Illegality of Contract Not Valid Basis for Vacatur of Arbitration Award, Fla. High Court Rules

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Courts need not determine whether a contract is legal before enforcing an arbitration award based on that contract, Florida’s highest court has ruled, explaining that this is an insufficient basis for vacatur of an award under the Federal Arbitration Act or the state’s arbitration code.

On July 10, the Florida Supreme Court explained that the legality of a contract is not one of the FAA bases for vacating or modifying an arbitral award and these bases cannot be supplemented judicially or contractually.

Visiting Nurse Association of Florida Inc. (VNA), a home health care agency, and Jupiter …