2024 California Rules of Court
Standard 7. Disclosure
(a) Intent
This standard is intended to identify the matters that must be disclosed by a person nominated or appointed as an arbitrator. To the extent that this standard addresses matters that are also addressed by statute, it is intended to include those statutory disclosure requirements, not to eliminate, reduce, or otherwise limit them.
(b) General provisions
For purposes of this standard:
(1) Collective bargaining cases excluded
The terms "cases" and "any arbitration" do not include collective bargaining cases or arbitrations conducted under or arising out of collective bargaining agreements between employers and employees or between their respective representatives.
(2) Offers of employment or professional relationship
(A) Except as provided in (B), if an arbitrator has disclosed to the parties in an arbitration that he or she will entertain offers of employment or of professional relationships from a party or lawyer for a party while the arbitration is pending as required by subdivision (b) of standard 12, the arbitrator is not also required under this standard to disclose to the parties in that arbitration any such offer from a party or lawyer for a party that he or she subsequently receives or accepts while that arbitration is pending.
(B) In a consumer arbitration, if an arbitrator has disclosed to the parties that he or she will entertain offers of employment or of professional relationships from a party or lawyer for a party while the arbitration is pending as required by subdivision (b) of standard 12 and has informed the parties in the pending arbitration about any such offer and the acceptance of any such offer as required by subdivision (d) of standard 12, the arbitrator is not also required under this standard to disclose that offer or the acceptance of that offer to the parties in that arbitration.
(3) Names of parties in cases
When making disclosures about other pending or prior cases, in order to preserve confidentiality, it is sufficient to give the name of any party who is not a party to the pending arbitration as "claimant" or "respondent" if the party is an individual and not a business or corporate entity.
(Subd (b) amended effective July 1, 2014.)
(c) Time and manner of disclosure
(1) Initial disclosure
Within 10 calendar days of service of notice of the proposed nomination or appointment, a proposed arbitrator must disclose to all parties in writing all matters listed in subdivisions (d) and (e) of this standard of which the arbitrator is then aware.
(2) Supplemental disclosure
If an arbitrator subsequently becomes aware of a matter that must be disclosed under either subdivision (d) or (e) of this standard, the arbitrator must disclose that matter to the parties in writing within 10 calendar days after the arbitrator becomes aware of the matter.
(Subd (c) amended effective July 1, 2014.)
(d) Required disclosures
A proposed arbitrator or arbitrator must disclose all matters that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the arbitrator would be able to be impartial, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Family relationships with party
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate or extended family is:
(A) A party;
(B) The spouse or domestic partner of a party; or
(C) An officer, director, or trustee of a party.
(2) Family relationships with lawyer in the arbitration
(A) Current relationships
The arbitrator, or the spouse, former spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, or parent of the arbitrator or the arbitrator's spouse or domestic partner is:
(i) A lawyer in the arbitration;
(ii) The spouse or domestic partner of a lawyer in the arbitration; or
(iii) Currently associated in the private practice of law with a lawyer in the arbitration.
(B) Past relationships
The arbitrator or the arbitrator's spouse or domestic partner was associated in the private practice of law with a lawyer in the arbitration within the preceding two years.
(3) Significant personal relationship with party or lawyer for a party
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family has or has had a significant personal relationship with any party or lawyer for a party.
(4) Service as arbitrator for a party or lawyer for party
(A) The arbitrator is serving or, within the preceding five years, has served:
(i) As a neutral arbitrator in another prior or pending noncollective bargaining case involving a party to the current arbitration or a lawyer for a party.
(ii) As a party-appointed arbitrator in another prior or pending noncollective bargaining case for either a party to the current arbitration or a lawyer for a party.
(iii) As a neutral arbitrator in another prior or pending noncollective bargaining case in which he or she was selected by a person serving as a party-appointed arbitrator in the current arbitration.
(B) Case information
If the arbitrator is serving or has served in any of the capacities listed under (A), he or she must disclose:
(i) The names of the parties in each prior or pending case and, where applicable, the name of the attorney representing the party in the current arbitration who is involved in the pending case, who was involved in the prior case, or whose current associate is involved in the pending case or was involved in the prior case.
