Haworth v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Opinion

GEORGE, C. J.

The superior court vacated an arbitration award in a case involving the claim of a female patient that her physician was negligent in performing plastic surgery on her lip. The basis of the court’s action was that the neutral arbitrator had failed to disclose a matter “that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the . . . neutral arbitrator would be able to be impartial.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 1281.9, subd. (a).)1 The question before us is whether the neutral arbitrator, a former judge of the superior court, was required to disclose to…