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Thomas F. Maffei quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article, “Bar: in ruling on arbitration contracts, SJC ‘spells it out'”

Thomas F. Maffei, of counsel in the firm’s Litigation department, was recently quoted in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article, “Bar: in ruling on arbitration contracts, SJC ‘spells it out’.” The article discusses the recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Katz, Nannis & Solomon, P.C., et al. v. Levine, et al. regarding commercial arbitration decisions.

From the article:

While Levine’s lawyers presented “creative” arguments, the law is clear that committing an error does not mean an arbitrator has exceeded his powers, said Boston lawyer and arbitrator Thomas F. Maffei. Allowing appeals based on an argument of error would slow the wheels of justice in construction litigation, he added, where an arbitration might involve more than 100 change orders in a building.

“[Katz] is important because it points out that arbitration has an important [role] to play in the dispute resolution business, but it has its limitations,” he said.

Maffei said he interpreted the SJC’s analysis as the court’s way of saying: “I’m going to spell it all out and trace the history and make sure the bar and public understands that the Legislature has spoken.”

You can read the full article here.