(ii) The results of each prior case arbitrated to conclusion, including the date of the arbitration award, identification of the prevailing party, the amount of monetary damages awarded, if any, and the names of the parties' attorneys.
(C) Summary of case information
If the total number of the cases disclosed under (A) is greater than five, the arbitrator must provide a summary of these cases that states:
(i) The number of pending cases in which the arbitrator is currently serving in each capacity;
(ii) The number of prior cases in which the arbitrator previously served in each capacity;
(iii) The number of prior cases arbitrated to conclusion; and
(iv) The number of such prior cases in which the party to the current arbitration, the party represented by the lawyer for a party in the current arbitration or the party represented by the party-arbitrator in the current arbitration was the prevailing party.
(5) Compensated service as other dispute resolution neutral
The arbitrator is serving or has served as a dispute resolution neutral other than an arbitrator in another pending or prior noncollective bargaining case involving a party or lawyer for a party and the arbitrator received or expects to receive any form of compensation for serving in this capacity.
(A) Time frame
For purposes of this paragraph (5), "prior case" means any case in which the arbitrator concluded his or her service as a dispute resolution neutral within two years before the date of the arbitrator's proposed nomination or appointment.
(B) Case information
If the arbitrator is serving or has served in any of the capacities listed under this paragraph (5), he or she must disclose:
(i) The names of the parties in each prior or pending case and, where applicable, the name of the attorney in the current arbitration who is involved in the pending case, who was involved in the prior case, or whose current associate is involved in the pending case or was involved in the prior case;
(ii) The dispute resolution neutral capacity (mediator, referee, etc.) in which the arbitrator is serving or served in the case; and
(iii) In each such case in which the arbitrator rendered a decision as a temporary judge or referee, the date of the decision, the prevailing party, the amount of monetary damages awarded, if any, and the names of the parties' attorneys.
(C) Summary of case information
If the total number of cases disclosed under this paragraph (5) is greater than five, the arbitrator must also provide a summary of the cases that states:
(i) The number of pending cases in which the arbitrator is currently serving in each capacity;
(ii) The number of prior cases in which the arbitrator previously served in each capacity;
(iii) The number of prior cases in which the arbitrator rendered a decision as a temporary judge or referee; and
(iv) The number of such prior cases in which the party to the current arbitration or the party represented by the lawyer for a party in the current arbitration was the prevailing party.
(6) Current arrangements for prospective neutral service
Whether the arbitrator has any current arrangement with a party concerning prospective employment or other compensated service as a dispute resolution neutral or is participating in or, within the last two years, has participated in discussions regarding such prospective employment or service with a party.
(7) Attorney-client relationship
Any attorney-client relationship the arbitrator has or has had with a party or lawyer for a party. Attorney-client relationships include the following:
(A) An officer, a director, or a trustee of a party is or, within the preceding two years, was a client of the arbitrator in the arbitrator's private practice of law or a client of a lawyer with whom the arbitrator is or was associated in the private practice of law;
(B) In any other proceeding involving the same issues, the arbitrator gave advice to a party or a lawyer in the arbitration concerning any matter involved in the arbitration; and
(C) The arbitrator served as a lawyer for or as an officer of a public agency which is a party and personally advised or in any way represented the public agency concerning the factual or legal issues in the arbitration.
(8) Employee, expert witness, or consultant relationships
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family is or, within the preceding two years, was an employee of or an expert witness or a consultant for a party or for a lawyer in the arbitration.
(9) Other professional relationships
Any other professional relationship not already disclosed under paragraphs (2)-(8) that the arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family has or has had with a party or lawyer for a party.
(10) Financial interests in party
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family has a financial interest in a party.
(11) Financial interests in subject of arbitration
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family has a financial interest in the subject matter of the arbitration.
(12) Affected interest
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate family has an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the arbitration.
(13) Knowledge of disputed facts
The arbitrator or a member of the arbitrator's immediate or extended family has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts relevant to the arbitration. A person who is likely to be a material witness in the proceeding is deemed to have personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding.
