Questione giuridica chiave
Whether the arbitral tribunal wrongly denied jurisdiction on the ground that the respondent was not bound by the consultancy agreement and arbitration clause
Decisione estratta
The tribunal correctly held that the respondent was not bound, because the signatory had neither actual authority nor a valid basis under French law to rely on apparent authority for a SARL.
Motivazione estratta
The Federal Court accepted the tribunal's reliance on French law and on French case law rejecting a general doctrine of apparent authority for acts concluded in the name of a SARL by a non-gérant and non-special agent. The respondent therefore was not bound by the agreement or arbitration clause.