在国际仲裁中适用《美国法典》第1782条域外取证的实践分析

An Analysis of the Use of 28 U.S.C. § 1782 Discovery for International Arbitration

摘要: 《美国法典》第1782条的存在允许申请人在美国进行域外取证。这些证据有可能就是决定案件胜负的决定性因素，对于仲裁当事方而言，重要的证据有时是无法通过仲裁程序取证获取的。因此，第1782条被认为是国际仲裁中当事方收集证据的有力武器。然而，多年来美国法院在第1782条中“外国或国际法庭”是否包括国际仲裁中的仲裁庭这一问题上存在巨大分歧。2022年6月13日，美国最高法院发布了一项具有里程碑意义的裁决，认为第1782条并不适用于私人间的国际商事仲裁程序和国家–个人间的临时投资仲裁程序。这一裁决提供了确定性和一致性，但它改变了国际仲裁程序中的取证规则，并可能影响当事方在与美国有关的国际仲裁中将采取的取证策略。

Abstract: 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (“Section 1782”) allows parties to obtain discovery of documents or testimony in the United States in aid of matters. Important information may be the decisive factor in deciding the outcome of case, while such evidence is sometimes outside the reach of an arbitral proceeding. And section 1782 has been a powerful US discovery tool which is available to parties and tribunals seeking evidence. However, for years, US federal circuits have been divided over whether a “foreign or international tribunal” includes private adjudicative bodies (such as international arbitrate on tribunals) or only governmental or intergovernmental bodies. On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision on the issue of whether Section 1782 applies to international arbitration tribunals. The Court held that neither commercial nor ad hoc investor-state arbitration cases fall within the scope of Section 1782 because they do not qualify as a “foreign or international tribunal”. While the Court’s decision provides certainty and consistency, it is a game-changer for the gathering of evidence in international arbitration and will likely impact the way in evidentiary strategies in international arbitrations which are structured with a US nexus.