OAR 808-008-0420: Time, Form, and Scope of Award; Limitation on Award

(1) The award shall be rendered promptly by the arbitrator and, unless otherwise agreed by the parties, not later than thirty days from the date of the closing of the arbitration hearing. (2) The agency may extend the time to issue an award under section (1) of this rule. (3) The award shall be in writing and shall be signed or otherwise authenticated by the arbitrator. (4) The award shall fully dispose of all issues presented to the arbitrator that are required to resolve the dispute. The arbitrator may summarily dismiss issues that raise no substantive factual or legal questions. The award shall contain sufficient rulings on issues and explanations of the reasoning of the arbitrator so that a party may reasonably understand the basis of the decision and evaluate the award to determine if filing a petition for to modify or correct the award would be appropriate. (5) Subject to section (10) of this rule an arbitrator may not issue an award in an amount greater than the total amount a party alleges another party owes the party in: (a) The most recent declaration of damages or amended declaration of damages filed by the party under OAR 808-004-0540, 808-004-0550 or 808-008-0110; or (b) The Statement of Claim filed by the party under OAR 808-004-0340, if no declaration of damages was filed. (6) When a claimant makes a claim against a respondent's surety bond required under ORS 671.690 and the parties to an arbitration have not agreed that the arbitrator may award damages against the claimant, only the claimant may assert damages. The arbitrator may award damages to claimant, but not to respondent. Respondent may assert amounts owed to it as an offset under section (6) of this rule. (7) An arbitrator shall consider any amounts owed by a party claiming damages to another party under the terms of the contract at issue in the arbitration and reduce the amount of an award of damages to the party claiming the damages by the amount owed as an offset to the damages, regardless of whether the other party asserting the offset filed a declaration of damages. If the party asserting the offset did not file a declaration of damages, the amount of the offset may not exceed the amount of the award. (8)(a) Except as provided in section (4) of this rule, the arbitrator may dismiss a claim or may grant to any party any remedy or relief, including equitable relief, that the arbitrator deems just and equitable, consistent with the parties' contract or their agreement to arbitrate. (b) If the award contains an award of monetary amounts that are payable from the respondent’s bond required under ORS 671.690 and other amounts that are not payable from the bond under OAR 808-004-0250 or any other law, the award shall segregate these amounts. (c) If the parties to the arbitration mutually consent to the arbitration in a written agreement and the contract as issue in the arbitration provides for an award of attorney fees, court costs, other costs or interest, the arbitrator may include these fees, costs, or interest in the award, subject to subsection (b) of this section. (9) If a limitation on damages under section (5) of this rule is based on a declaration of damages or Statement of Claim that includes an itemization of claim items and the total of those items is different from the total damages claimant alleges is due from the respondent, the limitation on damages shall be based on the larger of the two totals. (10) If the award requires the payment of money, including but not limited to payment of costs or attorney fees, the award must comply with ORS 36.685(1).