Massachusetts

  • February 12, 2025

    Mass. Justices Nix Tax Break For Cargo Biz On Massport Land

    A site leased by the Massachusetts Port Authority to a for-profit cargo management business is not exempt from local property taxes, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday, affirming a $22 million property valuation.

  • February 12, 2025

    Software-Focused PSG Secures $8B Across 2 New Funds

    Software-focused growth equity firm PSG, advised by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it clinched its two latest funds after securing a combined $8 billion in capital commitments.

  • February 12, 2025

    Starbucks Accused Of Flouting Mass. Polygraph Hiring Law

    Starbucks is ignoring a Massachusetts law requiring employers to inform job-seekers that the state doesn't allow the use of lie detector tests in employment decisions, according to a putative class action filed in state court.

  • February 11, 2025

    A 'Disaster For Science': Universities Sue Over NIH Grant Cap

    Research universities and higher education organizations on Tuesday requested an order from a Massachusetts federal court to halt the Trump administration from capping indirect costs for grants from the National Institutes of Health, one day after a separate Bay State federal judge paused the change from taking effect in a case brought by a group of state attorneys general.

  • February 11, 2025

    Pot Grower Says Nearby Farm's Pesticides Caused $17M Loss

    A Massachusetts cannabis grower says pesticides used by an adjacent berry farm contaminated its entire 2022 harvest, costing the lost value of that crop and two subsequent years' revenue, totaling at least $17 million.

  • February 11, 2025

    Automakers Lose Fight To Block Mass. 'Right To Repair' Law

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday tossed what was left of a long-running suit filed by major automakers seeking to block a Bay State law requiring vehicle manufacturers to provide open access to telematics systems.

  • February 11, 2025

    Mass. High Court Rejects Karen Read Double Jeopardy Claim

    Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman whose murder case garnered national attention and resulted in a mistrial, failed to convince the state's highest court Tuesday to throw out two counts that jurors had purportedly voted to reject.

  • February 07, 2025

    DOGE Access To Treasury Payment System Blocked By Judge

    A Manhattan federal judge blocked the access of Elon Musk and staffers of his temporary Department of Government Efficiency to U.S. Department of the Treasury payment systems Saturday and ordered them to destroy data already obtained, after state attorneys general sued, calling that access "dangerous" and unlawful.

  • February 10, 2025

    DraftKings Must Face Narrowed Suit Over Voided NBA Bets

    An Indiana federal judge trimmed allegations of deceptive sales Friday from a putative class action over DraftKings' decision to cancel wagers made with faulty odds on a National Basketball Association game in 2023, but said the sports betting giant must face a well-pled breach of contract claim.

  • February 10, 2025

    Amazon Used App Toolkit To Harvest User Data, Suit Says

    Amazon has used Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers and other mobile apps as a "Trojan Horse" to ingrain secret tracking mechanisms in hundreds of millions of consumers' smartphones through a software development kit for developers, according to a new proposed class action in Seattle federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Boston Man Not Guilty In Chinese 'Agent' Case

    A Boston man was acquitted Monday of federal charges that he acted as an unregistered agent for China by allegedly spying on pro-democracy activities and organizing a group to advocate for the interests of the Chinese government.

  • February 10, 2025

    Harvard Immunity For Body Part Thefts 'Gnaws' At Justice

    A judge on Massachusetts' highest court said Monday it's "problematic" that a state law could shield Harvard Medical School from liability in a suit by family members of people whose remains were allegedly sold off in parts by a rogue mortician.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Buyout Plan Still On Hold As Unions Cite 'Confusion'

    A Boston federal judge on Monday extended his hold on President Donald Trump's federal worker buyout program as he weighs a request from unions to block the so-called Fork Directive, which promises months of pay to government employees who resign their posts.

  • February 10, 2025

    Mass. Justices May Greenlight Ex-Court Atty's Firing Case

    Massachusetts' highest court on Monday hinted that it will allow a former ghostwriter for the state's intermediate appellate court to continue pursuing his wrongful firing claims against a former supervisor, but not necessarily against two higher-ups, in a challenge to the extent of common-law immunity for public officials.

