November 19, 2018 in Case Summaries

Levinger PC assisted the trial team at Ferguson Braswell Fraser Kubasta PC in convincing the Dallas Court of Appeals to reinstate an arbitration award favoring their client, China-based ZTE Corporation, in its long-running dispute with Universal Telephone Exchange over the installation of a modern telecommunications system in the country of Liberia. The dispute began more than a decade ago, when UTE initiated an arbitration against ZTE seeking a ten-figure damage award based on allegations that ZTE had interfered in UTE’s business relationship with Liberia. The arbitrator ruled in favor of ZTE, but a Dallas district court vacated the award based on UTE’s allegations that the arbitration was affected by procedural and substantive irregularities. In a unanimous opinion, the Dallas Court of Appeals reversed and confirmed the arbitration award. The court rejected UTE’s assertions that it was entitled to a three-person arbitration panel under the International Arbitration Rules, that the award was obtained by fraud or undue means, and that the arbitrator had refused to consider relevant evidence and otherwise exceeded his powers. ZTE Corp. v. Universal Telephone Exchange, Inc., No. 05-17-00781-CV, 2018 WL 6039694 (Tex. App.—Dallas Nov. 19, 2018, pet. denied).

Courts: Texas Intermediate Appellate Courts
Subject Matter: Business Litigation, Procedural & Evidentiary Issues