Opinion
No. 2010-09064.
March 29, 2011.
In an action, inter alia, to recover damages for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Brathwaite-Nelson, J.), entered August 12, 2010, which granted the defendants' motion to stay the action and compel arbitration.
Mahler Harris, P.C., Kew Gardens, N.Y. (Stephen R. Mahler of counsel), for appellant.
Lubiner Schmidt, LLC, New York, N.Y. (John E. Jenkins of counsel), for respondents.
Before: Covello, J.P., Dickerson, Eng and Sgroi, JJ.
Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
"[I]n the commercial context generally, the rule is clear that unless the agreement to arbitrate expressly and unequivocally encompasses the subject matter of the particular dispute, a party cannot be compelled to forego the right to seek judicial relief and instead submit to arbitration" ( Bowmer v Bowmer, 50 NY2d 288, 293-294; see Sammarco v Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of N.Y., 1 AD3d 341, 342; Computer Assoc. Intl. v Corn-Tech Assoc., 239 AD2d 379, 380-381). The burden of proof is on the party seeking arbitration ( see Matter of Allstate Ins. Co. v Roseboro, 247 AD2d 379, 380; Matter of American Centennial Ins. Co. v Williams, 233 AD2d 320). Here, the defendants satisfied their burden of establishing the existence of a valid agreement to arbitrate which expressly and unequivocally encompassed the subject matter of the plaintiffs claims ( see Bowmer v Bowmer, 50 NY2d at 293-294; Matter of Allstate Ins. Co. v Roseboro, 247 AD2d at 380). Accordingly, the Supreme Court properly granted the defendants' motion to stay the action and compel arbitration.