Contracts

In Be Clear if You Want to Have a “Third-Party Beneficiary” in Your Contract, I discussed that if in-house counsel wanted to ensure that a person or entity achieved the status of a third-party beneficiary, it was critical to have language in the agreement that plainly said this. A 2013 decision from the District of Massachusetts, Pollak v. Federal Insurance Co., highlights the importance of this from the perspective of the third-party beneficiary.… Keep reading

When Richard Angelo died during a triathlon sponsored by USA Triathlon, USAT thought that the waiver/indemnity Richard had executed would protect the organization.  Unfortunately for USAT, that liability limitation turned out not to be nearly as ironclad as USAT had hoped.  Now, USAT faces the prospect of defending a case that could subject it to hundreds of thousands of dollars – or more – in damages.… Keep reading

Two weeks ago, I posted Carefully Craft Your Arbitration Clause if You Want Some, But not All, Disputes Arbitrated. The recent case of Biotronik A.G. v. Conor Medsystems Ireland, Ltd., is a reminder to in-house counsel that specificity also can be critical if you want to limit the company’s liability in the event of a breach.… Keep reading

As I discussed in Is Arbitration Quicker, Cheaper and Better for You?, sometimes it is in a party’s interest to have a dispute resolution mechanism that is long, onerous and expensive.  Further, as the recent case Grand Wireless v. Verizon Wireless confirms, if you want some disputes resolved by arbitration and others resolved by a court, it is critical that your arbitration clause spell this out in detail.… Keep reading

While it may not be standard practice when drafting contracts to include a clause stating that “if litigation between the parties ensues the prevailing party will recover its legal fees,” such provisions do appear in a variety of contracts from time to time. A recent First Circuit opinion, Thompson v. Cloud, involves such a clause and also serves as a good reminder that it can be dangerous to take lightly even seemingly simple provisions in an agreement.… Keep reading

Post-Wimbledon Fee-Shifting Ideas for In-House Counsel

ATP Tour, Inc. is a Delaware membership corporation that operates as the governing body for the major (and some minor) men’s professional tennis circuits.  (A “membership” corporation does not have stockholders like a traditional corporation and often is the corporate form of choice for non-profits, although for profit companies can be membership corporations, as well.)  In the early 1990’s, ATP adopted a bylaw stating that:

In the event that (i) any [current or prior member or Owner or anyone on their behalf (“Claiming Party”)] initiates or asserts any [claim or counterclaim (“Claim”)] or joins, offers substantial assistance to or has a direct financial interest in any Claim against the League or any member or Owner (including any Claim purportedly filed on behalf of the League or any member), and (ii) the Claiming Party (or the third party that received substantial assistance from the Claiming Party or in whose Claim the Claiming Party had a direct financial interest) does not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount, the full remedy sought, then each Claiming Party shall be obligated jointly and severally to reimburse the League and any such member or Owners for all fees,

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In A Right to Match Can Provide Multiple Benefits, I discussed some subtle ways to create value through the use of a right to match or a right of first refusal.  A recent decision by Justice Robert Ullmann of the Massachusetts Superior Court highlights some additional features of rights to match that are far from intuitive and could either be used to your benefit or be a trap for the unwary.

In Serrano v. Serrano, Dennis Serrano had the right of first refusal to purchase property owned by the Marina Trust.  In March of 2014, the trustee of that Trust offered the property for sale, and Bremis Realty, Inc. offered to purchase the property for $2.2 million and agreed to put up a $5,000 deposit.  After Serrano was notified of the offer, he timely informed the trustee that he was exercising his right of first refusal, and tendered a check in the amount of $5,000, confirming that he genuinely was matching the Bremis Realty offer.  When Bremis Realty learned that Serranno had exercised his right to match, it made an enhanced offer that included, among other things, an expedited closing date and additional pre-payments.

When the Trust … Keep reading

Earlier this month Gov. Deval Patrick called for the elimination of noncompete agreements and formally proposed this as part of a bill called An Act to Promote Growth and Opportunity.  The Governor’s proposal, and the rallying cry of its various supporters, are firmly based on the premise that noncompete agreements have a negative impact on Massachusetts workers and the Commonwealth’s economy.  However, the notion that outlawing noncompete agreements is likely to have any appreciable, positive impact on the Massachusetts economy, as a whole, simply is not justified.  In fact, changing the law could well have a negative effect on the Commonwealth.… Keep reading

As I discussed in “Be Cautions When Tempted to Leverage Another into an Agreement,” exerting leverage to force a business partner into settling a dispute could constitute deceptive or unfair acts or practices in violation of M.G.L. c. 93A – which allows for awards of multiple damages and attorneys’ fees. But can validly exercising one’s contractual rights also expose a company to Chapter 93A liability? According to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, it can.… Keep reading

Most businesses have a variety of insurance coverage that they hope never to have to utilize. If and when the time does come to exercise one’s rights to the benefit of such a policy, however, the last thing any in-house counsel wants is to be unaware of a technicality that could lead her company to forfeit those rights. Unfortunately for The Saint Consulting Group (“Saint”), that is exactly the situation in which it recently found itself.

In April of 2010, Saint purchased an insurance policy that covered “a Wrongful Act” made by “Insured Persons.”  As often is the case with insurance policies, while the actual insurer was The Hartford, Saint had purchased the policy through an agent, the Eastern Insurance Group, LLC. 

On June 23, 2010, Saint was sued on a variety of theories of liability arising out of the work that it undertook on behalf of a client. Because Saint wanted to avail itself of the benefits of its insurance policy with The Hartford, which included the cost of defending the litigation, Saint sent Eastern Insurance notice of the lawsuit and included copies of the complaint and first amended complaint at issue. While Eastern Insurance forwarded on that … Keep reading