Nixon Peabody has asked a New York state court judge to reject a petition by five former partners now at DLA Piper that seeks to halt an arbitration fight over the fate of bonuses they received before their departure.

While the partners contended that Nixon Peabody disregarded the dispute resolution process outlined in its partnership agreement by initiating two arbitration proceedings in August, the firm said in a filing Monday that under the Federal Arbitration Act, arbitrators, rather than courts, are responsible for determining whether the conditions allowing for an arbitration to move forward have been met.