Court’s Limited Role Re: Contract with Arbitration Clause Explained

In determining a dispute involving a lease must be resolved in arbitration, the Fourth Department explained the court’s limited role in this context:

Plaintiff …. commenced this action pursuant to RPAPL article 15 seeking, inter alia, “to compel the determination of claims to the real property described herein,” and defendant moved to compel arbitration under the lease and to stay the action. Supreme Court properly granted the motion. “Where parties have entered into an agreement containing a broad arbitration provision, the question of whether the arbitration clause governs a particular aspect of the controversy, as well as the determination of the merits of the dispute, are matters within the exclusive province of the arbitrator”….“Once it appears that there is, or is not[,] a reasonable relationship between the subject matter of the dispute and the general subject matter of the underlying contract, the court’s inquiry is ended. Penetrating definitive analysis of the scope of the agreement must be left to the arbitrators whenever the parties have broadly agreed that any dispute involving the interpretation and meaning of the agreement should be submitted to arbitration”…. Thus, contrary to plaintiff’s contention, it is not entitled to a judicial determination with respect to the continued force and effect of the lease, i.e., “the ultimate issue in this case” …, before submitting the matter to arbitration.  Gray v Talisman Energy USA Inc, 534, 4th Dept, 6-14-13