Existence of Dispute for Purposes of Obtaining Stay of Judicial Proceedings
Loon Energy, Inc. v. Integra Mining, 2007 WL 2139992, [2007] EWHC 1876 (Queen’s Bench Div., Commercial Ct.)
In this case, the court considered the application of s.9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 which requires it to stay its proceedings if the dispute before it is one falling within the scope of an arbitration clause. Loon sought and obtained specific declarations in relation to oil exploration rights under English law contracts. In the meantime, Integra launched arbitration in accordance with the terms of a Texas law confidentiality agreement into which the parties had entered prior to concluding the English law contracts. Loon amended its own claim for relief to include a declaration that the confidentiality agreement had been superseded. Integra sought to stay Loon’s application under s.9. Loon countered that at the time it issued its own claims there was no dispute in existence in relation to the confidentiality agreement and that therefore there was no obligation on the court under s.9. Read More