Rich Sybert, a partner in Gordon & Rees' San Diego office, recently won an international arbitration on behalf of a large, San Diego-based paint manufacturer concerning several hundred thousands of dollars in accounts payable due by a Mexican franchisee and the parent company's subsequent termination of that franchise. The arbitration was conducted in San Diego under United Nations trade rules (UNCITRAL) before a three-arbitrator panel and included sixteen days of testimony and motions over a three-month period. The Gordon & Rees team representing the client was made up of Jim Grady (San Diego), Tina Ghattas (Los Angeles), Maria Gastelum (San Diego) and Eric Young (San Diego). The arbitration panel ruled unanimously that the franchisee's account must be paid, with some offsets and rejected the franchisee's assertion that termination of the franchise was wrongful and gave rise to damages of millions of dollars.