Massachusetts

  • May 07, 2024

    85 Lawmakers Join Chorus Opposing Space Force Transfers

    A bipartisan group of 85 federal lawmakers on Tuesday joined all 50 state governors in opposing a proposal to allow Air National Guard units to be transferred to the U.S. Space Force without gubernatorial approval, arguing the measure would undermine "the integrity and longstanding mission of the National Guard."

  • May 07, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Seems Wary Of Broad's CRISPR Inventorship Win

    Federal Circuit Judge Todd Hughes on Tuesday suggested that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board cited the correct standard when reviewing who first invented a particular use of the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, but then applied an improper standard when ruling in favor of a Massachusetts research team.

  • May 07, 2024

    Feds Say Student Recruiter Charged UK Schools Illicit Fees

    A Massachusetts company that recruits American students to attend British universities unlawfully demanded that foreign schools participating in U.S. student aid programs pay it an incentive fee and then hide the payments from the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    Steward Health Gets Ch. 11 Loan, Says It Plans Hospital Sales

    A Texas bankruptcy judge Tuesday allowed Steward Health Care to take out $75 million in Chapter 11 financing to meet its next-day payroll after being told the hospital chain plans to sell facilities to pay down its $9 billion in debt.

  • May 07, 2024

    Employment Agency Owner Admits Hiding $10M In Income

    The owner of a temporary employment agency pled guilty to filing false federal business tax returns to conceal more than $10 million in corporate income, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    1st Circ. Questions SEC Walk-Back In Conn. Atty's Fraud Case

    A First Circuit panel indicated Tuesday that the Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to have it both ways by avoiding a retrial of a fraud case against a Connecticut attorney while keeping in place an earlier win.

  • May 07, 2024

    1st Circ. Critical Of Boston's Choice To Ice Out Satanists

    A First Circuit panel on Tuesday said Boston's process of selecting faith and community leaders to offer an opening prayer at city council meetings raises constitutional concerns, suggesting it could revive a suit over the exclusion of satanists.

  • May 07, 2024

    WilmerHale Guides Akamai's $450M Buy Of Noname Security

    Cloud company Akamai Technologies Inc., advised by WilmerHale, on Tuesday announced plans to buy Noname Security, an application programming interface security company, for $450 million.

  • May 06, 2024

    Biotech Co. Wants To Appeal Red Cross Antitrust Immunity

    A biotech company has told a Massachusetts federal court that giving the American Red Cross immunity from claims that it smothered competition in the platelet bacteria mitigation market is unprecedented and leaves the organization free to fix prices or buy up its competitors.

  • May 06, 2024

    Mass General Eyes Retirement Plan Fee Suit Settlement

    The Mass General healthcare system in Boston and a proposed class of its workers are in the process of negotiating an agreement to resolve the employees' claims that they were charged excessive administrative fees for their retirement plan, the parties told a Massachusetts federal court.

  • May 06, 2024

    Mass. Justices Wary Of Spiking Uber, Lyft Ballot Questions

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared unlikely Monday to strike down ballot proposals to reinvent app-based drivers' relationships with Uber, Lyft and the like, commenting that the scattershot ideas for voters in March all carry the underlying theme of creating a carveout from the state's worker-friendly employee classification law.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ritz-Carlton Defeats Post-Hurricane Layoff Claims At 1st Circ.

    The First Circuit has said a Puerto Rico federal judge was right to rule in favor of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in a suit by a proposed class of employees who claimed they were wrongfully laid off after the island was decimated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017.

  • May 06, 2024

    Mintz Adds Proskauer Life Sciences IP Litigation Team

    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC has brought on a life sciences patent litigation team of roughly a dozen attorneys from Proskauer Rose LLP in Los Angeles, Boston and New York led by the former chair of Proskauer's life sciences patent practice, the firm announced Monday.

  • May 06, 2024

    Battery Startup Ambri Hits Ch. 11 With Lender Sale Plans

    Massachusetts battery developer Ambri Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with over $50 million in liabilities and a credit bid stalking horse offer from a group of secured noteholders after fundraising efforts last year fell short.

  • May 06, 2024

    Hospital Chain Steward Health Hits Ch. 11 With Over $1B Debt

    Embattled hospital operator Steward Health Care filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in a Texas bankruptcy court with more than $1 billion in debt, blaming rising costs and falling government reimbursement rates.

  • May 03, 2024

    How Big IP Judgment Winners Are Insuring 'Nuclear Verdicts'

    Until a few years ago, intellectual property plaintiffs who scored large monetary awards — often referred to as "nuclear verdicts" — had to wait out a lengthy appellate process before knowing how much money they would end up with. But a relatively new type of insurance policy is allowing plaintiffs to insure part of their judgment in case it gets reduced or wiped out on appeal. 

  • May 03, 2024

    Mass. Quarry Resolves AG's River Pollution Claims

    A lime quarry in western Massachusetts on Friday struck a $299,000 settlement with the state attorney general over wastewater discharges that allegedly turned the Hoosic River an eerie, cloudy white from bank to bank for 13 miles.

