Knapp v. Sylvania, 418 Mass. 737, 743 (1994) The Supreme Judicial Court ruled that regulations of the Massachusetts' Attorney Ggeneral that make breach of any warranty obligation an automatic unfair and deceptive act punishable by the assessment of multiple damages and attorney's fees under M.G.L. c. 93A, do not apply to transactions between two business firms. The Court ruled these regulations were intended for the protection of individual consumers only.
Commonwealth v. College Pro Painters, 418 Mass. 726 (1994) The Court invalidated state regulations requiring that riggers be licensed in Massachusetts. It decided those regulations were preempted by federal OSHA requirements. When federal law addresses occupation safety and health standards, the state is excluded from the field and may not establish separate regulations.
Jacobson v. Mailboxes, 419 Mass. 572 (1995) The Court clarified Massachusetts' law by ruling in favor of enforcing contract provisions that require lawsuits be filed in jurisdictions outside Massachusetts even where the claim arose in Massachusetts. The Court ruled a Massachusetts company that signed a contract requiring any lawsuit making claims arising under the contract be filed in California, has to refile its claim in California, unless it could convince the lower court such requirement was unfair or unreasonable.
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