The Erection Company, Inc. v. W&W Steel, Llc

MEMORANDUM

The Erection Company (TEC) appeals the district court’s denial of its petition to compel arbitration and grant of W & W Steel’s (W & W) motion for partial summary judgment. The Federal Arbitration Act authorizes an appeal from an order denying a petition to compel arbitration, 9 U.S.C. § 16 (a)(1)(C), and the district court certified its partial summary judgment as a final judgment, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 54(b). We therefore have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and we affirm.

1. TEC’s argument that the parties entered into a contract which contained an arbitration clause fails. W & W unequivocally expressed in its January 28, 2011, Letter of Intent that it intended to be bound only when a written subcontract was signed by both parties. No such written subcontract was ever signed by both parties. Nonetheless, TEC argues that the parties entered into a binding contract through their email communications on April 6, 2011. There was no contract formed on April 6, 2011 because there was no meeting of the minds on a set of terms. See Phillips v. Johnson, 266 Or. 544 , 514 P.2d 1337, 1343 (1973) (“[B]efore there can be a valid contract there must be a meeting of the minds as…