The Chapter 93A, Section 9 demand letter presentment requirement allows respondents to evaluate risks and consider pre-suit settlements, as it limits claimants from pursuing relief not specified, thereby potentially avoiding
Continue Reading ‘Presentment Requirement’ for Chapter 93A, Section 9 Demand Letters: District of Massachusetts Provides GuidanceDavid G. Thomas
David advises on individual and corporate disputes during the entire dispute-resolution life cycle, including through strategic negotiation, mediation, other forms of alternative dispute resolution, and adjudication through trial when needed or required. David has experience with many subject matters, including unfair or deceptive business practices disputes in individual and putative class action settings, including under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A—the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act. Boston magazine selected David as a “Top Lawyer—Class Action” in 2022 and 2023. Also, David works with clients on avoiding disputes proactively by identifying and ameliorating existing or potential dispute risks in business policies and practices.
Chapter 93A Application Limited in Nationwide Class Actions: District of Massachusetts
Overturning his own bench decision certifying the class, on Nov. 26, 2024, the Honorable William G. Young decertified the nationwide class in Ortiz v. Saba Univ. Sch. of Med.…
Continue Reading Chapter 93A Application Limited in Nationwide Class Actions: District of Massachusetts‘Unseemly’ Contract Breach Does Not Automatically Trigger Chapter 93A Liability: Mass. Appeals Court
On Oct. 10, the Massachusetts Appeals Court addressed when a breach of contract violates Chapter 93A in Green Paradise Servs., LLC. V. Hatch Landscape & Design, Inc.
In this case,…
Continue Reading ‘Unseemly’ Contract Breach Does Not Automatically Trigger Chapter 93A Liability: Mass. Appeals Court
Can Courts Double or Triple ‘Nominal Damages’ for Willful Chapter 93A, Section 9 Violations?
No. Although a consumer-plaintiff may seek to double or treble actual damages for willful or knowing Chapter 93A violations, a court should not multiply Section 9’s $25 nominal damages award…
Continue Reading Can Courts Double or Triple ‘Nominal Damages’ for Willful Chapter 93A, Section 9 Violations?
Are ‘Per Violation’ Statutory Penalties Available to Consumers Under Chapter 93A, Section 9?
No. Chapter 93A, Section 9(3) expressly provides for only two forms of recovery: (1) actual damages or (2) $25 in statutory damages, whichever is greater. According to the Massachusetts…
Continue Reading Are ‘Per Violation’ Statutory Penalties Available to Consumers Under Chapter 93A, Section 9?
Illinois Brick’s Indirect Purchaser Bar Does Not Apply to Consumer Claims under Mass. Ch. 93A, Section 9
On Aug. 21, 2024, in In re Amitiza Antitrust Litig., the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed a c.93A claim brought by a putative class…
Continue Reading Illinois Brick’s Indirect Purchaser Bar Does Not Apply to Consumer Claims under Mass. Ch. 93A, Section 9
First Circuit Delves Into Interaction Between Massachusetts Gaming Commission Regulations and Chapter 93A, Section 9
On Sept. 23, 2024, the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s entry of summary judgment for the defendant on the plaintiff’s Chapter 93A, Section 9 claim in…
Continue Reading First Circuit Delves Into Interaction Between Massachusetts Gaming Commission Regulations and Chapter 93A, Section 9
Courts Can Use Motions to Dismiss to Resolve Claims of Massachusetts Connections Establishing c. 93A, § 11 Jurisdiction
On Sept 11, 2024, in In re In re NCB Mgmt Servs., the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed a Chapter 93A claim and a…
Continue Reading Courts Can Use Motions to Dismiss to Resolve Claims of Massachusetts Connections Establishing c. 93A, § 11 Jurisdiction
Mass. Appeals Court Concludes That Negligence Alone Does Not Violate Chapter 93A
On Sept. 12, 2024, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts upheld a trial court judge’s directed verdict of a plaintiff’s Chapter 93A, Section 9 claim in Simon v. Laundromax-104 Warrant St., …
Continue Reading Mass. Appeals Court Concludes That Negligence Alone Does Not Violate Chapter 93A
Mastering Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A —The Massachusetts “Consumer” Protection Act (Part IV) (PLI Current)
The Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A, prohibits “unfair methods of competition” and “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.”…
Continue Reading Mastering Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A —The Massachusetts “Consumer” Protection Act (Part IV) (PLI Current)