Massachusetts

  • January 31, 2025

    Dem AGs Say Trump's DEI Attacks Undercut Anti-Bias Efforts

    A dozen state attorneys general decried President Donald Trump's attempts to roll back diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs across the federal government, saying Friday his stance threatens decades of bipartisan work to combat discrimination and provide equal job opportunities.

  • January 31, 2025

    NJ, 15 Other States Urge 5th Circ. To Revive ATF Trigger Ban

    New Jersey led a coalition of 16 states urging the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court decision blocking the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from classifying forced reset triggers as illegal machine guns, arguing, "FRTs are new, but the mechanical principles on which they operate are not."

  • February 14, 2025

    Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.

  • January 31, 2025

    Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.

  • January 31, 2025

    Cannabis Test Lab Says Competitors Fudging Results

    A Massachusetts cannabis testing lab accused eight of its competitors of intentionally inflating results for potency and concealing findings of contamination in order to lure away customers, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • January 31, 2025

    Mass. Justices Rule 'Unwarranted Privilege' Law Not Vague

    Massachusetts' top court ruled on Friday that a statute that bars public officials from misusing the benefits of their position for private gain is not unconstitutionally vague, rejecting a former police officer's bid to reverse his conviction for borrowing cash from his department's evidence room to pay his mortgage and other personal expenses.

  • January 31, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Cravath, Gibson Dunn, Milbank

    In this week's Taxation with Representation, Eversource Energy sells Aquarion Water Co., Diversified Energy Partners acquires oil and gas company Maverick, Lantheus Holdings buys Evergreen Theragnostics, and NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson becomes the majority owner in the Legacy Motor Club racing team.

  • January 30, 2025

    SEC's Trial Win In VistaPrint Insider Trading Case Stands

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday rejected a Lexington man's contention that his conviction for trading VistaPrint options off of nonpublic information resulted from an inconsistent jury verdict, but said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's request he pay $1.8 million in civil penalties for the insider trading was too much.

  • January 30, 2025

    Sheriffs Raise Concern About New FCC Prison Phone Caps

    A sheriffs' group brought concerns to the Federal Communications Commission about recently adopted caps on prison phone rates, saying the exclusion of certain cost categories would lead to less access to services for the incarcerated.

  • January 30, 2025

    1st Circ. Restores Endangered Whale's Cape Cod Protections

    The First Circuit on Thursday upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service's decision to seasonally ban some lobster and crab fishing equipment near Cape Cod in order to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.

  • January 30, 2025

    Former Pharma Exec Gets 2 Months For Insider Trading

    A former Ipsen Pharmaceuticals executive who pled guilty to insider trading last fall was sentenced to two months in prison Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston has announced.

  • January 30, 2025

    Mass. Law Firm Settles Data Breach Suit For $150K

    A small Massachusetts law firm will pay $150,000 to settle a data breach class action in Massachusetts federal court seeking to hold it liable for a 2022 cyberattack on its computer systems, the class representative told the court Thursday.

  • January 30, 2025

    1st Circ. Backs Hospital's Win In Fired Nurse's Vax Bias Suit

    The First Circuit backed a Boston hospital's defeat of a Christian nurse's lawsuit claiming she was fired for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, finding she couldn't overcome the medical center's argument that letting her skip the jab would have been too risky.

  • January 30, 2025

    Storage Co. Says Rothman Gordon Left Behind Files, Big Bills

    The defunct Pittsburgh law firm Rothman Gordon PC has left thousands of file boxes in storage at a contractor's warehouse without paying, and is insisting that the contractor go through the stored records to return files to former clients, according to a lawsuit the storage company filed in Pennsylvania state court.

  • January 30, 2025

    Mass. High Court Backs Insurers' Lost Resale Value Exclusion

    Language in Massachusetts auto insurance policies limiting coverage to "tangible losses" lets MAPFRE Insurance subsidiary Commerce and other companies off the hook for claims based on lost resale value after an accident, the state's highest court said on Thursday.

