(a) Third-Party Beneficiaries: Both you and Ernesta acknowledge and agree that for the purposes of any dispute arising out of or relating to the subject matter of these Terms, Ernesta's officers, directors, employees and independent contractors ("Personnel") are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and that upon your acceptance of these Terms, Personnel will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as the third-party beneficiary hereof.
(b) Arbitration Rules; Applicability of Arbitration Agreement. You and We agree that before initiating any Dispute or arbitration proceeding, the parties shall use their best efforts to resolve any dispute, claim, question, or disagreement arising out of or relating to the subject matter of these Terms directly through good-faith negotiations, which shall be a precondition to either party initiating arbitration. You may initiate such good-faith negotiations by sending a Notice of Dispute to legal@ernesta.com or sending us a notice at Legal Department, Ernesta Home, Inc., 322 8th Avenue, Suite 601, New York, New York 10001. We may initiate such good-faith negotiations by sending a Notice of Dispute to the email and/or mailing address you have provided to us. Any party who initiates such negotiations shall plainly state the nature and basis of their dispute, claim, question, or disagreement, as well as the relief that party seeks. If the parties are unable to resolve the Dispute 60 days from the initiation of negotiations, then you or We may initiate a binding arbitration proceeding in New York County, New York. A party who desires to initiate arbitration must submit a written Demand for Arbitration to JAMS and give notice to the other party as specified in the JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules (the "Rules") then in effect. The Rules are available at www.jamsadr.com or by calling 1-800-352-5267. The arbitration will proceed in the English language. Except to the extent modified by these Terms, the arbitration shall proceed in accordance with the Rules then in effect, by one commercial arbitrator with substantial experience in resolving intellectual property and commercial contract disputes. The arbitrator shall be selected from the appropriate list of JAMS arbitrators in accordance with such Rules. Judgment upon the award rendered by such arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Costs of Arbitration. Except as set forth in these Terms, the Rules will govern payment of all arbitration fees. If you assert a claim against Ernesta, you will be responsible for paying a $250 consumer filing fee. Ernesta will pay for all other arbitration fees for claims less than ten thousand ($10,000) dollars. If your Dispute is for less than ten thousand ($10,000) dollars (including attorneys' fees and costs) and the arbitrator, upon final disposition of the case, finds your Dispute was not frivolous, Ernesta will reimburse your initial filing fee. Ernesta will not seek its attorneys' fees and costs in arbitration unless the arbitrator determines that your claim is frivolous.
(d) Small Claims Court; Infringement. Either you or Ernesta may assert claims, if they qualify, in small claims court in New York County, New York or any United States county where you live or work. Furthermore, notwithstanding the foregoing obligation to arbitrate disputes, each party shall have the right to pursue injunctive or other equitable relief at any time, from any court of competent jurisdiction, to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a party's copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents or other intellectual property rights.
(e) Waiver of Jury Trial. YOU AND ERNESTA WAIVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO GO TO COURT AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR JURY. You and Ernesta are instead choosing to have claims and disputes resolved by arbitration. Arbitration procedures are typically more limited, more efficient, and less costly than rules applicable in court and are subject to very limited review by a court. In any litigation between you and Ernesta over whether to vacate or enforce an arbitration award, YOU AND ERNESTA WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL, and elect instead to have the dispute be resolved by a judge.
(f) Waiver of Class or Consolidated Actions. YOU AND ERNESTA AGREE THAT ALL CLAIMS AND DISPUTES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT MUST BE ARBITRATED OR LITIGATED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT ON A CLASS BASIS. CLAIMS OF MORE THAN ONE CUSTOMER OR USER CANNOT BE ARBITRATED OR LITIGATED JOINTLY OR CONSOLIDATED WITH THOSE OF ANY OTHER CUSTOMER OR USER. If however, this waiver of class or consolidated actions is deemed invalid or unenforceable, neither you nor Ernesta is entitled to arbitration; instead all claims and disputes will be resolved in a court as set forth in (h) below.
(g) Opt-out. You have the right to opt out of the arbitration agreement in these Terms by sending written notice of your decision to opt out to the following address: 322 8th Avenue, Suite 601, New York, NY 10001, United States postmarked within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. You must include (i) your name and residence address, (ii) the email address and/or telephone number associated with your account, and (iii) a clear statement that you want to opt out of these Terms' arbitration agreement.
(h) Exclusive Venue. If you send the opt-out notice in (g), and/or in any circumstances where the foregoing arbitration agreement permits either you or Ernesta to litigate any dispute arising out of or relating to the subject matter of these Terms in court, then the foregoing arbitration agreement will not apply to either party, and both you and Ernesta agree that any judicial proceeding (other than small claims actions) will be brought in the state or federal courts located in, respectively, New York County, New York, or the federal district in which that county falls.
(h) Severability. If the prohibition against class actions and other claims brought on behalf of third parties contained above is found to be unenforceable, then all of the preceding language in this Arbitration Agreement section will be null and void. With the exception of that prohibition, if an arbitrator or court of competent jurisdiction decides that any part of this section is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this section will still apply. This arbitration agreement will survive the termination of your relationship with Ernesta.
(i) If Ernesta changes any of the terms of this Arbitration Agreement after the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms), you may reject any such change by sending written notice of your decision to opt out to the address set forth in subsection (g) above within 30 days of the date such change became effective, as indicated on the "Last Updated" date on these Terms on Ernesta's website (
www.ernesta.com), or the date of Ernesta's notice to you notifying you of such Change, whichever came first. By rejecting any change, You are agreeing that You will arbitrate any Dispute between you and Ernesta in accordance with the terms of this Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms by not rejecting those changes as set forth in this subsection).