The Firm obtained a summary judgment victory for our Liechtenstein client, Intamin Amusement Rides Int. Corp., Est.—the global leader in designing and manufacturing high-performance thrill rides—in a hard-fought battle against a national law firm and its clients (US Thrill Rides, LLC and Polercoaster, LLC), which sought to force our client into an arbitration that our client never agreed to. In stark terms, the other side is seeking tens of millions of dollars from Intamin Amusement Rides, while trying to deprive it of its right to a court of law and the protections that come with it. They failed.
The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Florida. The arbitration issue had to be resolved on summary judgment (or trial) because the district court earlier found that the Eleventh Circuit does not authorize injunctions preventing arbitration because, according to the district court’s interpretation of precedent, erroneously forcing a party to arbitrate does not constitute “irreparable injury.” Consequently, last year the district court set the case for trial this July. Thereafter, the parties conducted discovery in Texas, New York, Florida and Switzerland. We moved last fall for summary judgment, while continuing to prepare for the July trial. On April 26, 2022, the district court granted our motion, finding that Intamin Amusement Rides is not bound by any agreement to arbitrate. In a 20-page order, the district court sided with the Firm on every single issue. The order can be read here.