Arbitration > Certificate of merit requirement

AMX brought an arbitration against an architect; the architect moved to dismiss because AMX did not obtain a certificate of merit, and when that motion was unsuccessful sought appellate review. The Fifth Court, noting that this was an issue of first impression, concluded that “the right to interlocutory appeal granted by section 150.002 does not apply to an order rendered by an arbitration panel, and the Texas Arbitration Act (TAA) does not provide a means for judicial review of such an order . . . .” Accordingly, it vacated the trial court’s order of dismissal as void and dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. SM Architects v. AMX Veteran Specialty Services, 05-17-01064-CV (Nov. 9, 2018).