Massachusetts

  • May 15, 2024

    Brothers Stole $25M Of Crypto In 12 Seconds, Feds Say

    Two Massachusetts Institute of Technology-educated brothers were charged with orchestrating a first-of-its-kind cryptocurrency heist that allowed them to siphon virtual tokens worth around $25 million from Ethereum blockchain users within just 12 seconds, an indictment unsealed Wednesday said.

  • May 15, 2024

    Pet Telehealth Startup Canned Vet After Bite Injury, Suit Says

    A Massachusetts veterinarian says she was lured to a mobile pet care startup but replaced months later by a younger vet after she claimed workers' compensation for a dog bite suffered on the job.

  • May 15, 2024

    Quikrete Unit Settles With Mass. AG Over Runoff At Paver Site

    A Quikrete Holdings Inc. subsidiary that makes concrete pavers is settling claims that runoff from its southeastern Massachusetts facility is polluting a river and neighboring wetlands in violation of the federal Clean Water Act, according to a proposed consent decree.

  • May 14, 2024

    Berkshire Bank Sued For Customer's Alleged $90M Ponzi

    Massachusetts-based Berkshire Bank is facing a proposed class action brought by an investor seeking to hold the bank liable for providing financial services to a bankrupt local business person whom the investor has accused of operating a $90 million Ponzi scheme.

  • May 14, 2024

    Couple Attacks Chase's 'Pack Of Lies' In $20M Loss Case

    An elderly couple claiming they lost tens of millions through bad investments with JPMorgan Chase Bank NA said in a heated Massachusetts federal court hearing Tuesday that the big bank shouldn't pocket a pretrial win based on a magistrate judge's "extreme" analysis.

  • May 14, 2024

    Trial Averted In Boston Health Agency Harassment Case

    A former Boston health department employee on Tuesday reported that she had settled her claims against the city and a former boss who she says sexually harassed her, scuttling a trial that would have featured several high-profile witnesses, including a federal judge.

  • May 14, 2024

    Shire Settles Claims Over Alleged ADHD Generic Delay

    Purchasers of the medication Intuniv have settled a years-old class action against drugmaker Shire PLC and manufacturer Actavis over allegations that the companies struck an anti-competitive deal to delay the production of a generic version of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug.

  • May 14, 2024

    Mass. Pot Shop Ordered To Recognize Union, Rehire Workers

    A Massachusetts cannabis retailer found to have engaged in union busting must recognize and bargain with a United Food and Commercial Workers local and offer to rehire two fired union supporters, a federal judge ordered Tuesday.

  • May 13, 2024

    Kabbage Inks 2 FCA Deals With Feds Totaling $120M

    Bankrupt online lender Kabbage Inc. has agreed to pay $120 million in two separate deals to resolve allegations it submitted thousands of false claims for loan forgiveness and operated without adequate fraud controls in place, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • May 13, 2024

    Biogen Investors Seek Class Cert. In Alzheimer's Drug Suit

    A proposed class of Biogen shareholders urged a Massachusetts federal court to certify their now-revived class action alleging the drugmaker made misleading statements about a deficient Alzheimer's drug, arguing it can sufficiently lead the suit with Block & Leviton LLP as class counsel.

  • May 13, 2024

    Boston Federal Judge To Be Witness In City Harassment Case

    A former Boston city employee will be allowed to call a senior federal judge to testify about a conversation the two had months before she reported being sexually harassed by a former city health director, a state court has ruled.

  • May 13, 2024

    Ex-Police Chief Gets 3 Months For Alexion Insider Trading

    The former police chief of a town in Massachusetts was sentenced Monday to three months in prison after pleading guilty to trading on confidential information about a pending Alexion Pharmaceuticals merger that he said was provided by a "lifelong friend."

  • May 13, 2024

    Philips Wants Cleaner Co. To Chip In For $1B CPAP Deal

    Koninklijke Philips NV has filed a third-party complaint in Pennsylvania federal court against SoClean Inc., which sells cleaning products for breathing devices, claiming SoClean and its parent should contribute to Philips' $1 billion settlement because its cleaners allegedly exacerbated the foam breakdown at the heart of the litigation.

  • May 13, 2024

    Mass. Tax Board Rejects Plea To Cut Home Valuation

    A Massachusetts homeowner's argument that his property was overvalued because its assessment increased by a higher percentage than those of neighboring properties was rejected by the state's tax appeals board in a decision released Monday.

