Massachusetts

  • April 26, 2024

    ERISA Suits Targeting Annuity Deals Could Escalate

    A quartet of lawsuits targeting employers who terminate their pension plans and exchange them for annuity insurance contracts could trigger a new wave of class action litigation if they gain traction, since hundreds of thousands of retirees have been subject to pension risk transfers in recent years, attorneys say.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ex-Mass. Trooper Handed 5 Years For No-Work OT, Tax Fraud

    A former Massachusetts state trooper convicted of stealing overtime pay, lying on his taxes and cheating to get student aid for his son was sentenced Friday by a federal judge to five years in prison for his leadership role in the sprawling overtime fraud scheme.

  • April 26, 2024

    Sonus $4.5M Settlement With Investors Gets Final OK

    A Massachusetts federal judge has granted final approval to a $4.5 million settlement, including $1.5 million in fees for class counsel, to resolve a securities class action between the former Sonus Networks Inc. and investors over a 2015 stock price decline tied to the communications company's revenue forecasting.

  • April 26, 2024

    Gov't Wants Ex-Boston Celtic Imprisoned For Health Plan Scheme

    Prosecutors asked a Manhattan federal judge to sentence former Boston Celtics player Glen "Big Baby" Davis to roughly three years in prison after he was convicted of scheming with a group of ex-pros to submit fraudulent invoices to the NBA's healthcare plan.

  • April 26, 2024

    Mass. Justices Dash Deported Man's Hope For Remote Retrial

    Massachusetts' high court ruled Friday that a man deported to the Dominican Republic cannot appear remotely for his retrial on charges that the justices previously vacated, citing court rules.

  • April 25, 2024

    Feds Say COVID Fraud Case Against Ex-Pol Clears Early Bar

    Federal prosecutors said Thursday that a former Massachusetts politician should save for trial his arguments seeking to dismiss claims that he lied to rake in COVID-19 relief funds and tried to avoid reporting income to the Internal Revenue Service. 

  • April 25, 2024

    1st Circ. Tosses Second Vineyard Wind Challenge

    The First Circuit on Thursday rejected a legal challenge to the federal government's approval of a wind energy project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, the second such ruling in as many days.

  • April 25, 2024

    Tenn. Hacker Pleads Guilty In DraftKings Accounts Breach

    A Memphis, Tennessee, man, on Thursday became the second defendant to plead guilty in Manhattan federal court to scheming to hack accounts on the DraftKings sports betting site.

  • April 25, 2024

    Dems Press DEA To Move Quickly On Rescheduling Marijuana

    A coalition of Democratic U.S. senators and House members are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to complete swiftly its review of marijuana's legal status and remove the drug from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

  • April 25, 2024

    Ex-Burns & Levinson Life Sciences Chair Joins Polsinelli

    Polsinelli PC announced that the former life sciences co-chair at New England firm Burns & Levinson LLP has joined its Boston office as a shareholder. 

  • April 25, 2024

    Ex-Defender Says Feds Can't Hide Other Harassment Reports

    A former assistant federal defender wants to make certain #MeToo evidence public following the trial in a case accusing the judiciary of botching its probe into her own sexual harassment complaint, saying the contents of similar allegations concerning the Federal Defender's Office have already been publicly revealed.

  • April 25, 2024

    Hospital Operator Must Face Data Privacy Suit In Mass.

    A Massachusetts federal judge has ordered a hospital operator to face proposed class action claims that it exposed a patient's personal information to third parties, saying the patient had a reasonable expectation of privacy.

  • April 24, 2024

    Whole Foods May Have Retaliated In BLM Case, 1st Circ. Says

    Whole Foods hasn't yet proven that its firing of a worker who wore a Black Lives Matter mask to work wasn't retaliatory, the First Circuit said in an opinion unsealed Wednesday, ruling that there is a "genuine dispute" as to whether she was terminated for protected conduct.

  • April 24, 2024

    1st Circ. Upholds Feds' Vineyard Wind Project Approval

    The First Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court ruling rejecting Massachusetts residents' challenge to the federal government's approval of a wind energy project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, saying federal regulators adequately analyzed the projects' effects on right whales.

