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Arbitrator-counsel friendship and non-disclosure: French Cour de cassation sets aside arbitral award; distinguishes personal from professional ties; guidance on ICC 30-day challenge period

Published on: 26 July 2024

Published by a LexisNexis Arbitration expert
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Article summary

CASE ANALYSIS: Lexis®PSL Arbitration (EXC0011421) Douala International Terminal (DIT) v Port Autonome de Douala (PAD) Cour de cassation, France, Pourvoi n. 23-10.972

What are the practical implications of this case?

This ruling of the Cour de cassation recalibrates how particular connections are assessed in international arbitration and their effect on an arbitrator’s independence and impartiality when the validity of arbitral awards is contested. Crucially, it draws a clearer line between different categories of relationships within the arbitration sphere, indicating which may genuinely threaten neutrality and which are less likely to do so.

  • Professional or academic associations that commonly link members of the arbitration community;
  • Personal connections of greater intensity, which are more prone to undermine an arbitrator’s independence and impartiality.

Going forward, arbitrators should exercise heightened care to reveal, at the very outset of the proceedings, any personal relationships they have with counsel. A failure to make such disclosures may lead to the award being set aside and could expose the arbitrator to liability...

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