Under what rules will arbitration be conducted and governed for Creative World School disputes?
Creative_World_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 21.02 Agreement to Arbitrate. Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement, any litigation, claim, dispute, suit, action, controversy, proceeding or otherwise (a "dispute") between or involving you and us (or our and your affiliates' shareholders, directors, partners, officers, employees, agents, attorneys, accountants, affiliates, guarantors or otherwise), which are not resolved by mediation as described above, will be submitted for arbitration to the office of the AAA closest to our Bonita Springs headquarters.
Arbitration proceedings will be conducted at our Bonita Springs headquarters.
Except as otherwise described below, the arbitration will be conducted and governed by the AAA under its commercial arbitration rules and the federal arbitration act (9 U.S.C. §§1 et. seq.) and not by any state arbitration law.
All parties to any arbitration will execute an appropriate confidentiality agreement, excepting only such disclosures and filings as are required by law**.**
- 21.03 Place and Procedure.
The arbitration proceedings will be conducted at our headquarters in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Any dispute and any arbitration will be conducted and resolved on an individual basis only and not a class-wide, multiple plaintiff or similar basis.
Any such arbitration proceeding will not be consolidated with any other arbitration proceeding involving any other person, except for disputes involving affiliates of the parties to such arbitration.
The parties agree that, in connection with any such arbitration proceeding, each must submit or file any claim which would constitute a compulsory counterclaim (as defined by rule 13 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure) within the same proceeding as the dispute to which it relates.
Any such dispute which is not submitted or filed in such proceeding will be barred.
- 21.04 Awards and Decisions.
The proceedings will be heard by one arbitrator who must be a retired federal court judge.
The arbitrator must be selected in accordance with AAA procedures.
The arbitrator will have the right to award any relief which they deem proper in the circumstances, including, for example, money damages (with interest on unpaid amo
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 80–247)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Creative World School Franchise Disclosure Document, any disputes that are not resolved through mediation will be submitted for arbitration to the American Arbitration Association (AAA) office closest to Creative World School's headquarters in Bonita Springs, Florida. The arbitration proceedings will also be conducted at the headquarters in Bonita Springs.
The arbitration will be governed by the AAA's commercial arbitration rules and the Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. §§1 et. seq.), and not by any state arbitration law. All parties involved in the arbitration must sign a confidentiality agreement, with exceptions only for disclosures and filings required by law. The proceedings will be heard by one arbitrator who must be a retired federal court judge selected according to AAA procedures.
The arbitration will be conducted on an individual basis, meaning no class-wide or multiple plaintiff actions are allowed. Consolidation with other arbitration proceedings is not permitted, except for disputes involving affiliates of the parties. Furthermore, any claim that would constitute a compulsory counterclaim must be submitted or filed within the same proceeding as the related dispute, or it will be barred. The arbitrator has the authority to award any relief deemed proper, including money damages and interest on unpaid amounts.