Sphere Drake Ins. Ltd. v. All Am. Ins. Co.
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
256 F.3d 587 (2001)
Relevant factsFree
Sphere Drake's (plaintiff) agent EIU sold reinsurance policies containing arbitration clauses to All American (defendant), but Sphere Drake argued EIU exceeded its authority in issuing the policies, meaning Sphere Drake never authorized either the policies or the arbitration clauses within them; the district court held it could decide this threshold agency question before sending any dispute to arbitration.
IssueFree
Whether a court may resolve disputes about whether a party actually agreed to an arbitration contract.