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Construction
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December 13, 2024
Texas Panel Prods Harrison County About Tank Leakage
A Texas appeals court judge on Friday questioned whether Harrison County is seizing on a legal ambiguity to avoid required testing of underground storage tanks, saying its loose interpretation of the word "year" in a state law "doesn't sound like a very good idea."
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December 13, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen a group of franchise operators hit Vodafone with a £120 million ($151 million) claim for allegedly imposing commission cuts, green energy tycoon Dale Vince pursue another libel action against the publisher of the Daily Mail, and parcel delivery giant Yodel face a claim by an investor that helped save it from collapse earlier in the year.
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December 13, 2024
Retirees Say Lumber Co.'s $1.5B Pension Transfer Upped Risk
A wood product manufacturer violated federal benefits law when it transferred $1.5 billion of pension obligations to a private equity-backed insurance company, substantially increasing the risk that retirees will see their benefits slashed, according to a proposed class action filed in federal court.
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December 13, 2024
Balance Of Equities Favors Tribal Emergency Shelter, Court Told
A Washington tribe says it's likely to prevail in a challenge that looks to block the city of Toppenish from enforcing an ordinance on a 24-hour emergency cold weather shelter, arguing that the municipality concedes that the unhoused are likely to face serious injury or death absent court intervention.
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December 13, 2024
Conn. Stadium Bidder Can't Pursue 'Sham' Process Claims
An unsuccessful bidder for the redevelopment of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, lacks standing to carry on a 56-count lawsuit against 19 defendants that it accused of executing a "sham" process, a state appeals court ruled Friday.
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December 13, 2024
Construction Co. Fights Stay In Small Biz Qui Tam Suit
The owners of a construction firm accused in a whistleblower suit of defrauding a program for disadvantaged small businesses objected to a request to delay the suit while the Eleventh Circuit considers the appeal of another suit that resulted in a controversial decision deeming the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act unconstitutional.
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December 13, 2024
Fight Over $40M Discount For Boston Casino Headed To Trial
A Massachusetts judge declined to toss allegations that Wynn Resorts lied to a landowner to secure a $40 million discount on real estate where the company built the Encore Boston Harbor casino, teeing up a bench trial in the case.
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December 12, 2024
Carlisle Cleared In Patent Trial Over Spray Guns
Jurors cleared Carlisle's construction materials company on Thursday from allegations in Delaware federal court that the Pennsylvania company was infringing a single claim in a rival's patent that covered a spray gun marketed to construction workers.
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December 12, 2024
Mich. Judge Hesitant To Rule On $217M Dam Repair Tax
A Michigan federal judge sounded reluctant Thursday to make a decision about whether a $217 million dam repair tax assessment violated homeowners' constitutional rights before a state appellate panel rules on the homeowners' challenge to the assessment in a parallel case over properties affected by flooding from the 2020 Edenville Dam collapse.
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December 12, 2024
11th Circ. Won't Rehear Guatemala Power Plant Fight
The Eleventh Circuit will not reconsider its decision refusing to vacate an arbitral award issued following an ill-fated Guatemalan power plant construction project, rejecting arguments that the tribunal improperly turned a blind eye to alleged corruption underlying the project.
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December 12, 2024
Wash. Judge Weighs Stay Of Gas Reg Suit Amid New Cases
A Seattle federal judge hinted on Thursday she might pause a building industry coalition's lawsuit challenging Washington regulations discouraging the use of natural gas appliances in new construction, pointing to fresh litigation in state court that could force regulators to revise the rules in the wake of an initiative voters passed in November.
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December 12, 2024
Chemical Co. Cuts $300K Deal To End Unpaid Wage Suit
A Pennsylvania chemical company and a former worker who accused it of violating state and federal wage laws by requiring uncompensated preshift work of its employees came together and asked a Keystone State judge to approve a $300,000 settlement for the proposed class action.
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December 12, 2024
Hartford Needn't Defend Contractor In Workplace Injury Suit
A Hartford unit has no duty to defend an electrical contractor against an employee's workplace injury suit, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying the underlying negligence- and intent-based claims don't fall within the scope of a workers' compensation and employers' liability policy.
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December 11, 2024
Texas Sues 3M And DuPont Over Forever Chemicals
Texas launched a suit against 3M and DuPont for "misrepresentations and key omissions" the companies made about so-called forever chemicals, telling a state court on Wednesday that the companies lied to the public about the harmful chemicals for over 50 years.
