New England Biz Law Update

A Texas-based company could not be sued in Rhode Island for manufacturing allegedly defective fertilizer products that caused a Rhode Island plaintiff to lose royalty payments, a U.S. magistrate judge has found. The defendant company argued that the complaint should ...

A year after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that a law firm associate could not pursue an associational discrimination claim against his employer, a second member of the federal bench has reached the same conclusion in a suit brought ...

An employee who complained internally but did not take his claims to the Securities and Exchange Commission until after he was fired still qualifies as a whistleblower under the Dodd-Frank Act and can sue for retaliation, a U.S. District Court ...

In an area of law where things move fast, end unpredictably, and there are multiple definitions of victory, one of the most difficult and critical decisions lawyers must make is deciding who to sue.

For attorneys and law firms deciding what to charge, and for in-house counsel who want to be savvy customers of legal services, a recently released “rate report” compiled by a legal analytics company is a virtual treasure trove of information.

Two years after the “bounty” provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act on financial reforms took effect, whistleblower matters remain a sizzling growth area for lawyers in employment or finance and securities practice areas — or, as is increasingly common, on a ...

Tagged with: Nov. 1 2013 issue

Individual borrowers alleging that Bank of America mismanaged their loan modification requests under the federal Home Affordable Modification Program were not entitled to certification as a class, a U.S. District Court judge has found. As a HAMP servicer, the bank ...

Tagged with: Nov. 1 2013 issue

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge’s finding that real estate agents are governed by the commonwealth’s real estate statute, G.L. c.112, §87RR, and not the state’s independent contractor law, is headed to the Appeals Court, according to lawyers on both sides ...

Tagged with: Nov. 1 2013 issue

Corporate plaintiffs that prevailed in an administrative proceeding involving pollution charges could recover counsel fees without first establishing a net worth under $500,000, a Rhode Island Superior Court judge has ruled.

Tagged with: Nov. 1 2013 issue

An insurance company’s denial of an application for long-term disability benefits could not be upheld even though video surveillance showed the applicant engaged in activities inconsistent with her claimed disability, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

Tagged with: Nov. 1 2013 issue