The Plaintiff had never signed the agreements containing the arbitration provisions which the Defendant sought to enforce, but the Business Court on November 19 nevertheless granted a Motion to Compel Arbitration in American Drywall Construction, Inc. v. Superior Construction Corp.,
The Plaintiff was a subcontractor, the Defendant was the general contractor. The Defendant prepared three written subcontracts — each of which contained an arbitration provision — but Plaintiff never signed any of them.
Judge Jolly noted three key facts regarding the unsigned agreements:
First, Plaintiff had undertaken to do the work described in the subcontracts, and it was seeking payment for that work in the lawsuit.
Second, Plaintiff submitted applications for payment referencing the subcontracts. The forms completed by the Plaintiff stated that "this Application for Progress Payment is made in strict accordance with the terms of the Subcontract."
Third, the parties had signed an addendum to one of the subcontracts which said that "all terms and conditions of the Subcontract . . .are incorporated herein and by reference and shall remain in full force and effect."
The Court held:
in this civil action Plaintiff seeks payment for performance of the work done pursuant to the terms of the respective Subcontracts, while at the same time it seeks to deny the enforceability of one of the terms of the Subcontracts. Much like the case of Real Color Displays, Inc. v. Universal Applied Techs., 950 F. Supp. 714 (E.D.N.C. 1997), Plaintiff’s conduct demonstrates that it intended to be bound by the Subcontracts, including the Arbitration Clause. In addition, Defendant’s argument in favor of the enforceability of the arbitration clause is bolstered by the signed subsequent writings, which specifically relate back to and incorporate the terms of the respective Subcontracts.
Judge Jolly concluded "the facts and circumstances of the dealings between the parties clearly demonstrate that the Subcontracts were intended by the parties to be binding. The fact that certain of the agreements were not signed does not change this result."