  • January 29, 2025

    Roomba Maker Escapes Suit Over Scuttled Amazon Merger

    A Massachusetts federal judge has permanently thrown out a shareholder class action accusing iRobot Corp. of misleading investors about expected regulatory opposition that ultimately led to the abandonment of a proposed $1.7 billion merger with Amazon, saying "the pleading process ought not be used as a trial balloon, with repeated bites at the apple."

  • January 29, 2025

    German National Again Ordered To Pay $4.6M In Fraud

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday ordered a German national to hand over $4.6 million in profits and interest from a multinational pump-and-dump scheme, money that the government says was parked overseas by his son.

  • January 29, 2025

    Cities Urge Judges To Halt Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

    Local governments and officials representing more than 70 jurisdictions spanning 24 states expressed support on Wednesday for a nationwide pause on President Donald Trump's order restricting birthright citizenship, warning federal judges the mandate will otherwise fuel administrative dysfunction and detract from publicly funded programs.  

  • January 29, 2025

    Mass. Judge Sends Stellantis' UAW Strike Suit To Calif.

    A Massachusetts federal judge has sent a Stellantis lawsuit accusing the UAW of violating a collective bargaining agreement by threatening mid-contract strikes to a California federal court where the automaker is pursuing identical claims over the union's tactics.

  • January 29, 2025

    Jenzabar Tells Del. Justices Investor Delay Sinks $26M Award

    An attorney for the founder of a higher education software company told Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday that shareholders moved too late to recover on claims they were kept in the dark when millions in stock purchase warrants were allowed to expire without notice that they could invest in a follow-on opportunity.

  • January 29, 2025

    CFPB Cheers On State Bids To Restrict Medical Debt Reporting

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has signaled support for bills that lawmakers in Massachusetts and several other states are considering to restrict medical debt reporting, efforts that could build on the agency's own new medical debt rule.  

  • January 29, 2025

    Uber Can't Duck Mass. Tech Company's Trade Secrets Suit

    A Massachusetts state judge ruled Wednesday that a forum selection clause can't protect Uber from answering claims that it stole a Boston technology company's trade secrets after partnering with it on rider safety pilot projects in Brazil.

  • January 29, 2025

    White House Rescinds Trump's Spending Freeze

    The White House on Wednesday rescinded a directive freezing federal funding, saying it wants to end litigation and confusion, but said the move will not end a review of spending to ensure compliance with a series of executive orders by the president.

  • January 28, 2025

    Sen. Warren Has 'Serious Concern' Over Lutnick's Tether Ties

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D.-Mass., has asked U.S. Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick to provide more information on his involvement with the crypto firm Tether Ltd. Inc., saying his firm Cantor Fitgerald's stake in the success of a token allegedly favored by "outlaws" is cause for concern.

  • January 28, 2025

    Amazon Says Too Late For Mass. Court's Expense Suit Take

    Amazon said a delivery driver missed his chance to seek clarity on whether Massachusetts state wage law requires employers to compensate employees for work-related expenses, urging a Washington federal judge to pass on asking the Bay State's top court to weigh in.

Expert Analysis

  • Video Game Release Highlights TM Pitfalls Of App Store

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    The upcoming release of poker video game Balatro in Apple's App Store underscores the tradeoff of keyword advertising and trademark protection for indie developers who, unlike corporate counterparts, lack resources but seek to maximize the reach of their game, say Parmida Enkeshafi and Simon Pulman at Pryor Cashman.

  • Missouri Injunction A Setback For State Anti-ESG Rules

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    A Missouri federal court’s recent order enjoining the state’s anti-ESG rules comes amid actions by state legislatures to revise or invalidate similar legislation imposing disclosure and consent requirements around environmental, social and governance investing, and could be a blueprint for future challenges, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • Avoiding Corporate Political Activity Pitfalls This Election Year

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    As Election Day approaches, corporate counsel should be mindful of the complicated rules around companies engaging in political activities, including super PAC contributions, pay-to-play prohibitions and foreign agent restrictions, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation

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    With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.

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