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Massachusetts
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April 03, 2024
CORRECTED: Immigration Bond Cos. Owe $811M For Deceptive Practices
A Virginia federal judge ordered Libre by Nexus Inc., a bonding company, to fork over more than $811 million in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's suit alleging the company engages in predatory bonding practices targeting cash-strapped immigration detainees.
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April 01, 2024
MassMutual Escapes Ex-Worker's 401(k) Mismanagement Suit
A Massachusetts federal judge tossed a former MassMutual worker's suit claiming the life insurance and investment company mismanaged its workers' $4.1 billion retirement plan, ruling that her claims were either time-barred or lacked adequate details.
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April 01, 2024
DeSantis Ducks Mass. Suit Over Migrant Flights
A Massachusetts federal judge has released Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and most other defendants from a proposed class suit by a group of migrants who claim they were duped into boarding flights to Martha's Vineyard, ruling that the court lacked jurisdiction.
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April 01, 2024
Mass. Top Court At A Loss Over 7-Eleven Wage Case
The top court in Massachusetts on Monday appeared stumped by whether owners of 7-Eleven franchisees should be classified as employees under state law, with one justice calling the issue "almost incomprehensible."
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April 01, 2024
One Set Of Amazon Buyers Can't Cancel Later Antitrust Case
Antitrust lawsuits against Amazon.com in New York and Washington federal court will remain separate after a New York federal judge refused Friday to let online shoppers in the earlier-filed Washington case intervene in — and junk — the other proposed class action filed two years later.
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April 01, 2024
Mass. Justices Puzzle Over Standard For Zoning Appeal Bond
Massachusetts' highest court on Monday grappled with whether developers in Boston must show that project opponents are acting in bad faith in order to obtain an appeal bond, as they now must do elsewhere in the state since a 2022 holding in a suburban affordable housing challenge.
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April 01, 2024
GE Vernova Spinoff Approved, Valued At $35.7B
General Electric Co. said its board has approved the previously announced spinoff of its electric power business GE Vernova, setting the new company up to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 2.
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April 01, 2024
High Court Won't Hear Mass. Residents' Tribal Land Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition by a group of Massachusetts residents seeking to reverse a ruling that allowed the Department of the Interior to take 321 acres into trust for the development of a billion-dollar tribal hotel and casino.
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March 29, 2024
Petition Watch: Off-Label Ads, Retiree Discrimination & PPE
A Utah attorney has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether allegedly retaliatory IRS summonses can be quashed, and two former pharmaceutical executives are challenging the constitutionality of their convictions for marketing the off-label use of a drug. Here, Law360 looks at recently filed petitions that you might've missed.
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March 29, 2024
Winston & Strawn Looks To Settle Brief-Copying IP Suit
A Winston & Strawn LLP attorney on Friday told a Manhattan federal judge that the firm is angling to settle a copyright infringement suit that accuses its attorneys of copying a motion-to-dismiss filing by a boutique intellectual property firm "nearly verbatim," saying it isn't worth the cost to all involved.
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March 29, 2024
Mass. Tax Board Won't Lower Value Of Boston House
A Boston home was correctly assessed, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in a decision published Friday, finding that an analysis of nearby homes failed to show it was overvalued.
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March 29, 2024
THL's $2.5B Deal To Buy Agiliti Sparks Chancery Suit
A shareholder of Agiliti, a medical equipment and services provider on the cusp of being acquired and taken private by Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, has sued the healthcare company in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking more information about the controlling private equity stockholder's $2.5 billion buyout bid.
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March 29, 2024
Convicted Energy Grant Fraudster Loses 1st Circ. Appeal
The First Circuit rejected the appeal of a Massachusetts man who was convicted of submitting fraudulent applications for federal grant money under the guise of needing it for energy projects, ruling that the verdict was backed by strong evidence.
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March 29, 2024
DraftKings Rips Former Exec's 'Lies' In Ongoing Fanatics Spat
Former DraftKings executive Michael Hermalyn lied in his opposition last week to its preliminary injunction request, just as he had during his departure to rival Fanatics and throughout a trade secrets and breach of contract suit against him, the company has told a Massachusetts federal court in defending its injunction request.
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March 29, 2024
Lawmakers Call For Robinson-Patman Act Revival
A group of lawmakers is urging the Federal Trade Commission to reinvigorate enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, a Roosevelt-era wholesale pricing statute that fell out of use in the 1970s, to help small businesses and stem the power of dominant grocery chains.
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March 29, 2024
Biotech Co. Inflated Gene Therapy Prospects, Investors Claim
Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Bluebird Bio Inc. misled investors by understating the safety concerns of a gene therapy for sickle cell, causing damages when stock prices dropped, according to a proposed class action suit filed Thursday in Massachusetts district court.
