Opinion
September 28, 1993
Appeal from the Supreme Court, New York County (Irma Vidal Santaella, J.).
Defendant failed to meet its "heavy burden" of demonstrating arbitrator misconduct "by clear and convincing proof" (Matter of Dember Constr. Corp. [New York Univ.], 190 A.D.2d 537; Matter of Disston Co. [Aktiebolag], 176 A.D.2d 679, lv denied 79 N.Y.2d 757). CPLR 7505 authorizes an attorney in an arbitration proceeding to issue subpoenas, and defendant can hardly complain that the arbitrator was guilty of misconduct because he did not do what its attorney could have done on his own initiative. As for defendant's other contention that the arbitrator refused to hear pertinent testimony, not only has defendant failed to provide any evidence in support thereof, but there is no indication that defendant ever objected to the arbitrator's rulings prior to submitting its cross-motion to vacate the award.
Concur — Murphy, P.J., Sullivan, Kupferman and Nardelli, JJ.