Question juridique clé
Whether the contractual clause required prior private mediation and deprived the state courts of jurisdiction
Solution extraite
The clause was not an arbitration agreement and did not exclude state court jurisdiction; in any event the appellant was precluded by good faith from relying on it.
Motifs extraits
The contract provided only for an out-of-court mediation before the president of the medical association. The appellant did not timely invoke that clause in the proceedings and acted inconsistently by only later challenging jurisdiction.