Sea Vault Partners, LLC v. Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, Inc.
The trial court sanctioned Sea Vault $302,848.03 for bad-faith failure to arbitrate based on its nonpayment of a $5,000 arbitrator deposit, after the arbitrator had already denied BAP's sanctions motion. The Third District reversed, holding the trial court never ordered the parties to arbitrate (its order merely said 'Denied' to an injunction motion), that no party had moved to compel payment of the deposit, and that a court's inherent authority does not reach a party's conduct in a pending arbitration.
Key facts
- Sea Vault Partners, LLC and Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, Inc. were parties to an arbitration agreement; Sea Vault failed to pay a $5,000 arbitrator deposit required during the arbitration proceeding.
- The trial court sanctioned Sea Vault $302,848.03 for bad-faith failure to arbitrate based on the nonpayment, after the arbitrator had already denied a sanctions motion on the same issue.
- +2 more key facts with a free trial
Why it matters
A substantial reversal of a $300,000+ sanctions award that gives arbitration practitioners a clear rule: trial courts cannot police a party's conduct inside a pending arbitration, and nonpayment of arbitrator fees is a… — full analysis with a trial
Read the full opinion, holdings & search — free for 30 days
The full opinion PDF, the rules the court applied, our significance analysis, the background facts, and full-text search across every tracked Florida decision — in your hands.
- Search every tracked Florida decision in seconds
- Save, tag & file the cases that matter into your own library
- Read the full plain-English analysis and holdings
Not ready to sign up? Get the free Friday digest — the week's key Florida decisions by email, no login required.
Florida Court Tracker provides summaries of publicly available court opinions for informational and research purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Always verify holdings against the official opinion.