New England Biz Law Update

Honoring a select group of in-house counsel for their accomplishments

When the going gets tough, the employment discrimination enforcement actions get going. And last year seems to be no different, with a number of factors creating a perfect storm of sorts for discrimination claims, including a rise in job losses, the passage of new age and disability bias laws and a tougher enforcement policy spearheaded by the Obama administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

White-collar lawyers say that federal prosecutors will have a tougher time getting convictions in public corruption cases if, as many predict, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the controversial “honest services fraud” statute.

White-collar lawyers say that federal prosecutors will have a tougher time getting convictions in public corruption cases if, as many predict, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the controversial “honest services fraud” statute.

A bankrupt airline could not be held liable to a former employee for handicap discrimination, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has found. The airline argued that a U.S. Bankruptcy Court order disallowing the discrimination claim resulted in the employee being forever barred from suing the airline under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A judge’s decision to dismiss a plaintiff’s breach-of-contract lawsuit and sanction him $243,000 for destroying critical evidence in an employment dispute is a warning to civil litigants who do not cooperate during discovery, lawyers say.

Medical device-maker Boston Scientific will pay $22 million to resolve allegations its Guidant division paid kickbacks to doctors to get them to use its heart devices. The U.S. Department of Justice said Guidant paid physicians $1,000 to $1,500 each in ...

Initially sought $288K; awarded only $25,000

Decision by DIA clarifies question on workers

Involves ability of cos. to fight