This Arbitration Provision sets forth the circumstances and procedures under which claims (as defined below) shall be arbitrated instead of litigated in court upon the election of either party.
(a) Definitions: As used in this Arbitration Provision, the term “Claim” means any claim, dispute or controversy between you and us arising from or relating to this Agreement as well as any related or prior agreement that youmay have had with us or the relationships resulting from this Agreement or any of the foregoing. “Claim” includes claims of every kind and nature, including but not limited to initial claims, counterclaims, cross-claims and third-party claims, claims based upon contract, tort, fraud and other intentional torts, consumer rights, statutes, regulations, ordinances, common law and equity, and claims which arose before the date of this Agreement. The term “Claim” is to be given the broadest possible meaning that will be enforced. We shall not elect to use arbitration under the Arbitration Provision for any individual Claim that you properly file and pursue in a small claims court of your state or municipality so long as the Claim is individual and pending only in that court; any Claimthat is appealed, transferred or removed from that court shall be subject to arbitration. Also, “Claim” does not include disputes about the validity, enforceability, coverage, or scope of this Arbitration Provision or any part thereof; all such disputes are for a court and not an arbitrator to decide. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Claim” includes any dispute about the validity or enforceability of this Agreement as a whole; any such Claim is for the arbitrator, not a court, to decide. Even if all parties have opted to litigate a Claim in court, you or we may elect arbitration with respect to any Claim made by a new party or any Claim later asserted by a party in that or any related or unrelated lawsuit (including a Claim initially asserted on an individual basis but modified to be asserted on a class, representative or multi-party basis). Nothing in that litigation shall constitute a waiver of any rights under this Arbitration Provision. As solely used in this Arbitration Provision,the terms “we” and “us” shall for all purposes mean Karrikin Inc. d/b/aKarrikin Technologies, wholly or majority owned subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees, predecessors, successors, and assigns; and all of their agents, employees, directors and representatives. As solely used in this Arbitration Provision, the terms “you” or “yours” shall mean all persons or entities that are party to this Agreement, or are approved by us to have and/or use a Card,including but not limited to all persons or entities contractually obligated under any of the Agreements and all additional cardholders.
(b) Initiation of Arbitration Proceeding/Selection of Administrator: Any Claim shall be resolved, upon the election by you or us, by arbitration pursuant to this Arbitration Provision and the code of procedures of the national arbitration organization to which the Claim is referred in effect at the time the Claim is filed. Claims shall be referred to either Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (“JAMS”) or the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), as selected by the party electing to use arbitration. If a selection by us of one of these organizations is unacceptable to you, you shall have the right within thirty (30) days after you receive notice of our election to select the other organization listed to serve as arbitrator administrator. For a copy of the procedures, to file a Claim or for other information about these organizations, contact them as follows: (i) JAMS at 1920 Main Street, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 92614; website at www.jamsadr.com; and (ii) AAA at 335 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017; website at
www.adr.org. If both JAMS and the AAA are unable to serve as administrator and wecannot agree on a replacement, a court with jurisdiction will appoint the administrator or arbitrator.
(c) Significance of Arbitration: IF ARBITRATION IS CHOSEN BY ANY PARTY WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM, NEITHER YOU NOR WE WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE THAT CLAIM IN COURT OR HAVE A JURY TRIAL ON THAT CLAIM, OR TO ENGAGE IN DISCOVERY EXCEPT AS PROVIDED FOR IN THE CODE OF PROCEDURES OF JAMS OR AAA, AS APPLICABLE (THE“CODE”). FURTHER, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY OR AS A MEMBER OF ANY CLASS OF CLAIMANTS PERTAINING TO ANY CLAIM SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION. THE ARBITRATOR SHALL NOT CONDUCT A CLASS ARBITRATION OR A JOINT ARBITRATION, EXCEPT AS SET FORTH BELOW. THE ARBITRATOR’S DECISION WILL BE FINAL AND BINDING. NOTE THAT OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WENT TO COURT ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION.
(d) Restrictions onArbitration: If either party elects to resolve a Claim by arbitration, that Claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis. There shall be no right or authority for any Claims to be arbitrated on a class action or private attorneygeneral basis or on bases involving Claims brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public, other Cardholders orother persons similarly situated. The arbitrator’s authority to resolve Claims is limited to Claims between you and us alone, and the arbitrator’s authority to make awards is limited to you and us alone. Furthermore, Claims brought byyou against us or by us against you may not be joined or consolidated in arbitration with Claims brought by or against someone other than you, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by all parties. This section of this Arbitration Provision is the “Class Action Waiver.” (Special procedures apply to Claims that seek public injunctive relief, as set forth below).
