New England Biz Law Update

The Department of Labor has issued a new, final rule governing the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program that the agency said will give U.S. workers greater protections and job access.

Tagged with: March 31 2012 issue

Just when attorneys thought the issue of class action waivers in mandatory arbitration clauses had been settled by the U.S. Supreme Court once and for all, a National Labor Relations Board ruling has called into question the ability of employers ...

Tagged with: Feb. 29 2012 issue

Lawsuits challenging the validity of President Barack Obama’s recess appointments to two major federal agencies have cast a cloud of uncertainty over opinions and regulations being handed down and could result in years of additional litigation that will harm American ...

Tagged with: Feb. 29 2012 issue

Fueled in part by an increase in age and disability discrimination claims, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received a record-high 99,947 charges of employment discrimination in fiscal 2011, the agency has announced. The EEOC obtained more than $455 million in ...

Tagged with: Feb. 29 2012 issue

The U.S. Department of Justice has ruled that President Barack Obama’s recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board were legal. The president made the appointments despite efforts by Republican lawmakers to block recess appointments ...

Tagged with: Feb. 29 2012 issue

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the First Amendment’s ministerial exception bars job-bias suits against religion-based employers will likely have an impact far beyond discrimination claims.

Tagged with: Feb. 29 2012 issue

At recent oral arguments, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court tried to determine whether emotional distress constitutes “actual damages” under the federal Privacy Act. Their decision on the issue will determine whether a pilot can sue government agencies for ...

Tagged with: Jan. 30 2012 issue

One of the most contentious years in the National Labor Relations Board’s history ended amid controversy, and now the New Year has begun with a brand new political hailstorm that could spell more confusion and uncertainty for labor attorneys.

Tagged with: Jan. 30 2012 issue

Sometimes at the U.S. Supreme Court, words and labels mean everything. Case in point, the justices recently parsed the wording of a securities law provision to determine whether to label it a statute of limitations or a statute of repose.

Tagged with: Jan. 30 2012 issue

The vast majority of publicly accessible properties – including hotels, stores, banks, movies theatres, doctors’ offices and barber shops – will be affected by new accessibility rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act governing public accommodations.

Tagged with: Nov. 30 2011 issue