Court Rules on Signing Contracts

A recent U.S. Court of Appeals held that an arbitral clause in a contract must be signed by the parties in order to be enforceable. The defendant sought to compel arbitration based on an employment contract between the seaman and the vessel owner. The court ruled in its that “the litigant prove the agreement is in writing and ‘signed by the parties” in order for a legitimate claim to be filed.

You can read the full decision here.