COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

APPEALS COURT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

(Appeals Court No. 00-P- 1005)

WILLIAM SILVERSTEIN,
DEFENDANT-IN-COUNTERCLAIM/APPELLANT,

V.

MICROSYSTEMS SOFTWARE, INC. AND THE LEARNING COMPANY, INC.,

PLAINTIFFS-IN-COUNTERCLAIM/APPELLEES.

ON APPEAL FROM A JUDGMENT OF THE MIDDLESEX SUPERIOR COURT.

BRIEF OF PLAINTIFFS-IN-COUNTERCLAIM/APPELLEES,
MICROSYSTEMS SOFTWARE, INC., ET AL.

Irwin B. Schwartz (BBO#548763)
Laura N. Kling (BBO#638313)
Schwartz and Nystrom, LLC
419 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617) 421-1800
mailbox@schwartz-nystrom.com

Counsel for

Plaintiffs-in-Counterclaim/Appellees

Microsystems Software, Inc., and The Learning Company, Inc.

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Bucchiere v. New England Tel. & Tel. Co., 396 Mass. 639 (1986) 4

EHS v. KES, 424 Mass. 1011 (1997) 2

Gentili v. Colonial Motel, Inc., 27 Mass. App. Ct. 1150 (1989) 3

Moran v. Dist. Of Cent. Middlesex, 347 Mass. 241 (1964) 2

New England Merchants Nat'l Bank of Boston v. Kann, 363 Mass. 425 (1973) 3

Federal Cases

Less v. Berkshire Housing Services, Inc., 2000 WL 1349252 * 5 (D. Mass. 2000) 5,6

Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority v. Leith, 668 F.2d 46 (1st Cir. 1981) 4,5,6

United States v. All Funds, Monies, Securities, Nut.Fund Shares & Stocks Held in Fidelity Investments, 81 F.3d 147, 1996 WL 141789 at **2 (1^st Cir. 1996) . . . 4

Mass. R. Civ. P. 41 4

Mass. R. Civ. P. 68 2

Other Authorities

BA James W. Smith and Hiller B. Zobel, Massachusetts Practice, §§ 68.1, 68.4 (1981) 3

8 James W. Smith and Hiller B. Zobel, Massachusetts Practice, § 41.14 (1977) 5

12 Arthur R. Miller et al., Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil 2d, § 3002 (2d Ed. 1997) 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES 1

STATEMENT OF THE CASE 1

ARGUMENT 2

1. The Offer of Judgment Resolved Only Silverstein's Claims And Not Microsystems' Counterclaim 2
2. There Was No Abuse of Discretion In Granting Microsystems' Motion To Dismiss Without Prejudice 4

CONCLUSION 6

TAB A