Lightfoot Obtains Order Compelling Arbitration in Germany of Major International Dispute

January 30, 2017

On January 30, 2017, Lightfoot attorneys Sara Ford, Wes Gilchrist, and Amie Vague obtained an order from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama compelling arbitration in Germany of a multi-million dollar dispute arising from the supply of motors by Lightfoot’s client, a French subsidiary of General Electric, to a steel mill in Alabama.  The motion to compel arbitration was decided under the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, which provides for enforcement of arbitration provisions covering international disputes.  Earlier in the case, the court denied the plaintiffs’ motions to remand to state court.