(e) Location ofArbitration/Payment of Fees: Any arbitration hearing that you attend shall take place in the federal judicial district of your residence. At your written request, we will consider in good faith making a temporary advance of all orpart of the filing, administrative and/or hearing fees for any individual Claim you initiate as to which you or we seek arbitration. At the conclusion of the arbitration (or any appeal thereof), the arbitrator (or panel) will decide who will ultimately be responsible for paying the filing, administrative and/orhearing fees in connection with the arbitration (or appeal). If and to the extent you incur filing, administrative and/or hearing fees in arbitration, including for any appeal, exceeding the amount they would have been if the Claim had been brought in the state or federal court which is closest to your billing address and would have had jurisdiction over the Claim, we willreimburse you to that extent unless the arbitrator (or panel) determines that the fees were incurred without any substantial justification.
(f) Arbitration Procedures: This Arbitration Provision is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce, and shall be governed by the Federal ArbitrationAct, 9 U.S.C. Sections 1-16, as it may be amended (the “FAA”). The arbitration shall be governed by the applicable Code, except that this Arbitration Provision shall control if it is inconsistent with the applicable Code or withother provisions of this Agreement. The arbitrator will be selected under the administrator’s rules, except that the arbitrator must be a lawyer with experience in the subject matter of the Claimor a retired judge, unless you and we agree otherwise in writing.
The arbitrator shall apply the applicable substantive law, consistent with the FAA, that would apply if an individual matter had been brought in court. The arbitrator may award any damages or other relief of remedies that would apply under applicable law to an individual action brought in court, including, without limitation, punitive damages (which shall be governed by the Constitutional standards employed by the courts) and injunctive, equitable, anddeclaratory relief (but only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by that party’s individual claim). The arbitrator will have the authority to award fees and costs of attorneys, witnesses and experts to the extent permitted by the administrator’s rules or applicable law. The arbitrator shall apply applicable statutes of limitations and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law and, at the timely request of either party, shall provide a brief written explanation of the basis for the decision. In conducting the arbitration proceeding, the arbitrator shall not apply the Federal or any state rules of civil procedure or rules of evidence. Either party may submit a request to thearbitrator to expand the scope of discovery allowable under the applicableCode. The party submitting such a request must provide a copy to the other party, who may submit objections to the arbitrator with a copy of the objections provided to the request party, within 15 days of receiving the requesting party’s notice. The granting or denial of such request will be inthe sole discretion of the arbitrator who shall notify the parties of his/her decision within 20 days of the objecting party’s submission. The arbitratorshall take reasonable steps to preserve the privacy of individuals, and of business matters. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The arbitrator’s decision will befinal and binding, except for any right of appeal provided by the FAA. However, if the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000, any party can appeal that award to a three-arbitrator panel administered by the same arbitration organization, which shall consider anew any aspect of the initial award objected to by the appealing party. The appealing party shall have 30 days from the date of entry of the written arbitration award to notify the arbitration organization that itis exercising the right of appeal. The appeal shall be filed with the arbitration organization in the form of a dated writing. The arbitration organization will then notify the other party that the award has been appealed.The arbitration organization will appoint a three-arbitrator panel which willconduct arbitration pursuant to its Code and issue its decision within 120 days of the date of the appellant’s written notice. The decision of the panel shall be by majority vote and shall be final and binding except for any appeal rights under the FAA.
(g) No Preclusive Effect: No arbitration award involving the parties will have any preclusive effect as to issues or claims in any dispute involving anyone who is not a party to the arbitration, nor will an arbitration award in prior disputes involving other parties have preclusive effect in an arbitration between the parties to this Arbitration Provision.
(h) Continuation and Severance: This Arbitration Provision shall survive cancellation, suspension, revocation or termination of your Card or this Agreement as well as voluntary payment of the debt in full by you, any legalproceeding by us to collect a debt owed by you, and any bankruptcy by you or us. If any portion of this Arbitration Provision is held to be invalid or unenforceable, it shall not invalidate the remaining portions of this Arbitration Provision, the Agreement or any prior agreement you may have had with us, each of which shall be enforceable regardless of such invalidity except that: (A) If the Class Action Waiver is declared unenforceable in aproceeding between you and us with respect to a Claim that does not seek public injunctive relief, and that determination becomes final after all appeals have been exhausted, this entire Arbitration Provision (except for this sentence) shall be null and void in such proceeding; and (B) If a claim is brought seeking public injunctive relief and a court determines that the restrictions in the Class Action Waiver and/or elsewhere in this Arbitration Provision prohibiting the arbitrator from awarding relief on behalf of third parties are unenforceable with respect to such Claim, and that determination becomes final after all appeals have been exhausted, the Claim for public injunctive relief will be determined in court and any individual Claims seeking monetary relief will be arbitrated. In such a case the parties will request that the court stay the Claim for public injunctive relief until the arbitration award pertaining to individual relief has been entered in court. In no event will a Claim for class-wide or public injunctive relief be arbitrated.