Arizona District Court’s ruling on CISG, merger and termination-for-convenience clauses (Kumpers v TPI)
Arbitration analysis: The US District Court for the District of Arizona ruled that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) applied under a governing law clause stating that Arizona law would govern ‘without giving effect to any choice-of-law principles’. Citing established US case law, the court held that the CISG applies as part of federal law under the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, thereby negating any conflict-of-law considerations. Upon determining the CISG's applicability, the court analysed its relevance to the termination-for-convenience and merger clauses. It found that there was a gap in the CISG, as CISG did not regulate termination-for-convenience, and therefore applied Arizona state law to address the issue. Additionally, the court held that the merger clause derogated from CISG Article 8(3) by excluding consideration of prior agreements, negotiations, and discussions. Finally, the court ruled that the doctrines of estoppel, waiver, and unclean hands were not governed by the CISG. Written by Dr Gizem Alper, international legal & ADR consultant and Institute of International Commercial Law at Pace Law School.