In a case of first impression, Dallas’ Fifth Court of Appeals has refused to hear an interlocutory appeal from arbitration panel involving a breach of contract claim against an architecture firm after concluding that state law doesn’t give the court jurisdiction to hear the dispute.

According to the decision in SM Architects v. AMX Veteran Specialty Services, AMX filed a demand for arbitration in 2016 with the American Arbitration Association against SM Architects. As part of their claim, AMS heeded §150.002 of the Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code by filing a “certificate of merit” with their demand. That law requires that any action or arbitration filed against an architect must contain an affidavit from a third-party licensed architect in support of the plaintiff’s claims.