Measures which the court may grant in connection with a pending arbitration include, but are not limited to:
§ 1297.93.Measures Court May Grant In Connection With Pending Arbitration
Title 9.3. Arbitration and Conciliation of International Commercial Disputes · Chapter 2. Arbitration Agreements and Judicial Measures in Aid of Arbitration · Article 3. Court-Ordered Interim Measures · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1297.93 gives a non-exhaustive list of the interim measures a court may grant in connection with a pending arbitration, including an attachment order to prevent dissipation of assets and a preliminary injunction to protect trade secrets or conserve goods that are the subject of the dispute.
Full Text of § 1297.93
(a) An order of attachment issued to assure that the award to which applicant may be entitled is not rendered ineffectual by the dissipation of party assets.
(b) A preliminary injunction granted in order to protect trade secrets or to conserve goods which are the subject matter of the arbitral dispute.
Plain-English Summary
Sections 1297.90 and 1297.91 establish that a court can grant interim relief connected to an arbitration; this section gives two concrete examples of what that relief can look like, while making clear -- through its “include, but not limited to” language -- that the list is illustrative rather than exhaustive.
The first example is an order of attachment, aimed at making sure that whatever award the arbitration eventually produces is not rendered meaningless because the losing party dissipated its assets in the meantime. The second is a preliminary injunction, used either to protect trade secrets at stake in the dispute or to conserve goods that are themselves the subject matter of the arbitral controversy -- keeping perishable, unique, or contested property intact until the arbitrators can rule on who is entitled to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the list of measures in this section the only relief a court can grant?
No -- the section says measures the court may grant “include, but are not limited to” the two examples given.
What is an attachment order meant to accomplish in this context?
It assures that the eventual arbitration award is not rendered ineffectual by a party dissipating its assets before the award issues.
When would a preliminary injunction under this section be appropriate?
To protect trade secrets at issue in the dispute or to conserve goods that are the subject matter of the arbitral controversy.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 23, Sec. 1. Effective March 7, 1988.
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: attachment preliminary injunction international arbitrationinterim measures examples arbitration california