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Construction
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May 28, 2024
2 Alaska Tribes Want USDA Broadband Allotment Blocked
Two Alaskan tribes suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for allegedly failing to get required tribal approval before giving out $70 million in broadband grants are now asking the federal judge hearing the case to stop any funding from going out until their challenge is heard.
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May 28, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Delaware Court of Chancery watchers shifted their focus last week from the courtroom to Dover's legislative hall, as proposed amendments to Delaware's corporate code were finally introduced to state lawmakers. Hearings, decisions and reversals involved Kraft-Heinz, AMC Entertainment and the merger of cryptocurrency companies BitGo and Galaxy. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.
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May 28, 2024
Conn. Judge Asks If 'Sham' Exception Saves Stadium Fight
A Connecticut appellate judge asked Tuesday if a "sham" exception to limits on government contracting lawsuits can restore claims that the city of Hartford ran a fake bidding process for the redevelopment of Dillon Stadium, but counsel for several defendants pushed back and said it would not apply to the facts of the case.
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May 28, 2024
FERC Wrong To Backtrack On Grid Project Plan, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unlawfully reversed course on a regional grid operator's plan to spread out the costs of transmission upgrade projects, unfairly saddling customers within certain areas with higher bills, two Kansas electricity cooperatives have told the D.C. Circuit.
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May 24, 2024
Real Estate Authority: Adaptive Reuse, Climate Risk, SFR
Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including one BigLaw real estate leader's take on adaptive reuse, the enduring risk of climate change for public companies, and the latest industry player perspectives on the single-family rental market.
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May 24, 2024
China Tariffs To Return For Air Fryers, Bikes, Chairs In June
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Friday the end of tariff relief for hundreds of items currently exempt from duties covering over $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, with mainly commercial product exclusions set to continue.
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May 24, 2024
Conn., Property Owners Say Town Is Wrong On Housing Law
Connecticut's Department of Housing and several property owners in New Canaan are taking issue with the town's arguments in a bid to pause its lawsuit challenging the state's denial of affordable housing credits, saying the town is misinterpreting a recently passed bill.
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May 24, 2024
Contractor Entitled To Share In Navy Savings, Board Rules
The U.S. Navy must share with a construction contractor savings resulting from the contractor's changes to a design-build task order, after the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ruled the Navy constructively accepted the contractor's proposal for the money-saving changes.
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May 24, 2024
HNTB's Liability Capped In Seattle Tunnel Delay Claim
A contract clause caps engineering firm HNTB Corp.'s potential liability over a long-delayed Seattle highway tunnel project, a Washington state court judge ruled Friday, likely dashing a joint venture's bid to recover more than $700 million.
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May 24, 2024
Ex-Employee, Furnisher Renew Settlement Bid In FLSA Suit
A corporate office furnisher and a former employee who alleged he was fired after complaining about unpaid overtime have once again asked a Georgia federal judge to approve a settlement between them, saying they cured all issues identified by the judge when he refused to approve the deal in April.
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May 24, 2024
Engineering Co. Mismanaged 401(k) Plan, Ex-Worker Says
An engineering company forced participants in its $5.1 billion retirement plan to pay lofty administrative fees by automatically enrolling them into expensive managed account programs, thereby breaching federal benefits law, according to a proposed class action filed in Virginia federal court Friday.
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May 24, 2024
NY AG Sues Over Illegal Long Island Wetland Construction
New York prosecutors on Friday sued to force a contractor to pay nearly $600,000 and restore a Long Island wetland area the company has been using as a storage site after illegally clearing vegetation and building a parking lot more than a decade ago.
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May 24, 2024
Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List
President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.
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May 24, 2024
US Cos. Call On Fed. Circ. To Restore Chinese Plywood Duties
A U.S. plywood group is urging the Federal Circuit to unwind five U.S. Court of International Trade remands that shrank a Chinese competitor's anti-dumping duties from 183.36% to nothing, saying the court forced the government to accept unreliable data.
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May 24, 2024
Wells Fargo Opposes Class Cert. In Race Lending Bias Suit
Wells Fargo urged a California federal judge to reject a class certification request from a group of plaintiffs claiming the bank offered non-white borrowers loans with higher interest rates and worse terms, while also applying more scrutiny to their applications.
