Mitsubishi Motors Corporation v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc.
United States Supreme Court
473 U.S. 614 (1985)
Soler Chrysler-Plymouth (Soler) (defendant) agreed to sell cars in San Juan under a distribution agreement with a Chrysler-Mitsubishi joint venture, which included a clause requiring arbitration of disputes in Japan; when a sales downturn led Soler to cancel roughly 1,000 vehicle orders, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (Mitsubishi) (plaintiff) sued to compel arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, and Soler counterclaimed under various antitrust statutes including the Sherman Act. The district court ordered all claims, including the antitrust counterclaims, to arbitration, but the court of appeals reversed as to the antitrust claims, relying on American Safety Equipment Corp. v. J.P. Maguire & Co.'s holding that antitrust claims are unsuited for arbitration.
Whether claims under American antitrust laws arising out of agreements involving international transactions may be arbitrated if the parties had agreed to a valid arbitration clause.