  • May 13, 2024

    Chancery Scuttles Unfair Pirate Ship Salvage Co. Merger

    Finding the deal "wholly devoid" of attempts at fairness, a Delaware vice chancellor has ordered the unwinding of a 2018 pirate treasure hunting and salvage company merger with an asset-holding affiliate, while also finding that delay and fading evidence have scuttled minority investor fiduciary breach claims.

  • May 13, 2024

    Uber, Lyft Put Driver Work Fight In Reverse As Trial Begins

    A high-stakes battle over the employment status of drivers for Uber and Lyft kicked off in Massachusetts on Monday, as the companies sought to flip the government allegations by arguing that the ride-hailing giants work for their drivers, not the other way around.

  • May 13, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Sunken treasure, recycled plastics, questionable denim and dog food all made appearances in Chancery Court dockets last week, along with developments in cases involving Qualcomm, Tesla Inc., and Truth Social. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • May 13, 2024

    Rail Worker Wage Case Won't Get High Court Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court won't intervene in a pending Massachusetts lawsuit against the operator of a freight rail line over whether its employees are covered by the state's Prevailing Wage Act, declining Monday to review the case.

  • May 13, 2024

    High Court Won't Consider Ex-Tufts Prof's Retaliation Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a lawsuit brought by a former Tufts University dental professor who said the First Circuit ignored crucial evidence and relied on false information when it shut down claims that she lost a promotion for reporting sexual harassment.

  • May 10, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: Norfolk Southern, Big 4 Earnings, HUD

    Catch up on this week's key real estate developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including reflections from co-lead plaintiffs counsel in the Norfolk Southern derailment case, Q1 results from the big four brokers, and a synopsis of billions in new grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

  • May 10, 2024

    Lab Exec Sentenced For Deadly Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

    The founder of a Massachusetts drug compounding center was sentenced in Michigan to 10 to 15 years in prison for his role in a fungal meningitis outbreak after he agreed to a plea deal with state prosecutors earlier this year.

  • May 10, 2024

    1st Circ. Fast-Tracks DraftKings Noncompete Feud

    The First Circuit on Friday granted a former DraftKings executive's request to expedite his appeal of a Boston federal judge's ruling that blocked him from doing similar work in the U.S. for rival Fanatics. 

  • May 10, 2024

    Ex-Wayfair Web Designer Says Racism Forced Him Out

    A Black former Wayfair web designer says he faced a workplace "infused by racial discrimination" during his two years with the Boston-based online retailer and suffered retaliation when he complained, according to a suit filed Friday in Massachusetts state court.

  • May 10, 2024

    Off The Bench: Ohtani Translator's Plea, NBA Star Tops Agent

    In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter will plead guilty, an NBA star wins in his clash with the agent who sought to represent him, and a tennis player who was abused by her former coach is awarded $9 million.

  • May 10, 2024

    Dem Lawmakers Call For 5th Circ. Judge To Exit CFPB Case

    Six Democratic lawmakers sent a letter admonishing the Judicial Conference, saying Friday it was "undermining the integrity of the judiciary" by allowing a Fifth Circuit judge to participate in a matter in which he has a significant conflict of interest.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Deepfakes Remain A Threat Ahead Of 2024 Elections

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    Although this electoral season has already seen phony videos and images created to deceive the voting public — and deepfakes are surely destined to become all the more pervasive — there is still a lack of legislative progress on this issue, says Douglas Mirell at Greenberg Glusker.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

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    While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • 1st Circ. Harvard Ruling Provides Primer On Policy Provisions

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    In its recent finding of no coverage for Harvard due to the school's failure to give Zurich American Insurance timely notice of its claim, the First Circuit provides a good analysis of the distinctions between occurrence and claims-made policies, including the rationale for differences in notice provisions, says Andrew Paliotta at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • Fair Lending Activity: Calm On The Surface, Churning Below

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently released annual fair lending report to Congress confirms that despite the paucity of public fair lending enforcement actions in 2022, the CFPB and prudential banking agencies are engaged in significant nonpublic oversight, examination and enforcement activities, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • What Circuit Split May Mean For FCA Kickback Liability

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    The recent circuit split on the meaning of the resulting-from provision in False Claims Act kickback cases could have significant ramifications for FCA liability, as it could affect the standard of causation that plaintiffs must meet to establish liability, say former federal prosecutors Li Yu, Ellen London and Gregg Shapiro.

  • Perspectives

    More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap

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    Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

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    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

  • 10 Legal Subject Matters Popping Up In AI Litigation

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    The past five years have brought judicial opinions addressing artificial intelligence in many different legal areas, so a study of existing case law is an important first step for in-house counsel addressing how to advise on the uncertainty driving many of the AI legal disputes, says Mark Davies at Orrick.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

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