Business/Commercial
Hon. John C. Cratsley (Ret.) been a full-time arbitrator and mediator since joining JAMS in 2011. He focuses his practice on a wide variety of matters, including contract, construction, employment and insurance disputes.
Prior to joining JAMS, Judge Cratsley spent 24 years on the Massachusetts Superior Court, notably serving as Chair of the Superior Court Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution. From 1999 to 2004, he served as Chair of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution.
Representative Business/Commercial Matters
Judge Cratsley adjudicated, mediated or arbitrated a wide variety of cases, including:
- Arbitrator for matter involving disputed convention hotel bill
- Mediated and settled claims arising out of deficient environmental consulting services
- Mediated and settled matter involving the manufacture and installation of wind turbines for a municipal government power authority
- Mediated and settled construction dispute involving a new food processing/manufacturing plant
- Mediated and settled claims on various maritime business issues
- Adjudicated partnership dissolution dispute, family shareholder/management, partner freeze-out, secured creditor disputes and bank collection disputes
- Heard Chapter 93A claims of unfair and deceptive business practices
Representative business and commercial appellate decisions include:
- Bay State-Spray and Provincetown S.S. v. Caterpillar, 404 Mass.103 (1989) (contract-based breach of warranty claims)
- National Grid v. TransCanada, 68 Mass.App.Ct. 28 (2007) (allocation of expenses for distribution of electrical power)
- Doering Equipment Co. v. John Deere Company, 61 Mass.App.Ct.850 (2004) (plaintiff fails to present viable theory of damages)
- Piemonte v. New Boston Garden Corporation, 377 Mass.719 (1979) (appraisal method affirmed)
- Chokel v. First National Supermarkets, Inc., 421 Mass.631 (1996) (appraisal method affirmed)
