Boston Celtics v. Brian Shaw
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
908 F.2d 1041 (1990)
Brian Shaw (defendant), a professional basketball player, signed a contract to play for the Boston Celtics (plaintiff) that included his promise to cancel his existing contract with an Italian team, Il Messaggero Roma. Shaw later decided he wanted to play for the Italian team instead, and an arbitrator ruled in the Celtics' favor. The Celtics then sued for an injunction enforcing the arbitrator's award, requiring Shaw to terminate his Italian contract and barring him from playing for anyone but the Celtics. The district court granted the injunction, and Shaw appealed.
Whether an arbitrator's award must be upheld by the courts so long as the arbitrator is even arguably construing or applying the contract and acting within the scope of his authority.