In a long-running dispute over litigation fees and an employment agreement, the Pennsylvania Superior Court refused to consider an appeal over an arbitrator’s ties to defendant Kline & Specter and its co-founder, Tom Kline, through the law school where the arbitrator teaches.

Donald Haviland, who worked at Kline & Specter over a decade ago, had sought to disqualify retired Judge Mark Bernstein from arbitrating his lawsuit against the firm. Haviland’s 2008 suit, which was stayed until 2016, alleged that Kline & Specter breached its employment agreement with regard to the fee disputes that followed his departure.