Hall Street Associates

Hall Street Associates, LLC v. Mattel, Inc.
2008 U.S. LEXIS 2911 (U.S. Mar. 25, 2008)
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court held that in an arbitration case subject to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), the scope of judicial review of an award could not be expanded by agreement of the parties beyond the grounds for vacating or modifying an award specified in the FAA.
The case originally stemmed from a lease dispute between the toy maker Mattel and its landlord, Hall Street Associates. Mattel terminated its lease when the property’s water tested for high levels of contaminants, which was the result of the previous tenant’s use of the property as a manufacturing site. Hall Street filed suit claiming that a provision in the lease obligated Mattel to indemnify Hall Street for the costs of cleaning up the site.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Holds That Parties May Not Contract for Expanded Judicial Review of an Arbitration Award in Proceedings Governed by the Federal Arbitration Act