18. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court. For purposes of this Section 18 (Dispute Resolution), “Nestlé” shall include its shareholders, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, employees, predecessors in interest, successors and assigns.
THIS SECTION LIMITS CERTAIN RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO MAINTAIN A COURT ACTION, THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL, THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY FORM OF CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE CLAIM OR ACTION, THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN DISCOVERY EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THE AAA RULES, AND THE RIGHT TO CERTAIN REMEDIES AND FORMS OF RELIEF. OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU OR NESTLÉ WOULD HAVE IN COURT, SUCH AS APPELLATE REVIEW, ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION.
If you and Nestlé have a Dispute (defined below), you and Nestlé agree to make a good faith effort to resolve it informally prior to initiating a formal arbitration proceeding. If you or Nestlé intend to initiate an arbitration proceeding, the initiating party must first send a verified notice (“Notice”) to the responding party that describes the Dispute. The Notice must include the initiating party’s name and contact information (address, telephone number, and email address), sufficient information to enable the parties to identify any transaction at issue; and a detailed description of (1) the Dispute, (2) the nature and basis of the claims, and (3) the nature and basis of the relief sought, with a detailed calculation. If you have a Dispute with us, you must send this notice to USDisputeReso[@]us.nestle.com. If Nestlé has a Dispute with you, Nestlé will send this notice to the email associated with your Nestlé account. You and Nestlé will participate in an individual meet-and-confer in person or via teleconference or videoconference. The meet-and-confer will address only the Dispute between you and Nestlé. If you are represented by counsel, your counsel may participate in the meet-and-confer, but you will still need to be present for the meet-and-confer. Nestlé will participate through one of its representatives, and its counsel may also be present.
If the Dispute is not resolved within sixty (60) days after receipt of the Notice (which period can be extended by agreement of the parties), you or Nestlé may commence a formal dispute resolution proceeding consistent with the process set forth below. Compliance with and completing this informal dispute resolution process is a condition precedent to filing any formal dispute resolution proceeding, including a demand for arbitration. The statute of limitations and any filing fee deadlines shall be tolled while the parties engage in this informal dispute resolution process. If a party commences an arbitration without providing Notice and completing the informal dispute resolution process, that party will be responsible for any filing fees or other costs incurred in connection with such arbitration. If the sufficiency of a Notice or compliance with this informal dispute resolution process is at issue, it may be decided by a court at either party’s election, and any formal dispute resolution proceeding shall be stayed pending resolution of the issue. A court shall have the authority to enforce this condition precedent to arbitration, which includes the power to enjoin the filing or prosecution of a demand for arbitration.
If the parties are unable to resolve the Dispute through the mandatory informal dispute resolution process, except as set forth below, all claims, controversies, or disputes between you and Nestlé will be resolved entirely through binding individual arbitration, rather than in court, including, without limitation, such claims, controversies, or disputes arising out of or relating to any aspect of the relationship between you and Nestlé, your access or use of our Site or any products or services offered by or purchased from Nestlé, whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other legal theory (“Dispute”). Dispute will be given the broadest possible meaning permitted by law. It includes claims that arose before this or any prior agreement or that arise after the termination of this agreement. The sole exceptions to the foregoing requirement to arbitrate are that: (1) either party may assert individual claims in small claims court if those claims otherwise qualify for small claims court and as long as the matter remains in such court and is not removed or appealed to a court of general jurisdiction and advances only on an individual (non-class, non-representative basis); and (2) each party may bring suit in court to enjoin infringement or other misuse of intellectual property rights (but claims not related to infringement or other misuses or intellectual property rights but jointly submitted with claims to enjoin infringement or other misuse of intellectual property rights will be resolved only in arbitration). This Dispute Resolution section evidences a transaction in interstate commerce, and thus the Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Dispute Resolution section. This arbitration provision shall survive termination of this agreement. BY AGREEING TO THESE TERMS, AND UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVIDED, YOU AND Nestlé GIVE UP THE RIGHT TO BRING AND PROSECUTE ANY DISPUTES IN A COURT OF LAW OR BEFORE A JURY AND GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN OR BRING CLASS ACTIONS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTIONS.
There is no judge or jury in arbitration, no class actions, and court review of an arbitration award is limited. An arbitrator, however, can award on an individual basis the same damages and relief as a court, in favor or against only the parties to the arbitration and only to the extent necessary to provide the relief warranted by the party’s individual claim, including injunctive and declaratory relief or statutory damages. The arbitrator may not award relief to any person or entity other than a party to the arbitration proceeding. The arbitrator must follow these Terms as a court would. The arbitrator may not consider any prior settlement offers in making the decision. Regardless of the manner in which the arbitration is conducted, the arbitrator shall issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based. The arbitration award shall be binding only among the parties to the arbitration and shall have no preclusive effect in any other arbitration or other proceeding involving a different party, provided that the arbitrator may consider rulings in other arbitrations involving different individuals.
