Russell v. Kerley

Defendant appeals a judgment on an arbitration award in plaintiffs’ favor. He assigns error to the trial court’s refusal to vacate the arbitrator’s award, arguing that the arbitrator’s punitive damages award exceeded his authority and that the arbitrator was not impartial. We affirm.

In 1995, plaintiffs Mark and Kathryn Russell offered to purchase a house from defendant Paul A. Kerley. The offer was contingent on defendant replacing the roof and doing other necessary repairs, with total costs not to exceed $4,500. Defendant countered with an offer to limit his total repair costs to $4,500 and…