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December 11, 2024
Ex-Rep. TJ Cox Reaches Plea Deal On Fraud Charges
Former U.S. Rep. T.J. Cox reached a deal with California federal prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to two charges and pay up to a $3.5 million fine over allegations he stole from his companies and took illegal campaign contributions, according to a plea agreement filed Wednesday.
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December 11, 2024
Metals Co. Gets $1.1M Verdict In Fireproofing IP, Transfer Feud
A Washington federal jury has awarded a company with nearly $786,000 in damages after finding that an ex-employee and another business willfully induced customers to infringe its patents for fire-resistant construction assembly products, plus another $300,000 for a fraudulent transfer of assets.
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December 11, 2024
Suit Says Plastic Bag Maker Owes $3M For Property Damage
An Illinois property owner said Bio Star Films, a maker of plastic shopping bags, must pay over $3 million for repairs to five industrial buildings it leased in Chicago for recycling and plastic manufacturing, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.
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December 11, 2024
Metal Recycler Accused Of Polluting Connecticut Streams
Global industrial recycling firm Sims Metal was hit with a Clean Water Act lawsuit by an environmental watchdog group claiming the company lets stormwater and snow runoff drag metal particles and other pollutants into streams that enter Long Island Sound in greater New Haven, Connecticut.
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December 10, 2024
GAO Backs Army's Rejection Of Iraqi Contractor's Proposals
The U.S. Government Accountability Office backed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' rejection of an Iraqi construction contractor's proposals for a design-build contract, saying the Corps reasonably deemed the contractor "non-responsible" for being ineligible to access an Air Force base.
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December 10, 2024
Ohio Justices Undo Paint-Maker's Lead Paint Coverage Win
Insurers for Sherwin-Williams Co. don't have to cover the paint-maker's portion of a $305 million settlement to abate lead paint in California homes, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, finding the payment does not qualify as damages under its commercial general liability policies.
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December 10, 2024
Wash. HOA Can't Get Early Win Bid In Water Damage Row
A homeowners association for a Seattle-area condominium complex can't yet prevail on its bad faith claims against its insurer over coverage for extensive water damage, a Washington federal court ruled, finding a material factual dispute over whether the association filed its coverage action within its policy's two-year suit-filing deadline.
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December 10, 2024
Biz Owner In $2.8M Worker Tax Scheme Gets 18 Months
A construction company owner who failed to pay $2.8 million in employment taxes by falsely claiming his workers were subcontractors was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday and ordered to pay full restitution, according to Massachusetts federal court documents.
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December 10, 2024
Staffing Co., EEOC Ink $300K Deal In Hiring Bias Suit
A construction staffing company in Minnesota will pay $300,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it wouldn't find work for women, Black people or older people and prompted a worker who complained about it to resign, according to a federal court filing Tuesday.
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December 09, 2024
High Court Again Weighs Reach Of Federal Fraud Statutes
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the question of whether using deceptive means to induce a business transaction with no contemplation of causing economic loss constitutes mail or wire fraud, the latest challenge in a line of cases that seeks to narrow the reach of federal fraud statutes.
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December 09, 2024
Insurer Asks 7th Circ. To Review Faulty Work Coverage Ruling
An insurer urged the Seventh Circuit on Monday to review a ruling requiring it to defend an architectural design firm and its owner against faulty work claims seeking more than $3.4 million in damages, saying the ruling is contrary to an Illinois Supreme Court decision involving the same issues.
Expert Analysis
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
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.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
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.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
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.
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Opinion
Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
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.
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Philly Project Case Renews Ongoing Fraud Theory Tug-Of-War
In its upcoming term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Kousisis v. U.S., a case involving wire fraud convictions related to Philadelphia bridge repair projects, and may once again further rein in prosecutorial attempts to expand theories of fraud beyond core traditional property rights, say Jonathan Halpern and Kyra Rosenzweig at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
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.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
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.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
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.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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What To Expect From Evolving Wash. Development Plans
The current round of periodic updates to Washington counties' growth and development plans will need to address new requirements from recent legislation, and will also likely bring changes that should please property owners and developers, says Jami Balint at Seyfarth.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Preparing For The NLRB's New Union Recognition Final Rule
The National Labor Relations Board's impending new final rule on union recognition puts the employer at a particular disadvantage in a decertification election, and best practices include conducting workplace assessments to identify and proactively address employee issues, say Louis Cannon and Gerald Bradner at Baker Donelson.