We agree that the arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), adr.org. (If the AAA is unavailable or unwilling to administer arbitrations consistent with this Dispute Resolution section, another arbitration provider shall be selected by the parties that will administer arbitrations consistent with this Dispute Resolution section. If the parties cannot agree on a provider, one shall be selected by the court and that provider will administer any arbitration consistent with this Dispute Resolution section.). To begin an arbitration proceeding, after satisfying the condition precedent identified above, you must (1) send a verified and personally signed demand for arbitration that describes (a) the nature and basis of your claims, and (b) the nature and basis of the relief sought, including a detailed calculation to: Dispute Resolution at USDisputeReso[@]us.nestle.com, and (2) contact the AAA and follow the appropriate procedures with the AAA to commence the arbitration. Nestlé must do the same to begin an arbitration proceeding, except that it will send the demand for arbitration to the email address associated with your Nestlé account. The AAA consumer rules for arbitration will apply as modified by this Dispute Resolution section. Except as expressly provided in this Dispute Resolution section, the arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have the exclusive authority to resolve any Dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or formation of this Dispute Resolution section including, but not limited to, a claim that all or any part of it is void or voidable. Payment of all filing, administration and arbitrator fees will be governed by the AAA's applicable consumer rules. The parties shall be responsible for their own attorneys' fees and costs in arbitration, unless they are authorized by law or the arbitrator determines that a claim was frivolous or brought for an improper purpose or in bad faith. Either party may, but is not obligated to, make a written settlement offer to resolve a Dispute. If an arbitration decision or award is later issued that is less favorable than the last written offer of settlement that a party did not accept, then that party must pay all reasonable costs and fees—including arbitration fees—incurred by the offering party after the written settlement offer was made. The arbitration may be conducted by telephone, based on written submissions, or in person in the county where you live or at another mutually agreed location as set forth in the AAA rules. If requested, you shall personally appear (with your counsel if you have one) at an initial telephone conference with a case manager before an arbitrator is appointed. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Nestlé will pay all fees and costs that we are required by law to pay.
AS SET FORTH ABOVE, WE EACH AGREE TO BRING ANY DISPUTE ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ONLY, AND NOT ON A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, REPRESENTATIVE OR COLLECTIVE OR PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL BASIS. IF FOR ANY REASON A CLAIM PROCEEDS IN COURT RATHER THAN IN ARBITRATION, WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION AGAINST THE OTHER TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. A Dispute may not be consolidated with a claim by any person or entity that is not a party to the arbitration proceeding, and the arbitrator may not otherwise preside over any form of a class, consolidated, representative, collective, or private attorney general proceeding. If a court determines that any of the prohibitions on non-individualized relief; class, representative, and private attorney general claims; and consolidation are unenforceable with respect to a particular claim or with respect to a particular request for relief (such as a request for injunctive relief), and all appeals from that decision have been exhausted (or the decision is otherwise final), then the parties agree that that particular claim or request for relief may proceed in court but shall be stayed pending arbitration of the remaining claims. You and Nestlé may participate in a classwide, collective, and/or representative settlement of claims. Specifically, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 18 (Dispute Resolution), the arbitrator may not issue a "public injunction" and any such "public injunction," if permitted, may be awarded only by a federal or state court. If either party is permitted to seek a "public injunction," all other claims and prayers for relief must be adjudicated in arbitration first and any such prayer or claim for a "public injunction" in federal or state court stayed until the arbitration is completed, after which the federal or state court can adjudicate the party's claim or prayer for "public injunctive relief." In doing so, the federal or state court is bound under principles of claim or issue preclusion by the decision of the arbitrator.
Special Additional Procedures for Mass Arbitration: If twenty-five (25) or more similar claims are asserted against a party by the same or coordinated counsel or are otherwise coordinated, you and Nestlé understand and agree that the resolution of the Dispute might be delayed. You and Nestlé also agree to the following coordinated bellwether process and application of the AAA Multiple Consumer Case Filing Fee Schedule. Counsel for the claimants and counsel for Nestlé shall each select ten (10) cases (per side) to proceed first in individual arbitration proceedings as part of a bellwether process. The remaining cases shall not be filed or deemed filed in arbitration nor shall any AAA fees be assessed in connection with those cases until they are selected to proceed to individual arbitration proceedings as part of a bellwether process. If the parties are unable to resolve the remaining cases after the conclusion of the initial twenty (20) proceedings, each side shall select another ten (10) cases (per side) to proceed to individual arbitration proceedings as part of a second bellwether process. The remaining cases shall not be filed or deemed filed in arbitration nor shall any AAA fees be assessed in connection with those cases until they are selected to proceed to individual arbitration proceedings as part of a bellwether process. A single arbitrator shall preside over each case. Only one case may be assigned to each arbitrator as part of a bellwether process unless the parties agree otherwise. This staged process shall continue, consistent with the parameters identified above, until all the claims included in these coordinated filings, including your case, are adjudicated or otherwise resolved. The statute of limitations and any filing fee deadlines shall be tolled for claims subject to this Dispute Resolution section from the time of the first cases are selected for a bellwether process until the time your case is selected for a bellwether process, withdrawn, or otherwise resolved. A court shall have authority to enforce this paragraph and, if necessary, to enjoin the mass filing or prosecution of arbitration demands.
Future Changes to Dispute Resolution Section: Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, if Nestlé makes any future changes to this Dispute Resolution section (other than a change to the mailing or email address), you may reject any such change by sending Nestlé written notice within thirty (30) days of the change to the address provided above. This is not an opt-out of arbitration altogether. By rejecting any future change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any dispute between us in accordance with the language of this Dispute Resolution section.