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March 29, 2024
Tenant Screener To Pay $2.2M Over Race Bias Claims
A tenant screening company has reached a settlement in Massachusetts federal court to end claims brought by a class of housing applicants who alleged its practices disproportionately exclude Black and Hispanic renters.
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March 29, 2024
Off The Bench: Ohtani Woes, Va. Ends Arena Plan, Pac-12 Deal
In this week’s Off The Bench, MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani tries to untangle himself from a gambling scandal, Virginia’s rejection sends two D.C. pro franchises back home, and the Pac-12 pays up to two schools that were left behind. If you were sidelined this week, Law360 will catch you up with the sports and betting stories that had our readers talking.
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March 28, 2024
Red Roof Inns Must Face Ohio Sex Trafficking Suits
Red Roof Inns Inc. can't escape nine lawsuits over its purported role in sex trafficking, an Ohio federal judge ruled Thursday, saying the anonymous victims met pleading standards to allege the hotel chain knowingly made money through their victimization.
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March 28, 2024
Pfizer Wants Moderna Vax IP Case Paused For PTAB Review
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have asked a Massachusetts federal court to put on hold a COVID-19 vaccine patent case brought by rival biotechnology giant Moderna Inc. while they await a decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board on the validity of two of the three patents at issue.
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March 28, 2024
Meta Says Speech Immunity Dooms Instagram Addiction Case
Meta on Thursday asked a Massachusetts judge to toss a lawsuit alleging it has intentionally misled users about Instagram features purportedly designed to addict children and teens, saying it is shielded both by federal law and the First Amendment.
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March 28, 2024
MLS, Trade Group Say DOJ Deal Fix Itself Anti-Competitive
The U.S. Department of Justice drew fire Wednesday for pushing what a real estate trade group argued would itself be an anti-competitive rule, as the DOJ and other outside groups vie to influence a proposed $3 million settlement over house broker commissions in Massachusetts federal court.
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March 28, 2024
Implant Maker's Bribe Case Ripe For Trimming, Judge Says
A money laundering charge levied against implant manufacturer SpineFrontier Inc. and its executives may be dropped from the broader bribery and kickback prosecution as a Boston federal judge Thursday struggled to square up how the company could have allegedly concealed the unlawful transfers to surgeons while also disclosing them publicly.
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March 28, 2024
Mass. Justices Say 2019 Sunday-Wage Ruling Is Retroactive
Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday affirmed a finding that a furniture retailer violated the state's wage laws by paying salespeople overtime and a Sunday premium out of their own earned commissions, keeping intact a nearly $10 million damages award.
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March 28, 2024
The Home Depot Buying PE-Backed SRS For $18.25B
The Home Depot said Thursday it has agreed to acquire SRS Distribution Inc., a private equity-backed distributor of roofing and building supplies, for $18.25 billion, inclusive of debt.
Expert Analysis
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California's Offshore Turbine Plans Face Stiff Headwinds
To realize its innovative plans for floating offshore wind farms, California will face numerous challenges as companies investing in the industry will be looking for permitting transparency, predictable timelines, and meaningful coordination between jurisdictions, agencies, and stakeholders, say David Smith and David McGrath at Manatt.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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Mass. Bill May Alter Deals Involving Both Goods And Services
Massachusetts' proposed H.B. 1112 would adopt several model Uniform Commercial Code amendments, including a new rule for hybrid transactions that could affect risk assessments made by lenders in determining whether to make loans that involve materials and equipment, especially in the context of construction projects, say attorneys at Barclay Damon.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Calif. Right To Repair Law Highlights A Growing Movement
New legislation in California is a comprehensive victory for the "right to repair" movement — signaling that this push for legal reform represents a multifaceted challenge to the status quo not only on the consumer rights front, but also in the fields of copyright, software, antitrust and warranty law, says Courtney Sarnow at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
In Focus At The EEOC: Advancing Equal Pay
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recently finalized strategic enforcement plan expresses a renewed commitment to advancing equal pay at a time when employees have unprecedented access to compensation information, highlighting for employers the importance of open communication and ongoing pay equity analyses, say Paul Evans at Baker McKenzie and Christine Hendrickson at Syndio.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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Why Standing Analysis Is Key In Data Breach Mediation
Amid a growing wave of data breach class action litigation, recent legal developments show shifting criteria for Article III standing based on an increased risk of future identity theft, meaning parties must integrate assessments of standing into mediation discussions to substantiate their settlement demands in data breach class actions, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Series
Mass. Banking Brief: The Notable Compliance Updates In Q3
Among the most significant developments in the financial services space in the third quarter of the year, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down a stunning endorsement of the state's fiduciary duty rule, and banking regulators continued their multiyear crackdown on unregistered entities, say attorneys at Mintz.