Baseball Arbitration

Now that Spring Training is in full swing, let’s talk some baseball! Okay, not that kind of baseball, but another topic in our series on arbitration – “baseball arbitration.”

Some parties are reluctant to submit disputes to arbitration because they worry about “split the difference” awards. Arbitrators are generally selected, directly or indirectly, and paid by the parties. This leads to a perception that arbitrators have an interest in rendering decisions that will maximize the chances that they will be chosen again in future disputes by “splitting the difference” between the parties to avoid offending either side. For parties who are reluctant to submit disputes to arbitration for these reasons or for parties who may want more control over how a compromise is reached, “Final Offer Arbitration,” also known as “baseball arbitration,” is an option worth exploring.

Final Offer Arbitration requires an arbitrator to view all of the unresolved issues as a package and select one party’s package over the other party’s package. It is known as “baseball arbitration” because each side submits a figure or proposed remedy and the arbitrator is required to select one offer or the other. The arbitrator cannot formulate a compromise or choose the midpoint between the two.

The idea behind Final Offer Arbitration is that each party, conscious of the risk that an unreasonable proposal will have little chance of acceptance by the arbitrator, will make concessions in order to submit what it believes is the most reasonable offer. If one of the two proposals is too extreme, the other side essentially wins by default. The two sides are more likely to bargain in good faith in hopes of reaching a settlement if they fear that the arbitrator may view the other side’s offer as more reasonable. Unlike conventional arbitration where parties may take aggressive positions designed to influence the arbitrator’s compromise, Final Offer Arbitration has the advantage of incentivizing the parties to move toward the middle. If the final offers are close, it may not matter that much which of the two proposals the arbitrator chooses. If the offers are far apart but one side has submitted a ridiculous offer, the arbitrator’s decision is relatively easy. The disadvantage in removing an arbitrator’s flexibility is, of course, that if both offers are far apart and equally ludicrous, the arbitrator’s hands are tied.

Final Offer Arbitration has advantages, but there are a number of issues that should be carefully considered before electing this route. The provisions of the arbitration agreement should be tailored to the nature of potential disputes and the parties’ desires. The arbitration agreement should clearly spell out, among other matters, when and how offers may be made, the deadline for modifying offers, when the offers are shown to the arbitrator, and the type of relief that may be included in an offer. The parties may provide, for example, that at any time prior to the close of the arbitration hearing, the parties may exchange revised written proposals or demands, which shall supersede all prior proposals. Or they may provide that final offers must be submitted within a certain number of days before the arbitration hearing commences. In some instances, the process of submitting the offers moves the parties so close together that the dispute is settled before the hearing or before the arbitrator makes a decision. There are also variations the parties might want to explore, such as “night baseball” arbitration, which requires the arbitrator to make a decision without the benefit of seeing the parties’ proposals and then to make the award to the party whose proposal is closest to that of the arbitrator. Another variation is to have Final Offer Arbitrations on an issue-by-issue or claim-by- claim basis.

Final Offer Arbitration works well where the parties are only seeking monetary relief or where the dispute involves pricing or valuation disputes. It can also be used for non-monetary awards in the nature of specific performance, declaratory relief or injunctive relief, but in such cases extra scrutiny should be exercised when drafting the arbitration agreement. Parties should always consult with experienced counsel when drafting Final Offer Arbitration agreements and before signing such agreements to make sure the arbitration agreement will achieve the intended results and benefits. Properly drafted, Final Offer Arbitration provides a powerful incentive for the parties to move toward the middle and expeditiously resolve their disputes.
For more on arbitration, see our earlier posts.