  • February 10, 2025

    Mass. Judge Temporarily Blocks NIH Funding Cuts

    A Massachusetts federal judge issued a temporary hold Monday on a Trump administration plan to slash grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health after 22 states sued to block the cuts.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Admin Violating Order To Unfreeze Funds, Judge Says

    A Rhode Island federal judge ruled Monday the Trump administration is not complying with the court's temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs, ordering the administration to immediately restore the frozen funds.

  • February 10, 2025

    NH Judge Latest To Block Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

    A third federal district judge has blocked President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, as a New Hampshire judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction from the bench during an early morning hearing.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Administration Sued Over Passport Sex Designations

    A group of transgender and nonbinary people sued the Trump administration over an executive order that directed the U.S. Department of State to issue passports showing their sex assigned at birth, claiming the policy is one example of the administration's "longstanding animus against transgender people."

  • February 10, 2025

    Emerson Butts Heads With Elliott On $7.2B AspenTech Deal

    Global technology company Emerson said Monday that its $7.2 billion offer to buy the remaining shares in AspenTech that it does not already own represents "compelling and certain value" for shareholders, pushing back after activist investment firm Elliott ripped the bid as an undervaluation.

  • February 10, 2025

    Biotech Firm Omega Therapeutics Hits Ch. 11 To Restructure

    Biotechnology company Omega Therapeutics hit Chapter 11 in Delaware on Monday, listing over $140 million of debt on its petition and having filed a form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying it had entered a restructuring agreement with an affiliate of its controlling stockholder.

  • February 07, 2025

    Trump Isn't Obeying Order To Unfreeze Funds, States Say

    The Trump administration is not complying with a temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grant and aid programs, a coalition of states told a Rhode Island federal judge Friday, asking the court to enforce its order and to enter a stiffer injunction blocking the funding freeze.

  • February 07, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Evolving CRE Finance, Tariffs, PFAS

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how modern commercial real estate financing has changed the way real estate lawyers practice, as well as insights from Big Law attorneys on two major topics of 2025: tariffs and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a.k.a. "forever chemicals."

  • February 07, 2025

    Ex-Mass. State Sen. Gets 18 Months For Pandemic, Tax Fraud

    A former Massachusetts state senator was sentenced to 18 months in prison Friday after being convicted of fraudulently collecting pandemic unemployment benefits and failing to report consulting income he was also earning at the time on his tax returns.

  • February 07, 2025

    Brother Of Aaron Hernandez Gets Time Served For Threats

    The older brother of convicted murderer and deceased former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to time served by a Connecticut federal judge on Friday, after pleading guilty to threatening a state judge and claiming he would go on a shooting spree at the University of Connecticut.

  • February 07, 2025

    US Patent Commissioner Steps Down Amid Resignation Push

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's patent commissioner has resigned from her position, marking a significant departure for the agency amid the Trump administration's whirlwind effort to slash the federal workforce.

Expert Analysis

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Comparing Antitrust Outlooks Amid Google Remedy Review

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    As the U.S. Justice Department mulls potential structural remedies after winning its recent case against Google, increased global scrutiny of Big Tech leaves ex post and ex ante antitrust approaches ripe for evaluation, say Nishant Chadha at the Indian School of Business and Manisha Goel at Pomona College.

  • Election Could Bring Change In Weather For Offshore Wind

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    Under another Trump administration, the offshore wind sector would encounter substantial headwinds, as Trump's policy track record emphasizes fossil fuel dominance and environmental rollbacks, while a Harris victory would likely further entrench the pro-renewable energy stance taken by the Biden administration, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win

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    A recent First Circuit decision holding that taxpayers do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in cryptocurrency transaction records should prompt both taxpayers and exchanges to take stock of past transactions and future plans, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Employer Lessons From Mass. 'Bonus Not Wages' Ruling

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    In Nunez v. Syncsort, a Massachusetts state appeals court recently held that a terminated employee’s retention bonus did not count as wages under the state’s Wage Act, illustrating the nuanced ways “wages” are defined by state statutes and courts, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

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