(14) Membership in organizations practicing discrimination
The arbitrator is a member of any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. Membership in a religious organization, an official military organization of the United States, or a nonprofit youth organization need not be disclosed unless it would interfere with the arbitrator's proper conduct of the proceeding or would cause a person aware of the fact to reasonably entertain a doubt concerning the arbitrator's ability to act impartially.
(15) Any other matter that:
(A) Might cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the arbitrator would be able to be impartial;
(B) Leads the proposed arbitrator to believe there is a substantial doubt as to his or her capacity to be impartial, including, but not limited to, bias or prejudice toward a party, lawyer, or law firm in the arbitration; or
(C) Otherwise leads the arbitrator to believe that his or her disqualification will further the interests of justice.
(Subd (d) amended effective July 1, 2014.)
(e) Other required disclosures
In addition to the matters that must be disclosed under subdivision (d), a proposed arbitrator or arbitrator must also disclose:
(1) Professional discipline
(A) If the arbitrator has been disbarred or had his or her license to practice a profession or occupation revoked by a professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board, whether in California or elsewhere. The disclosure must specify the date of the revocation, what professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board revoked the license, and the reasons given by that professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board for the revocation.
(B) If the arbitrator has resigned his or her membership in the State Bar or another professional or occupational licensing agency or board, whether in California or elsewhere, while public or private disciplinary charges were pending. The disclosure must specify the date of the resignation, what professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board had charges pending against the arbitrator at the time of the resignation, and what those charges were.
(C) If within the preceding 10 years public discipline other than that covered under (A) has been imposed on the arbitrator by a professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board, whether in California or elsewhere. "Public discipline" under this provision means any disciplinary action imposed on the arbitrator that the professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board identifies in its publicly available records or in response to a request for information about the arbitrator from a member of the public. The disclosure must specify the date the discipline was imposed, what professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board imposed the discipline, and the reasons given by that professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board for the discipline.
(2) Inability to conduct or timely complete proceedings
(A) If the arbitrator is not able to properly perceive the evidence or properly conduct the proceedings because of a permanent or temporary physical impairment; and
(B) Any constraints on his or her availability known to the arbitrator that will interfere with his or her ability to commence or complete the arbitration in a timely manner.
(Subd (e) amended effective July 1, 2014.)
(f) Continuing duty
An arbitrator's duty to disclose the matters described in subdivisions (d) and (e) of this standard is a continuing duty, applying from service of the notice of the arbitrator's proposed nomination or appointment until the conclusion of the arbitration proceeding.
Standard 7 amended effective July 1, 2014.
Comment to Standard 7
This standard requires proposed arbitrators to disclose to all parties, in writing within 10 days of service of notice of their proposed nomination or appointment, all matters they are aware of at that time that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the proposed arbitrator would be able to be impartial as well as those matters listed under subdivision (e). This standard also requires that if arbitrators subsequently become aware of any additional such matters, they must make supplemental disclosures of these matters within 10 days of becoming aware of them. This latter requirement is intended to address both matters existing at the time of nomination or appointment of which the arbitrator subsequently becomes aware and new matters that arise based on developments during the arbitration, such as the hiring of new counsel by a party.
Timely disclosure to the parties is the primary means of ensuring the impartiality of an arbitrator. It provides the parties with the necessary information to make an informed selection of an arbitrator by disqualifying or ratifying the arbitrator following disclosure. See also standard 12, concerning disclosure and disqualification requirements relating to concurrent and subsequent employment or professional relationships between an arbitrator and a party or attorney in the arbitration. A party may disqualify an arbitrator for failure to comply with statutory disclosure obligations (see Code Civ. Proc., § 1281.91(a)). Failure to disclose, within the time required for disclosure, a ground for disqualification of which the arbitrator was then aware is a ground for vacatur of the arbitrator's award (see Code Civ. Proc., § 1286.2(a)(6)(A)).
