. However, upon a breach of an expressed condition, both parties agreed that the arbitration would terminate and the matter would be reassigned. This modification of the agreement to arbitrate was neither invalid nor contrary to law.
It is the opinion of this court that the colloquy between the arbitrator and Mr. Roth for respondent on September 29, 1980, was in direct contradiction of the agreement of January 22, 1980. No matter how innocuous the remarks may have been, and despite the arbitrator’s claim that he would not be biased because of those statements, the statement by Mr. Roth violated the stipulation to refrain from any mention of settlement negotiations posited by respondent’s counsel and agreed to by the petitioner.
*128The record makes clear and the majority acknowledges that Mr. Roth, an officer of Sigma and an attorney who was present at the time that counsel for the parties entered into the stipulation, responded, despite the terms of the stipulation, that a reasonable sum and offer had not been made.
There can be little question but that the response of this officer of Sigma to the arbitrator could only mean that Giant had not made any reasonable offer of cash settlement, from which the arbitrator could infer only that it was Giant upon which the onus for resolution of the dispute rested. It would be difficult to accept that the response was mere oversight since it was provided by an individual who was an officer of Sigma, an attorney, and a party present at the time the stipulation was proposed by counsel for Sigma.
I would, therefore, affirm the order of the Common Pleas Court vacating the award and directing the parties to resubmit the matter to arbitration after a new arbitrator has been selected.