City of Hartford v. American Arbitration Association
Connecticut Supreme Court
391 A.2d 137 (1978)

- Written by Darius Dehghan, JD
Facts
The city of Hartford (the city) (plaintiff) sought to construct a civic center. The Hartford city manager, on behalf of the city, entered into a construction contract with Gilbane Building Company (Gilbane) (defendant). The city manager, as chief executive officer of the city, had the express power to execute the contract on behalf of the city. The contract contained provisions for arbitration of claims and disputes. Gilbane subsequently filed a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) (defendant). The city brought suit, seeking an injunction restraining Gilbane and AAA from proceeding with arbitration. The trial court found that the city manager lacked the authority to bind the city to the arbitration provisions in the contract. But the trial court also found that the city failed to establish that it would be irreparably injured by the arbitration and thus denied the city’s request for injunctive relief. The city appealed, and Gilbane cross-appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Speziale, J.)
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