Husband Bound by Arbitration Agreement, But Wife, Child Are Not

BATON ROUGE, La. - A mobile home owner must arbitrate both contract and mold tort claims arising from alleged defects and mold exposure, but his wife and child were not parties to the purchase agreement and can pursue personal injury claims in court, a Louisiana appellate court ruled Feb. 16. Snyder v. Belmont Homes Inc., No. 2004 CA 0445 (La. App., 1st Cir.).

Doug Johnson and Courtney Snyder initially sued Belmont Homes Inc. and Bayou State Mobile Homes Inc. in 2002, alleging defects in a mobile home purchased that same year by Johnson, prior to the couple's marriage. They sought …