  • April 24, 2024

    Mass. Golf Course Manager Gets 13 Months For Tax Fraud

    A Massachusetts golf course manager was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax charges, following prosecutors' accusations that he manipulated contracts with a home developer to deflate their value.

  • April 24, 2024

    Pegasystems Cuts $35M Deal To End Investor Suit

    Pegasystems Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million to settle a shareholder suit in Massachusetts federal court alleging the software company failed to properly disclose a rival's trade secret litigation that led to a $2 billion verdict.

  • April 24, 2024

    Student Gets 9 Mos. For Stalking China Democracy Activist

    A Boston federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national to nine months in prison for threatening a fellow student at the Berklee College of Music who had posted a pro-democracy flier on campus, citing a desire to deter other foreigners from engaging in criminal conduct to suppress speech.

  • April 24, 2024

    Boston Pension Doubles Down On Bid To Lead NYCB Suit

    Boston's municipal pension plan and its attorneys from Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP stood firm on their bid to lead a proposed securities class action against New York Community Bancorp, saying their chief rival for lead status bought their shares too late and is too sketchy to be a potential plaintiff.

  • April 24, 2024

    Healthcare Co. Reaches Deal To Exit Pension Plan Suit

    A healthcare company struck a deal with a class of retirement plan participants to end their suit accusing it of stacking its $500 million pension plan with costly funds and failing to keep fees low, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • April 23, 2024

    US Gun Cos. Tell Justices Mexico Is Circumventing Law With Suit

    A group of American firearm makers is asking the Supreme Court to throw out a suit from the government of Mexico alleging they have aided and abetted cartels, saying the First Circuit broke with the high court's precedent by allowing the case to proceed.

  • April 23, 2024

    Jury Suggests $25M Damages For Co.'s Malicious IP Misuse

    A Colorado federal jury has said a display technology company must pay $5.1 million for misusing a business partner's trade secrets during the development of a wireless headset, and recommended the company be punished with another $19.7 million in damages for its malicious conduct.

  • April 23, 2024

    Blue States Leap To Defend EPA Vehicle Emissions Rule

    California and 21 other blue states, along with a smattering of cities and the District of Columbia, have told the D.C. Circuit that they want to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defend its rule requiring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and vans from legal attack by red states.

  • April 23, 2024

    Ex-Takeda Worker, Boyfriend To Plead Guilty In Invoice Scam

    A former Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. employee and her boyfriend plan to plead guilty to a $2.3 million phony invoice scheme, their lawyers told a Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday.

  • April 23, 2024

    Ex-Public Defender Wants 4th Circ. To End Wait In Bias Suit

    A former public defender suing the federal judiciary for allegedly failing to take her sexual harassment claims seriously asked the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday to force a federal judge's hand after more than four months without a ruling following a bench trial, saying a decision on her long-pending bid for a preliminary injunction is overdue.

  • April 23, 2024

    Ex-Cozen O'Connor Atty Moves In-House To DraftKings

    Cozen O'Connor's former co-chair of its state attorneys general practice has moved in-house to join major sports betting company and firm client DraftKings Inc. as its new chief responsible gaming officer.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Harvard's Broker Fight Shows Active Risk Management Is Key

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    Harvard University’s recently filed suit against its insurance broker for alleged malpractice in handling the Students for Fair Admissions claim illustrates that risk management requires the concerted effort of policyholders, brokers and insurers to protect against disastrous losses, say William McMichael and David Klein at Pillsbury.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • AI Isn't The Wild West, So Prepare Now For Bias Risks

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    In addition to President Joe Biden's recent historic executive order on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence, there are existing federal and state laws prohibiting fraud, defamation and even discrimination, so companies considering using or developing AI should take steps to minimize legal and business risks, says civil rights attorney Farhana Khera.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Cos. Must Address Growing Chatbot Class Action Risk

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    Following a new wave of chatbot-related consumer data privacy litigation and expanding compliance obligations created by state legislatures, businesses using such technology face a high-risk environment for wiretapping allegations, with inconsistent court rulings to date and uncertain legal holdings ahead, say attorneys at Pierce Atwood.

  • California's Offshore Turbine Plans Face Stiff Headwinds

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    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.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    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.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    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.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    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.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Mass. Bill May Alter Deals Involving Both Goods And Services

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    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.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

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    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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