Joseph Megariotis, an associate in Connell Foley's Commercial Litigation Group, authored the article "Baseball Arbitration: An Alternative Mechanism to Resolve Civil Matters During the COVID-19 Health Crisis" for DRI's Young Lawyers Committee Raising the Bar Newsletter, published on November 20, 2020.
The article provides a look into alternative resolutions to close backlogged cases without conducting jury trials due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. The courts have suggested a few options to move forward with some cases, including "Baseball Arbitration." This method, developed by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, usually involves a panel of three arbitrators and their decision, which is final and issued without explanation, is limited to one of two proposals: the one submitted by the player or the one submitted by the team. The idea is to potentially streamline settlement negotiations and force both sides to request a real number that an arbitrator or judge will deem fair, just, and reasonable.
Please visit DRI's website to read the full article, found on page 4.