On April 13, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned decades of precedent in determining the grounds that can be asserted to vacate an arbitral award governed by the New York Convention (the “Convention”)[1]. The Eleventh Circuit in Corporación AIC v. Hidroelectrica Santa Rita, sitting en banc, held that in a case under the Convention where the United States is the governing jurisdiction, the grounds for vacatur of a domestic award are set out in domestic law, currently Chapter 1 of the Federal Arbitration Act[2] (“FAA”).[3] In doing so, the Eleventh Circuit overruled the two prior controlling cases on the issue and settled a circuit split, realigning their opinions with that of its sister circuits. This decision—which expands the grounds for challenging arbitration awards beyond those provided in the Convention—could have significant implications on parties choosing the Eleventh Circuit as the seat of arbitration moving forward.
Arbitration: the Brexit get out of jail free card?
One of the most useful assets in the classic board game Monopoly is the famous get out of jail free card. A player who finds themselves in jail can utilize it to ‘free’ themselves, almost immediately, but more importantly without paying a monetary penalty.
But what has Monopoly got to do with Brexit or arbitration? Whilst the similarities may not be immediately obvious, for commercial agreements made after 11:00 pm on 31 December 2020, jurisdiction clauses that specify arbitration are in many ways a legal get out of jail free card.
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