AF recently facilitated its March Arbitrator Workshop with over 550 member arbitrators in attendance. The purpose of these 30-minute workshops is to drive decision quality by:

• Sharing information with arbitrators on recent decision quality trends and drivers.
• Answering questions arbitrators may have on hearing cases.

March’s topics and key takeaways include the following:

Commenting and Referencing Evidence in Decisions

• Summarize the contents of the evidence. 
• Cite the evidence details that support your decision.
• Explain how the evidence influenced your decision.
• Remember, connect the dots and explain how the evidence did or did not support the arguments. 

Rental Disputes

• Confirm what is in dispute (rental duration and/or the rental rate). 
• Address the disputed items. 
• Explain how the evidence supports the amount sought or the damage dispute. 

Burden of Proof – Damage Disputes

• When damages are in dispute, both the filing and responding companies have the burden of proof. 
• Avoid using generic or templated language. Make your decision based on the arguments raised and the facts in evidence. 
• Remember, if the dispute is over the lack of evidence provided by the filing company, the responding company may not have evidence to support their position that the damages were not supported. 
• In arbitration, the burden of proof is a preponderance of the evidence. 

Quick Tips

• The Guide for Arbitrators questions 1, 9, and 19 were reviewed.
• When receiving a post-decision inquiry (PDI), please respond within three business days. 
• If you have questions concerning the inquiry, please reach out to the AF team member who sent the email. 

Our next arbitrator workshop will be held on May 20 and 22. We hope to see you there!