WPC2 # VUNa % 0(U<w@ 4Y m 0l| 0D , 0J4 0T~ 0^ 0h0 0r 0| 0 0 1u U, 0d= BU,U>B)(DCQ AMU* D3 +>i 0@v~<v AO 0D D/ BHP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0 (hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($-Bu Z$Arrus BT Roman %&E'(E)*U+,-Ӏ9;p 3$3|x9((3$ !      0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)<  9p`(ModernP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d<  9p`(Monaco<  9p`(&Times New Roman% Line 7 d&&&&7Border 1dd-'C << G<  9p`(Arial""""'dxd ! !  #d#%  ))   YYY FILED)X May21,1996CecilCrowson,Jr.)AppellateCourtClerk   !#d#%   $            OnJuly11,1994,RickLewisandT.R.Autofiledamotionforreconsiderationwiththearbitrator,whichwasdeniedbyletterdatedAugust2,1994.%("$    PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'@Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Monaco   BA Op Monaco  BA Op Monaco -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . &$$Xd&#$$Xd#%  7E|XXdd7     \RA'\    @ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEL(+';+'h|$`  `L@ WESTERNSECTIONATJACKSON  ________________________________________________ MOTORCARRIERPETROLEUMGROUP,INC.,d/b/aMPG,  PlaintiffAppellee,Vs.       ShelbyLawNo.624641T.D.       C.A.No.02A019509CV00207 T.R.AUTOTRUCKPLAZA,T.R.ENTERPRISES,INC.,  Defendants,and RICKLEWIS,Individually,  DefendantAppellant.___________________________________________________________________________@ FROMTHECIRCUITCOURTOFSHELBYCOUNTY@ THEHONORABLEWYETHCHANDLER,JUDGE@ W.RayJamiesonandBenjaminT.Wages,Jr.,ofMemphis@ ForAppellee@ JamesT.AllisonofMemphis@ ForAppellant@ AFFIRMED @ Opinionfiled:        W.FRANKCRAWFORD,        PRESIDINGJUDGE,W.S.CONCUR:ALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGEDAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE 7E|XXdXXd7  ӛ ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtonstipulationofthepartiesforacceleratedappealpursuanttoRule13,RulesoftheCourtofAppeals.Defendant,RickLewis,appealsfromtheorderofthetrialcourtgrantingsummaryjudgmentagainsthimandT.R.AutoTruckPlaza(T.R.Auto)toplaintiff,MotorcarrierPetroleumGroup(Motorcarrier),onitscomplainttoconfirmanarbitrationaward. OnMarch20,1991,MotorcarrierandT.R.AutoTruckPlazaenteredintoacontractwherebyMotorcarrieragreedtoprovidedieselfuelandotherservicestoT.R.Auto,whointurnagreedtosellthefuelatapostedprice.InOctoberof1991,adisputearosebetweenthepartiesastobillingandtheamountoffueltobesupplied.T.R.Autothereafterterminatedthepartiescontractand,aspertheiragreement,thepartiessubmittedtobindingarbitration. OnApril8,1994,thearbitratorawardedMotorcarrierthesumof$4,566.96,plusattorneyfeesof$1,313.00,reimbursementofadministrativeexpensesintheamountof$513.00,and10%interestfromApril28,1994.Theawardincluded,inaddition,a$605.00feetotheAmericanArbitrationAssociation,foratotalawardof$7,085.53.TheawardwasagainstT.R.AutoandRickLewis. OnJune17,1994,MotorcarrierfiledsuittoconfirmthearbitratorsawardpursuanttoT.C.A.295212(Michie1980&Supp.1995),whichstates:8 8 Uponapplicationofaparty,thecourtshallconfirmanaward,unless,withinthetimelimitshereinafterimposed,groundsareurgedforvacatingormodifyingorcorrectingtheaward,inwhichcasethecourtshallproceedasprovidedin)Ԁ295313and295314. OnJune20,1994,Motorcarrierfiledamotionforsummaryjudgment,andonSeptember19,1994,thedefendantsresponded,contendingthatthedefendantswerenotjustlyindebtedtotheplaintiffandthatthemotionforsummaryjudgmentwasprematurebecausedefendantswereappealingthearbitratorsawardtothisCourtof X  X Appeals. ,   כOnNovember18,1994,thetrialcourtgrantedMotorcarriersmotionforsummaryjudgmentandconfirmedthearbitrationaward.Lewis,actingindividually,perfectedthepresentappeal. AppellantLewispresentsthreeissuesforthisCourtsreview;however,theappellantsprimaryargumentisthatthearbitratorexceededhispowersbyfindingtheappellantindividuallyliable.ThedispositiveissueiswhetherthetrialcourtproperlygrantedMotorcarriersmotionforsummaryjudgment,confirmingthearbitratorsaward. Trialcourtsplayalimitedroleinreviewingthedecisionofanarbitrator. Arnoldv.MorganKeegan&Co.,Inc. ,914S.W.2d445,448(Tenn.1996).The Arnold courtstated:8 8 [W]herethepartyhasagreedtoarbitrate,heorshe,ineffecthasrelinquishedmuchof[therighttoacourtsdecisiononthemerits].Thepartystillcanaskacourttoreviewthearbitratorsdecision,butthecourtwillsetthatdecisionasideonlyinveryunusualcircumstances(emphasisinoriginal). Id .