New England Biz Law Update

A union could enforce a “letter of agreement” preventing a highway construction general contractor from doing business with a named subcontractor, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

A chiropractor who suffered an injury that prevented him from continuing to practice could collect total disability benefits even though he worked part time as a nurse, the Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled.

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

A gas company technician of Hispanic heritage could be suspended for failing to respond to a gas leak while he was on call even though he denied receiving any of the company’s communications, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ...

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

Before lawyers had time to digest the recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board that an employer violated federal law by requesting confidentiality from all employees during internal investigations, they faced another question: Was the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ...

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

Colleges and universities are not the only ones closely watching the affirmative action case on the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket. Employers are also weighing in, saying that the decision could have a dramatic impact on their hiring practices and in ...

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

In a second victory for the biotech industry in one year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reinstated its ruling that a company’s isolation of human genetic material, and its process for using that material to ...

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

Lawyers say they are not surprised by a recent National Labor Relations Board ruling that a company committed an unfair labor practice by instructing employees they could not discuss an internal investigation, but that does not mean they like the ...

Tagged with: Sept. 30 2012 issue

A teacher dismissed from a private school could sue his former employer for breach of contract despite the fact that the employment offer he signed expressly stated that it was not a contract, that his employment would be at will, and that the offer could be revoked at the discretion of the school.

Tagged with: Aug. 31 2012 issue

A sales associate for a gas station and convenience store could not hold his employer liable for disparate treatment after his hours were reduced when he returned from a medical leave, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided.

Tagged with: Aug. 31 2012 issue

An employee could not recover under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 based on a jury finding that retaliation for his complaints about disability discrimination was a motivating factor in — though not the “but-for cause” of — an adverse employment ...

Tagged with: Aug. 31 2012 issue