Value Car Sales v. Lori Ann Bouton

COWART, J. The agreement between a used car seller (appellant) and the purchaser (appellee) contained an arbitration clause. After a
dispute between the parties, the purchaser filed an action at law asserting breach of contract, fraud, unfair trade practices
(§ 501.201, et seq., Fla. Stat.), conversion, wrongful repossession and civil theft. The trial court denied the seller's motion
to enforce arbitration, finding that while there was no issue but that the purchaser had signed the contract containing the
arbitration provision, the arbitration provision unlawfully restricted the purchaser's access to the courts and lacked mutuality
of obligation, and that the seller was not entitled to arbitration as to the issues in the law action. We reverse.