The arbitrator's overarching duty under subdivision (d) of this standard, which mirrors the duty set forth in Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.9, is to inform parties about matters that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the arbitrator would be able to be impartial. While the remaining subparagraphs of subdivision (d) require the disclosure of specific interests, relationships, or affiliations, these are only examples of common matters that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the arbitrator would be able to be impartial. The fact that none of the interests, relationships, or affiliations specifically listed in the subparagraphs of (d) are present in a particular case does not necessarily mean that there is no matter that could reasonably raise a question about the arbitrator's ability to be impartial and that therefore must be disclosed. Similarly, the fact that a particular interest, relationship, or affiliation present in a case is not specifically enumerated in one of the examples given in these subparagraphs does not mean that it must not be disclosed. An arbitrator must make determinations concerning disclosure on a case-by-case basis, applying the general criteria for disclosure under subdivision (d): is the matter something that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the arbitrator would be able to be impartial?
Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.85 specifically requires that the ethics standards adopted by the Judicial Council address the disclosure of interests, relationships, or affiliations that may constitute conflicts of interest, including prior service as an arbitrator or other dispute resolution neutral entity. Section 1281.85 further provides that the standards "shall be consistent with the standards established for arbitrators in the judicial arbitration program and may expand but may not limit the disclosure and disqualification requirements established by this chapter [chapter 2 of title 9 of part III, Code of Civil Procedure, sections 1281-1281.95]."
Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.9 already establishes detailed requirements concerning disclosures by arbitrators, including a specific requirement that arbitrators disclose the existence of any ground specified in Code of Civil Procedure section 170.1 for disqualification of a judge. This standard does not eliminate or otherwise limit those requirements; in large part, it simply consolidates and integrates those existing statutory disclosure requirements by topic area. This standard does, however, expand upon or clarify the existing statutory disclosure requirements in the following ways:
Requiring arbitrators to make supplemental disclosures to the parties regarding any matter about which they become aware after the time for making an initial disclosure has expired, within 10 calendar days after the arbitrator becomes aware of the matter (subdivision (c)).
Expanding required disclosures about the relationships or affiliations of an arbitrator's family members to include those of an arbitrator's domestic partner (subdivisions (d)(1) and (2); see also definitions of immediate and extended family in standard 2).
Requiring arbitrators, in addition to making statutorily required disclosures regarding prior service as an arbitrator for a party or attorney for a party, to disclose both prior service as a neutral arbitrator selected by a party arbitrator in the current arbitration and prior compensated service as any other type of dispute resolution neutral for a party or attorney in the arbitration (e.g., temporary judge, mediator, or referee) (subdivisions (d)(4)(A)(iii) and (5)).
If a disclosure includes information about five or more cases, requiring arbitrators to provide a summary of that information (subdivisions (d)(4)(C) and (5)(C).
Requiring the arbitrator to disclose if he or she or a member of his or her immediate family is or, within the preceding two years, was an employee, expert witness, or consultant for a party or a lawyer in the arbitration (subdivision (d)(8)).
Requiring the arbitrator to disclose if he or she or a member of his or her immediate family has an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the arbitration (subdivision (d)(12)).
Requiring arbitrators to disclose membership in organizations that practice invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation (subdivision (d)(14)).
Requiring the arbitrator to disclose if he or she was disbarred or had his or her license to practice a profession or occupation revoked by a professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board, resigned membership in the State Bar or another licensing agency or board while disciplinary charges were pending, or had any other public discipline imposed on him or her by a professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing board within the preceding 10 years (subdivision (e)(1)). The standard identifies the information that must be included in such a disclosure; however, arbitrators may want to provide additional information to assist parties in determining whether to disqualify an arbitrator based on such a disclosure.
Requiring the arbitrator to disclose any constraints on his or her availability known to the arbitrator that will interfere with his or her ability to commence or complete the arbitration in a timely manner (subdivision (e)(2)).
Clarifying that the duty to make disclosures is a continuing obligation, requiring disclosure of matters that were not known at the time of nomination or appointment but that become known afterward (subdivision (f)).
It is good practice for an arbitrator to ask each participant to make an effort to disclose any matters that may affect the arbitrator's ability to be impartial.