Arbitration Panel Exceeded Powers in Awarding Attorneys’ Fees, Conn. Federal Judge Rules

HARTFORD, Conn. — An arbitration panel exceeded its powers in awarding attorneys’ fees to the prevailing party in an arbitration because the petitioners, who appeared pro se, neither sought nor incurred attorneys’ fees in the arbitration proceeding, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled.

In an Aug. 11 order, Senior Judge Charles S. Haight Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut vacated the attorneys’ fees portion of the arbitration award. However, the judge refused to vacate the remainder of the award, finding the arbitration panel did not act with evident partiality, nor did it act in manifest …