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(a) If either the Grievance Committee or the arbitration panel selected in the manner hereinafter provided determine that because of the amount involved or the legal complexity of the dispute the dispute should not be arbitrated, the arbitration shall automatically terminate unless either of the parties to the dispute appeals the decision to terminate the proceedings to the Board of Directors in writing within twenty (20) days of the date of notice that the Grievance Committee or the arbitration panel declined to continue the proceeding using Form #A-20, Appeal of Grievance Committee Dismissal or Classification of Arbitration Request. The request for arbitration and any attachments cannot be revised, modified, or supplemented. The party appealing the dismissal may, however, explain in writing why they disagree with the Grievance Committee’s conclusion that the request for arbitration should be dismissed. The Hearing Panel can also dismiss the arbitration request if the Hearing Panel concludes the matter is not arbitrable. The written appeal and those materials and information which were available to the Grievance Committee or the arbitration Hearing Panel when the decision to discontinue arbitration was made will be presented to the Directors and considered with the appeal at the Directors' next regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting designated for that purpose, as soon as practical but no later than thirty (30) days after the date of receipt of the appeal. The Directors' decision shall be transmitted to the parties within five (5) days from the date of the decision. The complainant and respondent do not have the right to appear at the hearing before the Directors. In the event of such an appeal, the Grievance Committee or the arbitration panel shall report its conclusions in writing to the Directors and, if the Directors concur, the arbitration shall terminate and the parties shall be relieved of their obligation to arbitrate. In this event, or in the case of no appeal, any deposits made by the parties shall be returned to them. However, if the Board of Directors decides that the arbitration should proceed, the matter shall be remanded to the Grievance Committee or the arbitration panel for further proceedings. (Revised 5/23)
(b) The President may appoint a panel of Directors, acting on behalf of the Board of Directors, to hear the appeal. Any appeal panel so appointed must be composed of at least five (5) Directors or a quorum of the Board of Directors, whichever is less. (Alternatively, the appeal may be heard by the Board’s Executive Committee.) The decision of the appeal panel (or Executive Committee) is final and not subject to further review by the Board of Directors. (Revised 11/91)
(c) If an otherwise arbitrable matter is the subject of civil litigation, arbitration shall not take place unless the litigation is withdrawn or referred to the Board of Directors by the court for arbitration in accordance with Article 17. In instances where the arbitration is mandatory (as defined in Part Ten, Section 44 of this Manual), the failure to arbitrate may result in a charge alleging violation of Article 17.
(d) If either party to an arbitration request believes that the Grievance Committee has incorrectly classified the issue presented by the request (“mandatory” or “voluntary” arbitration situation), the party has twenty (20) days from transmittal of the Grievance Committee’s decision to file a written appeal of the Grievance Committee’s determination using Form #A-20, Appeal of Grievance Committee (or Hearing Panel) Dismissal or Classification of Arbitration Request. The materials and information which were available to the Grievance Committee when the Committee made its determination will be presented to the Directors and considered with the appeal, together with any party’s rationale challenging the Grievance Committee’s classification of the request. Appeals of classifications shall be heard at the next regularly scheduled Directors' meeting or a special meeting designated for that purpose, as soon as practical but no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the appeal. The Directors' decision shall be transmitted to the parties within (5) days of the decision. The complainant and respondent do not have the right to appear at the hearing before the Directors. In the event of such an appeal, the Grievance Committee must report its written conclusions to the Board of Directors. If the Directors determine that the arbitration request was incorrectly classified, they shall reclassify the request as either “mandatory” or “voluntary” arbitration and refer it to the Professional Standards Administrator for appropriate processing. (Revised 5/23)