Visiting Nurse Association of Florida, Inc., Petitioner v. Jupiter Medical Center, Inc., Respondent

Summary

The court quashed the district court's decision requiring a trial court to determine the legality of a contract before enforcing an arbitration award. It held that, under the governing federal and state arbitration statutes, an arbitrator's allegedly illegal construction of an underlying contract is not an independent basis for vacatur, and the arbitrators did not exceed their powers by deciding the submitted breach-of-contract dispute. The court also held that review was de novo because the issues presented were questions of law.