New England Biz Law Update

It's not uncommon for savvy employees to assert false employment law claims as a way to shield themselves from termination, suspension, a poor job review, or as a bargaining chip to win a severance package, experts say. The problem of false claims is taking place at a time when retaliation complaints linked to underlying employment claims are skyrocketing.

With retaliation charges increasingly being tacked onto workplace discrimination and sexual harassment claims, employers can learn from the example of a Massachusetts-based mechanical contractor that saved itself from litigating a false claim and fired a dishonest employee all at once. ...

Given the unique, natural resources that Rhode Island has to offer, and the importance of those resources within the state, it’s helpful every so often to remind people that the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with the state Attorney General’s Office ...

A defendant in a trademark infringement case could assert it made “fair use” of a descriptive term without having to disprove any consumer confusion resulting from that use, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. “It takes a long stretch to ...

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in what some have termed the largest mobilization of military reservists and National Guard troops since World War II. With any luck, these troops will be returning home quickly and safely. When ...

In a stunning 4-3 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently expanded companies’ exposure to consumer fraud class actions. The court held in Aspinall v. Philip Morris Companies, Inc., that the mere purchase of a deceptively advertised product, without more, ...

Your slow-paying customer has now become a non-paying customer, and its CFO tells you that if your company presses too hard for payment a bankruptcy filing is likely to follow. You are further told that a secured creditor is ahead ...

A recent ruling by the Massachusetts Appeals Court confirms the predisposition of Massachusetts courts to look beneath the record of corporate action to assure that form actually follows substance.

Technology Deals, 152 pagesBy Stephen C. GlazierLBI Law and Business Institute, Publisher$19.95How to order: The book can be purchased online at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Booksamillion.com. A strong intellectual property portfolio is a valuable asset for companies in a range of ...

The Northeast Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel is offering an eight-hour mediation and conciliation training program in connection with its mediation/conciliation program at the Dedham, Mass. and Woburn, Mass. District Courts. Four separate two-hour training sessions are scheduled ...