The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts has held that the holder of a mortgage is not a "debt collector" within the meaning of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"), 15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq. In Re: Gill, Stephen D., et al.,...
Generally, attendance at an approved Parent Education Program is required of all divorcing parents of minor children in Massachusetts. To better understand what such a program has to offer, and to learn about the grieving process in the context of divorce, I chose to...
The First Circuit has held that, under Massachusetts law, a mortgagee's interest in a mortgage in default is inadequate to state a claim under the Massachusetts try title statute. The Plaintiffs in Lemelson, et al. v. U.S. Bank, N.A. filed suit under the Massachusetts...
The International Bar Association ("IBA") recently released the "IBA Guidelines on Party Representation international Arbitration" ("Guidelines"). According to the preamble, the Guidelines are an attempt at normalizing the conduct of counsel relating to party...
In the recent decision of Oxford Health Plans v. Sutter, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that even a "grave error" of an arbitrator is not enough to vacate an award in most cases. Oxford Health Plans had gone to federal court seeking to vacate an arbitrator's...
In a recent case, 275 Washington St. Corp. v. Hudson River Int'l., LLC, 465 Mass. 16 (2013), the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a commercial landlord cannot recover post-termination damages under an indemnification clause until the original lease term expires. In...
In a case decided last month, the Court held that a Judge of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court has the authority to order the allocation of tax dependency exemptions for divorced parents. When parents divorce, only one parent is permitted to claim the tax...
In many parts of the world, cash payments to government officials are not only routine, but required to do business. While some foreign governments may turn a blind eye to such practices, the United States does not. Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), both...
In a major decision, an arbitral tribunal in the International Chamber of Commerce ("ICC") has issued a ruling on the liability of YPF, the state-controlled energy company of Argentina, for its role in the suspension of natural gas exports to Brazil. The claim that...
In many parts of the world, cash payments to government officials are not only routine, but required to do business. While some foreign governments may turn a blind eye to such practices, the United States does not. Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), both...
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