(citing UnitedPaperworksIntlUnion,AFLCIOv.Misco,Inc. ,484U.S.29,36(1987)).Under Arnold ,thisCourtisrequiredtoutilizea deferentialstandardofreview.Wearenot permittedtoconsiderthemeritsofanarbitrationawardevenifthepartiesallegethattheawardrestsonerrorsoffactormisrepresentationofthecontract. Arnold ,914S.W.2dat450.Furthermore,wearerequiredtoacceptthefactspresentedunlesswefindthatthosefactsareclearlyerroneous,andshouldreviewlegalmatters inamannerdesignedtominimizeinterferencewithanefficientandeconomicalsystemofalternativedisputeresolution. Id .̀ UndertheUniformArbitrationAct,anarbitratorsawardmaybevacatedifthearbitratorexceedshisorherauthorityandanapplicationtovacateismadewithinninetydaysafterdeliveryofacopyoftheawardtotheapplicant.T.C.A.295313.Thescopeofanarbitratorsauthority isdeterminedbythetermsoftheagreementbetweenthepartieswhichincludestheagreementofthepartiestoarbitratethedispute. InternationalTalentGroup,Inc.v.CopyrightMgmt.Co. ,769S.W.2d217,218(Tenn.App.1988).Thefactthatthereliefgrantedbythearbitratormaynothavebeengrantedbyacourtisnotagroundforvacatingorrefusingtoconfirmanaward.T.C.A.)ԀԀ295314(a)(5).Significantly,under Arnold ,an arbitrationawardisnotsubjecttovacationforameremistakeoffactorlaw. Id., 914S.W.2dat451(citing McLeroyv.Waller ,731S.W.2d789,791(Ark.Ct.App.1987); Seither&CherryCo.v.IllinoisBankBldg.Corp. ,419N.E.2d940,945(Ill.App.Ct.1981); WesternWaterproofingCo.v.LindenwoodColleges ,662S.W.2d288,291(Mo.Ct.App.1983); Turnerv.NicholsonProperties,Inc. ,341S.E.2d42,45(N.C.Ct.App.1986)).Regardingappellatereviewofanarbitratorsdecision,theTennesseeSupremeCourtfoundtherationaleemployedin Turner instructive:8 8 Inessencerespondentarguesthatanarbitratorwhoerrsasamatteroflawexceedshispowersandasaresulttheawardcanbevacated.Allowingsuchreliefisinconsistentwiththegeneralrulethat errorsoflaworfact,oranerroneousdecisionofmatterssubmittedto[arbitration],areinsufficienttoinvalidateanawardfairlyandhonestlymade. Arnold ,914S.W.2dat451.The Arnold courtalsostressedtheneedforfinalityinarbitrationproceedings,despitetheharshresultsthatmayattimesfollow:8 8 Ifanarbitratormakesamistake,eitherastolaworfact,itisamisfortuneoftheparty,andthereisnohelpforit.ThereisnorightofappealandtheCourthasnopowertorevisethedecisionof judgeswhoareofthepartiesownchoosing.An[arbitration]awardisintendedtosettlethematterincontroversy,andthussavetheexpenseoflitigation.Ifamistakebeasufficientgroundforsettingasideanaward,itopensadoorforcomingintocourtinalmosteverycase;forinninecasesoutoftensomemistakeeitheroflaworfact,maybesuggestedbythedissatisfiedparty.Thus...arbitration,insteadofendingwouldtendtoincreaselitigation. Id .(citing CarolinaVirginiaFashionExhibitors,Inc.v.Gunther ,255S.E.2d414,420(N.C.Ct.App.1979)). Inthepresentcase,thearbitratormadetheawardagainstT.R.AutoaswellasRickLewis,individually.Lewissignedthepartiesagreementasfollows:8 8 Member:T.R.TruckPlaza8 8 By:򀀀/s/RickLewisVP&TreasDespitethefactthatLewissignedthepartiesagreementinwhatistraditionallyconsideredacorporatecapacity, Andersonv.Davis ,234S.W.2d368,269(Tenn.App.1950),thereisevidenceintherecordthatLewisknewthatT.R.TruckPlazawasnotinfactacorporationatthetimeLewissignedthepartiesagreement.PursuanttotheprovisionsofT.C.A.)Ԁ4812104(Michie1995),apersonmaybeliableforobligationscreatedwhilepurportingtoactonbehalfofacorporation,knowingthatnocorporationexists.Thus,ontherecordbeforeusandunderthestandardofreviewprescribedby Arnold ,thearbitratorsapparentfindingthatLewissignedthepartiescontractinMarchof1991inanindividual,ratherthaninacorporatecapacity,isnot clearlyerroneous. Arnold ,914S.W.2dat449. Forthereasonsstatedherein,weholdthatthearbitratordidnotexceedhisauthorityascontemplatedbyT.C.A.)ԀԀ295313(a)(3)whenhedeterminedthatLewiswaspersonallyliablefordamagescausedbyT.R.Autosbreachofthepartiescontract. Theorderofthetrialcourtconfirmingthearbitratorsawardisaffirmed.Costsoftheappealareassessedagainstappellant.       _________________________________       W.FRANKCRAWFORD,       PRESIDINGJUDGE,W.S. CONCUR: _________________________________ ALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGE _________________________________DAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE