New England Biz Law Update

A retiring employee could cash in unused sick time he accumulated before his employer reduced the compensation rate for accrued sick leave, the Massachusetts Appeals Court recently decided.

Blind shoppers can pursue an Americans with Disabilities Act class action against Target based on the inaccessibility of its website, a U.S. District Court judge in California recently ruled in National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corp. (No. 06-1802). ...

Merck & Co. recently agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle the majority of claims over injuries linked to its Vioxx painkiller. Without admitting wrongdoing, the Whitehouse Station, N.J. pharmaceutical company agreed to settle most claims filed as of Nov. ...

Recent court rulings are jeopardizing the finality and certainty of Family and Medical Leave Act releases.

Federal prosecutors continue to interfere improperly with defense access to witnesses and documents. This article addresses the prosecutorial practices of seeking to limit defense access to grand jury and trial witnesses, and requesting corporations to withhold documents from defense counsel ...

Sweeping procedural changes planned by the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office for Nov. are on hold as the result of last-minute federal court order recently issued.

With an average annual GDP growth of 9.8 percent, China is predicted to become the world’s second largest economy (behind the U.S.) by 2030. U.S. companies are understandably looking to China as a major new marketplace. However, they need to ...

On Nov. 15, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted final amendments to Rule 144, consistent with its original proposals concerning holding periods and manner of sale. Thus, the SEC has renewed its march towards continuous registration based on full 1934 ...

Corporate governance reform continues to impose a substantial and still growing burden on U.S. public companies, according to Foley & Lardner LLP’s recently released study, the fifth annual The Cost of Being Public in the Era of Sarbanes-Oxley. In the ...

Patent litigation doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, says the author.