  • May 03, 2024

    Off The Bench: DraftKings, FIFA Warning, Charity Turmoil

    In this week's Off The Bench, DraftKings blocks a former executive from working at an emerging rival in the U.S., FIFA's transfer rules get flagged as a potential antitrust breach and the nonprofit marshaling donations to NFL safety Damar Hamlin sues its former counsel over media leaks.

  • May 03, 2024

    Graham Blasts Mass. Judge Nom For 'Radical' Policing Letter

    Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, blasted a Massachusetts judicial nominee on Friday for failing to disclose prior to his nomination hearing that his name appears on the letterhead of a 2020 public statement issued in the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd by police.

  • May 03, 2024

    Ex-Defender Can't Make Feds Release Harassment Reports

    A North Carolina federal court rejected a former assistant federal defender's bid to have the federal government release certain #MeToo evidence following a trial over her claims of a botched sexual harassment probe, saying she was "woefully late" in deciding to challenge its confidentiality status.

  • May 02, 2024

    Patent Board Rulings Send $3.3M Judgment Up In Flames

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions invalidating three networking patents that NetScout had been found to infringe, and then held that the holding wipes out a $3.3 million judgment against the company, because it was not yet final.

  • May 02, 2024

    House Seeks FTC Info On Scuttled Amazon-IRobot Deal

    The Republican-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is launching an investigation into the Federal Trade Commission's purported efforts to block Amazon's purchase of iRobot, according to a Wednesday letter from Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.

  • May 02, 2024

    Immigrant Bond Co. Buyer Wants In On $811M Fine Appeal

    Libre Immigration Services has moved to intervene at the Fourth Circuit to fight an $811 million judgment against companies it recently acquired that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued over abusive immigrant bonding practices.

  • May 02, 2024

    Mass. Property Is Agricultural, Appellate Board Says

    A 14-acre property should be classified as agricultural, as the owner proved the land's main use was farming, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in a ruling released Thursday.

  • May 02, 2024

    Recent BigLaw Moves Show Boston Is 'Clearly On The Map'

    Three BigLaw firms' recent moves to build out physical footprints in Boston are a testament to the region's thriving technology, healthcare, life sciences and finance industries — a trend that shows no signs of slowing down, experts say.

Expert Analysis

  • How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Lessons From This Year's Landmark Green Energy IP Clash

    Author Photo

    In this year's Siemens v. General Electric wind turbine patent dispute, a Massachusetts federal court offers a cautionary tale against willful infringement, and highlights the balance between innovation, law and ethics, as legal battles like this become more frequent in the renewable energy sector, say John Powell and Andrew Siuta at Sunstein.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

    Author Photo

    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • Series

    Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • Expect CFPB Flex Over Large Nonbank Payment Cos.

    Author Photo

    A recent enforcement action and a new rule proposal from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau indicate a growing focus on the nonbank payment ecosystem, especially larger participants, in 2024, say Felix Shipkevich and Jessica Livingston at Shipkevich.

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.

  • Rockport Ch. 11 Highlights Global Settlement Considerations

    Author Photo

    A Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent rejection of Rockport’s proposed settlement serves as a reminder that there is a risk that a global settlement executed outside of a plan may be rejected as a sub rosa plan, but shouldn’t dissuade parties from seeking relief when applicable case law supports approval, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

    Author Photo

    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • 'Manufacturing' Amid Mass. Adoption Of Single-Sales Factor

    Author Photo

    Massachusetts’ recent adoption of single-sales-factor apportionment will benefit companies that have a greater in-state physical presence, reinforce the importance of understanding market-sourcing rules, and reduce the manufacturing classification's importance to tax apportionment, though the classification continues to be significant to other aspects of taxation, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • 1st Circ. Ruling Helps Clarify Test For FLSA Admin Exemption

    Author Photo

    The First Circuit’s recent decision in Marcus v. American Contract Bridge League will help employers navigate the Fair Labor Standards Act's "general business operations" exemption and make the crucial and often confusing decision of whether white collar employees are overtime-exempt administrators or nonexempt frontline producers of products and services, says Mark Tabakman at Fox Rothschild.

  • How Cannabis Cos. Are Adapting In Shifting Bankruptcy Arena

    Author Photo

    Recent bankruptcy cases show that federal courts have begun to demonstrate more openness to downstream businesses in the cannabis industry, and that even though receivership can be a viable option for those denied access to the bankruptcy system, it is not without its own risks and complexities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

    Author Photo

    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

    Author Photo

    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • A Look At Mass. Sports Betting Data Privacy Regulations

    Author Photo

    The Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently approved data privacy regulations under the state's sports wagering act to promote responsible gaming, showing a trend of regulators directing companies on how to protect personal information used by artificial intelligence systems, say Liisa Thomas and Kathryn Smith at Sheppard Mullin.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Massachusetts archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!