Peter-Barrett

Peter Barrett

(781) 783-6301
pbarrett@stevensonbarrett.com

Peter has more than twenty years of experience advising and counseling businesses and individual clients. In November 2019, he formed Stevenson Barrett LLP with his longtime colleague and friend, Ben Stevenson.

Peter’s broad litigation and counseling experience includes representing businesses and individuals in commercial and business litigation, real estate disputes, employment disputes, probate matters, and trademark and trade secrets disputes. He also has counseled insurers and policyholders at all stages of the claims-handling process, from initial investigations, providing coverage opinions and advice, to the litigation, trial, and appeal of litigated coverage disputes.

Peter also advises and counsels for-profit and not-for-profit entities on formation, corporate governance and related matters, as well as the selection, coordination, and oversight of outside counsel for these entities.

He is a graduate of Bowdoin College (A.B. 1993) and Northeastern University School of Law (J.D. 1998).  He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Representative Matters:

  • Defended and resolved a nationwide class-action involving allegations of violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act;
  • Obtained the affirmance on appeal of summary judgment in favor of a lender in a complex title dispute in U.S. Bank, N.A., as Trustee for J.P. Morgan v. Bianco, 97 Mass. App. Ct. 1109 (2020), rev. denied, 485 Mass. 1102 (2020);
  • Obtained dismissal of a manufacturer’s petition in Suffolk Superior Court to compel its customer to submit to arbitration in Massachusetts over a dispute involving novel issues of contract formation through the exchange of offers and counters via electronic mail;
  • Obtained partial summary judgment on liability, followed by a successfully negotiated resolution, for an insurance broker following its professional liability carrier’s denial of its demand for coverage. James Gorman Ins., Inc. v. Graphic Arts Mut. Ins. Co., No. 13-11263-RWZ, 2015 WL 12781189 (D. Mass. Aug. 28, 2015);
  • Obtained summary judgment for a property insurer under a policy’s flood exclusion and anti-concurrent causation provision for a claim involving alleged property damage and business interruption losses by a business claiming damage during the Mother’s Day Flood of May 2006. Albrite Carpets, Inc. v. Travelers Prop. Cas. Co. of Am., C.A. No. 08-cv-10723 (D. Mass. Nov. 2, 2009);
  • Defeated an attempt to have an appraisal result vacated in a multi-million dollar property damage and loss of use claim brought by an additional insured under a property policy.  Sun Microsystems, Inc. v. Electronic Services, Inc., 25 Mass.L.Rptr. 341, 2009 WL 987336 (Mass. Super. 2009) (April 13, 2009, Hinkle, J.);
  • Obtained summary judgment for an insurer in a bad faith claim involving novel issues of the rights of third-party claimants to sue a carrier that issued a fronting policy to its insured. The court determined that the claim was time-barred and no statutory duty to settle ever arose because the insured did not tender the claim to the insurer before the underlying case was resolved.   See Tilton v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, 2008 WL 781921(D. Mass Mar. 20, 2008);
  • Resolved through a favorable settlement a claim against a builder’s risk insurer brought by the insured contractor and involving a variety of subcontractors and allegedly responsible parties.  William A. Berry & Son., Inc. v. Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America, U.S.D.C. Mass., Civ. Action No. 1:07-cv-11027-GAO.
  • Defended a bad faith claim against an insurer in a two-week federal court jury trial resulting in a defense verdict, which was upheld by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.  National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. v. West Lake Academy, 548 F.3d 8 (1st Cir. 2008); and
  • Worked extensively on a number of large property damage and business interruption claims brought by businesses located in Lower Manhattan as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.  Citigroup, Inc. v. Industrial Risk Insurers, 336 F. Supp.2d 282 (S.D.NY. 2004); aff’d, 421 F.3d 81 (2d Cir. 2005).

Bar Admissions

  • Massachusetts, 1998
  • U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts, 1999
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2001

Education

  • Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, J.D. 1998
  • Bowdoin College, A.B. 1993

Experience

  • Zelle, McDonough & Cohen LLP, Boston, MA, Partner, 2007-2015
  • Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Boston, MA, Associate, 2012-2006
  • Nixon Peabody, Boston, MA, Litigation Associate, 1998-2002
  • U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S.D.C. Southern District of New York, Intern, Winter 1997 – 1998
  • Honorable Shane Devine, U.S.D.C. New Hampshire, Judicial Intern, Summer 1996