A party’s failure to have an arbitration award confirmed is not a ground for vacating the award
The Appellate Division succinctly ruled that the application to vacate the arbitration award filed pursuant to Article 75 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules was made more than 90 days after the award was delivered to the individual and is therefore untimely.
The court also noted that although CPLR Article 75 provides a mechanism by which a party may obtain judicial confirmation of an arbitration award, the failure to have an award confirmed is not a ground for vacating the award, citing CPLR §§7510 and 7511[b][1].
Addressing another claim by the individual – that the arbitration award should be vacated under CPLR §751l(b)(1)(iv), “failure to follow the procedure,” the Appellate Division explained that subdivision (iv) address vacating the award because of a "failure to follow the procedure” set out in Article 75.
However, said the court, if a party applying to vacate the award pursuant to subdivision (iv) continued with the arbitration with notice of the defect and without objection, the award may not be vacated for that reason.
In this instance, said the court, the party seeking to vacate the award under color of §751l(b)(1)(iv) participated in the arbitration without objection as to the procedure employed and thus the award could not be vacated as otherwise permitted by subdivision (iv).
The decision is posted on the Internet at:
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/3dseries/2012/2012_02949.htm