Massachusetts

  • May 05, 2025

    Mass. Justices Eye Potential Bias In Police Use Of Snapchat

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court Monday pressed a county prosecutor over a police department's use of a fictitious non-white "bitmoji" and name on Snapchat to target suspected gang members in the city of Lowell, in the latest legal challenge to law enforcement's use of social media surveillance.

  • May 05, 2025

    Mass. Assisted Living Facility Settles Class Suit Over Fees

    A Massachusetts assisted living facility has settled claims by a group of low-income, elderly residents that they were charged an illegal "ancillary fee" that depleted much of their monthly allowances.

  • May 05, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Review Mass. Wind Farm Permits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the federal government's approval of a large offshore wind energy project in the waters off the Massachusetts coast, rejecting allegations that the go-ahead ignored the risks the project poses to the commercial fishing industry.

  • May 02, 2025

    Feds Expand Hunting, Fishing Access In 16 Wildlife Refuges

    The federal government is proposing to expand hunting and fishing access on more than 87,000 acres within the 11 states in national wildlife and fish hatchery systems, saying on Friday the move would more than triple the number of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

  • May 02, 2025

    Dems Urge Fed To Rethink $35B Capital One-Discover Deal

    Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., have formally petitioned the Federal Reserve to pause and revisit its approval of Capital One's $35 billion acquisition of Discover, saying the central bank's analysis of the transaction had glaring gaps that make its conclusion legally unsustainable.

  • May 02, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Budget Cuts, Student Housing, Old Malls

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including real estate takeaways from President Donald Trump's proposed federal budget cuts and two asset classes attracting attention.

  • May 02, 2025

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In April

    Some notable Massachusetts state court decisions in April wrestled with a Staples affiliate's jurisdictional challenge in an employment case, a discovery dispute in the state's greenwashing litigation against Exxon involving McKinsey & Co., and an insurer's effort to be let off the hook for representing a lawyer in a malpractice claim.

  • May 02, 2025

    NJ Panel Affirms $2.6M Coverage Payout In Cleanup Case

    A New Jersey appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court's decision finding that under Massachusetts law an insurer owed a BASF entity only $2.6 million in coverage for underlying environmental remediation costs after the lower court found a prior, larger coverage calculation it had adopted was "palpably incorrect."

  • May 02, 2025

    Trooper Guilty On Most Counts In Driver's License Scheme

    A former Massachusetts State Police trooper was convicted Friday on most counts in a case alleging he accepted bribes in exchange for giving passing scores on commercial driver's license exams.

  • May 02, 2025

    X Reneged On Severance Promises, Laid-Off Mass. Workers Say

    Six former Twitter employees in Massachusetts who were laid off after Elon Musk purchased and downsized the social networking giant say the company, now called X Corp., broke its promises to pay out severance in line with what was offered before Musk's takeover.

  • May 02, 2025

    Mass. Board Knocks $36K Off Senior Condo's Tax Valuation

    A Massachusetts senior condominium unit was overvalued by $36,000, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled in an opinion released Friday, saying the owner's comparable sales analysis showed the property's valuation was inconsistent with the other properties.

  • May 02, 2025

    Debevoise Guides Ara Partners On $800M Low-Carbon Fund

    Ara Partners has raised more than $800 million for its first infrastructure fund, aimed at cutting carbon emissions from the industrial economy, with legal guidance from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

  • May 02, 2025

    Contractors Settle Mass. AG's YMCA Asbestos Claims

    The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office said Friday that two contractors will pay $150,000 each to settle claims that their faulty asbestos removal at a YMCA might have exposed schoolchildren, building residents and staff to carcinogenic particles.

  • May 02, 2025

    Live Nation Antitrust Fight Won't Have Split Damages Phase

    A Manhattan federal judge declined Friday to break out a possible monetary damages phase in a suit by federal and state authorities accusing Live Nation of quashing competition in live entertainment, saying the move would be unlikely to streamline the complex case.

  • May 02, 2025

    Mass. Board Upholds Home's Valuation Despite Comparables

    A Massachusetts homeowner cannot have the value of her home lowered after failing to account for the differences between her home and the comparable sales she provided, the state tax appeals board said in a ruling released Friday.

  • May 01, 2025

    Aetna And Humana Accused Of Medicare Kickbacks And Bias

    The federal government brought a bombshell False Claims Act suit Thursday against Aetna, Elevance and Humana, claiming the insurers paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to brokers in exchange for enrollments into their Medicare Advantage plans, with Humana and Aetna also accused of discriminating against disabled beneficiaries.

