Cantella & Co., Inc. v. Goodwin

In this original proceeding, Cantella & Company seeks relief from the trial court’s order denying arbitration of the City of Luf-kin’s suit against Cantella arising from a securities transaction. Because the parties entered into a valid arbitration agreement under the Federal Arbitration Act (the FAA) 1 , we conditionally grant mandamus relief.

In 1993, Cantella and the City entered into a “Client’s Agreement” whereby Cantella agreed to handle securities transactions for the City. The agreement has an arbitration clause. It provides that “all controversies which may arise between us ... shall…