In recent years, there has been increasing concern about court orders aimed at preventing a party from initiating, continuing or participating in arbitration proceedings (see notably, IAI Series on International Arbitration, no 2, Anti-Suit Injunction in International Arbitration, E. Gaillard ed., 2005; ICCA Congress Series, No 13 International Arbitration 2006, Back to Basics?, A. J. Van Den Berg, Kluwer Law Int 2007).

The Paris court of first instance (Tribunal de Grande Instance) has in recent months rendered two interesting decisions in this respect. These two decisions address the issue whether and to what extent French courts can interfere with the arbitral proceedings, in particular when relief is sought in summary proceedings on the basis of an alleged risk of imminent or irreparable harm. In both sets of proceedings, the arbitrators were directly sued.

The first of these two cases led to an order of the Paris court of 6 January 2010 (S.A. Elf Aquitaine and Total v. Mattei, Lai. Kamara and Reiner). The claim amounted to an aggressive attempt to derail an ongoing arbitration by requesting the court to enjoin the arbitrators from pursuing the proceedings. The underlying dispute in the arbitration was concerned with a cooperation contract concluded between Elf Neftgaz, a subsidiary of Elf Aquitaine, and certain Russian parties. The basis for the request was that a shareholders’ assembly of Elf Neftgaz had decided the liquidation of said company. The Russian parties subsequently made an application to the president of the Paris tribunal of commerce to appoint an ad hoc representative for Elf Neftgaz to the effects of the arbitration they were about to commence against such company. The court accepted such request and appointed an ad hoc representative for Elf Neftgaz. The arbitration commenced with its seat in Paris, and the court appointed representative nominated an arbitrator on behalf of Elf Neftgaz. However, the judgment having designated the ad hoc representative was thereafter retracted upon request of Elf Aquitaine. Although such decision was appealed by the Russian parties, Elf Aquitaine and Total seized the court in summary proceedings (référé) against the three arbitrators (who were the only named defendants) to obtain an injunction to interrupt the arbitration. The request was based on the contention that Elf Neftgaz’s arbitrator had been appointed by a representative deprived of powers and that the continuance of the arbitration in spite of the withdrawal of the court decision having nominated Elf Neftgaz’s representative would be such as to cause irreparable harm.

The case leading to the Paris First Instance Tribunal decision of 29 March 2010 (Republic of Equatorial Guinea v Fitzpatrick Equatorial Guinea, de Ly, Owen and Leboulanger) was concerned with a contract for the construction of a highway. A dispute arose between the parties, and Fitzpatrick initiated ICC arbitration. Like in the Elf case, the seat of the arbitration was in Paris. The Republic challenged the Arbitral Tribunal’s jurisdiction on the basis that the arbitral agreement and the laws of Equatorial Guinea imposed to exhaust local judicial remedies before arbitration could be initiated. The Republic also submitted that Fitzpatrick had been placed in insolvency proceedings in Equatorial Guinea and that only the receiver appointed by the local court had powers to represent it. The arbitral tribunal rendered a partial award upholding its jurisdiction, and proceeded to instruct the merits in the second phase of the arbitration. Meanwhile, the partial award was challenged before the Paris Court of Appeal. Based upon such challenge, the Republic made an application before the Arbitral Tribunal to stay the arbitration. The Arbitral Tribunal rejected such application and the Republic started summary proceedings to enjoin the arbitrators from continuing the arbitration until the Court of appeal decision in the setting aside proceedings.

via Kluwer Arbitration Blog » Blog Archive » French Courts firmly reject anti-arbitration injunctions.