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May 24, 2024
IRS Corrects Notice On Bonus Energy Tax Credit Safe Harbors
The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a correction Friday to a notice providing additional safe harbors that clean energy project developers can use to qualify for bonus tax credits for domestically sourcing their steel and aluminum parts.
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May 24, 2024
Investor CriteriaCaixa Buys Construction Biz Stake For €983M
Spanish investor CriteriaCaixa said on Friday that it has purchased a 9.4% stake in construction and infrastructure firm ACS for €983 million ($1.1 billion), boosting its portfolio of investments.
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May 24, 2024
Insurer Owes Coverage For School Defect Claim, Builder Says
A general contractor told a Washington federal court it is entitled to coverage under a subcontractor's commercial general liability policy with a Liberty Mutual unit for defects and damage that a school district alleges was caused by the subcontractor while working on a school expansion project.
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May 23, 2024
Feds Ask 5th Circ. To Weigh Highway GHG Rule Vacatur
The Biden administration has asked the Fifth Circuit to review a Texas district court's recent decision vacating a Federal Highway Administration rule that would've required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.
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May 23, 2024
NC Justices Back Manufacturer Tax Break For Contractor
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday backed a $130,000 tax break for an asphalt maker, upholding a lower court's decision that the company qualified for an exemption reserved for manufacturers even though it sold just a small portion of its product.
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May 23, 2024
Spain Says Energy Treaty Withdrawal Irrelevant In $386M Suit
Spain has told the D.C. Circuit that its announcement of withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty does not show it recognizes that it is still bound under the international agreement, contrary to what investors owed about $386 million argued earlier this week.
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May 23, 2024
Resignation Letter Bylaws Targeted In Five Del. Class Actions
General Motors Co. is among the latest targets of new bylaw-focused litigation from Abbott Cooper PLLC and Block & Leviton LLP, one of five companies in a series of lawsuits in Delaware's Chancery Court that seek to invalidate an "irrevocable resignation requirement" in company bylaws.
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May 23, 2024
FirstKey Sanctioned For Trying To Coerce Workers In OT Suit
A Texas federal judge sanctioned FirstKey Homes LLC for issuing coercive communications to employees in an apparent effort to steer them from joining a proposed wage and hour class action, finding Wednesday the only purpose the company had was "attempting to undermine the collective action in this case."
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May 23, 2024
FERC Cements 1-Year Window For State, Tribal Water Permits
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it will give states and tribes one year to act on water quality certificate requests from developers of any energy project seeking agency approval, the maximum amount of time allowed under the Clean Water Act.
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May 23, 2024
Commerce Must Rethink German Steel Duties A 4th Time
The U.S. Department of Commerce failed a third time to convince the trade court that its assessment of a German steel company's energy costs is correct, with the court ordering it to once again rethink duties on the company's exports.
Expert Analysis
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Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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Beware OSHA's Aggressive Stance Toward Safety Violations
The solicitor of labor's recent enforcement report shows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will increasingly consider creative enforcement measures and even criminal referrals to hold employers accountable for workplace safety infractions, say Ronald Taylor and Page Kim at Venable.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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What Nevada 'Superbasin' Ruling Means For Water Users
The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision in Sullivan v. Lincoln County Water District, affirming that the state can manage multiple predesignated water basins as one "superbasin," significantly broadens the scope of water constraints that project developers in Nevada and throughout the West may need to consider, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Payment Provision Lessons From NJ Construction Ruling
A New Jersey appellate court's decision in Bil-Jim v. Wyncrest, holding that an American Institute of Architects contract was not an installment contract, highlights both the complexities of statute of limitations calculations and the significant consequences that can arise from minor differences in contract language, say Mitchell Taraschi and Zac Brower at Connell Foley.
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Ruling In La. May Undercut EPA Enviro Justice Efforts
A Louisiana federal court's recent decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely serve as a template for other states to oppose the EPA's use of disparate impact analyses in Title VI civil rights cases aimed at advancing environmental justice policies and investigations, say Jonathan Brightbill and Joshua Brown at Winston & Strawn.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Facts Differ But Same Rules Apply
Zachary Jacobson and Sarah Barney at Seyfarth examine two decisions illustrating that reliance on a technicality may not save an otherwise untimely appeal, and that enforcement of commercial terms and conditions under a federal supply schedule contract may be possible.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements
As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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Series
Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.