  • May 01, 2025

    RI Pot Rules Challenger Says Cause For Ditching Case Is Moot

    A Florida entrepreneur challenging Rhode Island's cannabis regulatory scheme said a judge's basis for dismissing the action no longer applies now that the state has published its rules, and has asked the First Circuit to remand the case to district court.

  • May 01, 2025

    Zipcar, Garage Not Liable For Injuries To Driver Returning Car

    Massachusetts-based car sharing company Zipcar and the owner of a public parking garage are not liable for injuries suffered by a college student who was struck by a drunken driver while dropping off a car back in 2017, an intermediate appellate court concluded Thursday.

  • May 01, 2025

    Mammogram Provider Facing Wave Of Data Breach Suits

    Seven patients of a mobile mammography business have each filed class actions in recent days following the company's disclosure that personal and health information for more than 350,000 patients was impacted by a data breach seven months ago.

  • May 01, 2025

    Hub Hires: Prince Lobel, Polsinelli, Foley & Lardner

    Marathon runners weren't the only ones on the move in Boston in April, with the city's legal community continuing to compete for talent — including a half-dozen alumni of Beantown's own Suffolk University Law School.

  • May 01, 2025

    States Urge 1st Circ. To Reinstate Federal Housing Grants

    A coalition of states urged the First Circuit to reinstate a ruling that had blocked the Trump administration from cutting $30 million in fair housing grants, saying the federal government failed to consider the impact this decision would have on the groups' operations.

  • April 30, 2025

    Coinbase Urges Justices To Take User's IRS Data Seizure Suit

    Crypto exchange Coinbase on Wednesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to firm up privacy rights around digital information stored with third parties, backing a petition by a Coinbase user who's challenging the Internal Revenue Service's seizure of his account records.

  • April 30, 2025

    DraftKings Wants MLB Players' IP Case Sent To 3rd Circ.

    Sports betting company DraftKings Inc. told a Pennsylvania federal judge Wednesday that she was wrong to allow an MLB players organization's suit over unlicensed use of athletes' likenesses to proceed, arguing that the Third Circuit should weigh in on potentially novel legal issues that could quickly end the case.

  • April 30, 2025

    Judge Says Gov't Can't Move Deportees To Avoid Due Process

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday amended his order requiring that deportees receive meaningful due process before being removed to countries where they have no prior ties to explicitly state that the government cannot escape the requirement by transferring custody to the U.S. Department of Defense or another agency.

  • April 30, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    Enforcers opened high stakes court proceedings against Meta Platforms and Google for monopolization claims that could force the tech giants to sell pieces of the companies, while also moving ahead with several challenges and reviews of pending deals in other industries. Here, Law360 looks at the major merger review developments from April.

Expert Analysis

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Expect More State-Level Scrutiny Of Noncompetes Ahead

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    Despite the nationwide injunction against the Federal Trade Commission’s noncompete ban, and the incoming Republican administration, employers should anticipate that state legislatures will continue to focus on laws that limit or ban noncompetes, including those that target certain salary thresholds or industries, says Benjamin Fryer at FordHarrison.

  • In Terror Case, DC Circ. Must Weigh Justices' Twitter Ruling

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    When the D.C. Circuit hears oral argument in AstraZeneca UK v. Atchley, how the court interprets the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Twitter v. Taamneh will have a significant impact on future claims brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • Video Privacy Law Claims After 2nd Circ. NBA Ruling

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    The Second Circuit's recent ruling in Salazar v. National Basketball Association expanded the definition of what constitutes a consumer under the Video Privacy Protection Act, breathing new life into the law by making any newsletter subscriber to a platform that hosts video content a potential plaintiff, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Why K-Cup Claims Landed Keurig In Hot Water With SEC

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Keurig Dr. Pepper for making incomplete statements regarding the recyclability of K-cup pods highlights the importance of comprehensive corporate disclosures, particularly with respect to ESG matters, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Copyright Questions Surround AI Music Platform Suits

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    If recent lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America against two artificial intelligence music platform developers — who maintain that use of copyrighted works to train AI models constitutes fair use — go to trial, this novel issue will make for potentially precedent-setting decisions, says intellectual property lawyer Eric Lane.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • 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.

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