The Judicial Council rules shall provide exceptions for cause to arbitration pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (c) of Section 1141.11. In providing for such exceptions, the Judicial Council shall take into consideration whether the civil action might not be amenable to arbitration.
§ 1141.15.Exception Provided By Rules
Title 3. Of Summary Proceedings · Chapter 2.5. Judicial Arbitration · Enacted 1978 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1141.15 requires the Judicial Council's rules to carve out exceptions, for cause, to arbitration otherwise required under § 1141.11's subdivisions, considering whether a particular civil action is a poor fit for arbitration.
Full Text of § 1141.15
Plain-English Summary
Not every case that falls within § 1141.11's dollar thresholds belongs in arbitration. Section 1141.15 requires the Judicial Council's rules to build in exceptions for cause from arbitration required under subdivisions (a), (b), or (c) of § 1141.11.
The standard the Judicial Council must apply is whether the civil action might not be amenable to arbitration — cases that, despite fitting the dollar amount, involve issues or circumstances better suited to a full trial. This is the mechanism that keeps the mandatory-arbitration net from catching cases it was never meant to catch, working alongside the equitable-relief carve-out in § 1141.13.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a case be excused from mandatory judicial arbitration even if it falls under the dollar threshold?
Yes. Section 1141.15 requires the Judicial Council's rules to provide exceptions for cause to arbitration otherwise required under § 1141.11.
What standard governs whether an exception applies?
Whether the civil action might not be amenable to arbitration, a consideration the Judicial Council must weigh in crafting its exception rules.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 743.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: exceptions to mandatory arbitration californiaexemption judicial arbitration for cause