Massachusetts

  • October 15, 2024

    J&J Hit With $15M Verdict In Builder's Mesothelioma Suit

    A Connecticut state court jury on Tuesday slammed Johnson & Johnson and several subsidiaries with a $15 million compensatory damages verdict for a real estate developer who sought to hold the companies liable for his mesothelioma diagnosis.

  • October 15, 2024

    Pair Convicted In Baccarat Cheating Scheme At Mass. Casino

    A Massachusetts jury has convicted a baccarat dealer and a player on charges that they cheated a Boston-area casino out of $15,000, according to the state attorney general's office.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 15, 2024

    'Varsity Blues' Prosecutor Joins Quinn Emanuel In Boston

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has added a former Massachusetts federal prosecutor who oversaw numerous high-profile cases in recent years, including the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal.

  • October 14, 2024

    Crypto-CEO Faces US Extradition In Market Manipulation Case

    The former chief executive of a $7.5 billion crypto-asset company appeared at a London court Monday accused by the U.S. government of manipulating the market for the company's dog-themed "Saitama Inu" crypto-tokens before selling them for tens of millions in profit.

  • October 11, 2024

    Pharmacist Gets Up To 15 Years In Mich. For Fatal Outbreak

    A pharmacist charged for the deaths in a 2012 fatal fungal meningitis outbreak was sentenced Friday afternoon in Michigan state court to 7½ to 15 years in prison, concluding the state's case that had been pending for six years, the pharmacist's attorney has announced.

  • October 11, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Rating Climate Risk, Window Tech, Towers

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a data-driven look at how climate risk is calculated for property owners, what one proptech company is doing to improve high-rise window-washing, and a new tracker following the tallest tower projects in the United States.

  • October 11, 2024

    Boston Bomber Says Judge's Praise For Jury DQs Him

    A Massachusetts federal judge's public comments praising the jury that delivered a conviction and death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev disqualify him from reviewing alleged juror misconduct, the defendant's lawyers said in a filing unsealed Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    Swiss Native Ran $8M International Stock Fraud, SEC Says

    A Swiss-born Massachusetts resident ran a years-long international fraud scheme by tricking investors, mainly from Europe, into investing with him and then absconding with the money, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in a Friday suit.

  • October 11, 2024

    J&J Should Pay $30M For Developer's Cancer, Conn. Jury Told

    Attorneys for a western Massachusetts real estate developer on Friday urged a Connecticut jury to award $30 million for past and future suffering to a lifelong Johnson & Johnson baby powder user diagnosed with mesothelioma, but the company's attorneys suggested $4 million was a more reasonable figure while contesting liability whatsoever.

  • October 11, 2024

    Sports Biz Seeks To Freeze Assets In Suit Over NHL Deal

    A Finland-based sports agency has asked a federal judge to enjoin a Massachusetts man from transferring or disposing of any assets while a lawsuit proceeds over a scheme he allegedly carried out to avoid paying roughly $1 million awarded to the company through arbitration.

  • October 11, 2024

    Babson College, South Asian Professor Resolve Bias Suit

    A former Babson College professor of South Asian descent has resolved a suit alleging she was demeaned by a white male colleague and blocked by the school from advancing her career.

  • October 11, 2024

    6 Firms Guide IPO Trio From Biotech, Medical Device Cos.

    Two venture-backed biotechnology startups and a medical device maker began trading Friday after pricing three initial public offerings that raised $510 million combined — all of which were enlarged from original plans — under guidance from six law firms.

  • October 11, 2024

    Boston Dynamics 'Took Advantage' Of Partner's Robotics IP

    Robot maker Boston Dynamics engaged in a "flagrant and secretive" breach of its nondisclosure agreement with a manufacturer by enabling a competitor to "reverse engineer" components it had built for the Massachusetts company, according to a state court lawsuit.

  • October 11, 2024

    RTX Warned By Judge Over 'Troubling' Settlement Delay

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday chided RTX for slow-walking the finalization of a settlement the defense contractor struck with a Connecticut company just before trial in a trade secrets dispute.

  • October 11, 2024

    'Bloodsport' Poaching Case To Mediate After Disputed Verdict

    An exasperated Boston federal judge on Friday talked two rival medical aesthetic device companies into a round of mediation with a magistrate judge to see if they could wrap up the fiercely litigated poaching case that's already resulted in a contested eight-figure verdict.

  • October 10, 2024

    DOJ Defends Federal Marijuana Ban At 1st Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday urged the First Circuit to reject cannabis companies' constitutional challenge to the drug's ongoing prohibition under federal law, arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that Congress has the power to regulate the interstate and intrastate markets for controlled substances.

  • October 10, 2024

    Most Appian Claims Survive In Pegasystems Defamation Fight

    A Massachusetts federal judge has allowed most counterclaims from business software company Appian Corp. to proceed against rival Pegasystems Inc., which accused its competitor in a lawsuit of making deliberately malicious statements and representations regarding a trade secret case the parties are litigating in Virginia.

  • October 10, 2024

    Tobacco Cos. Push To Move Dozens Of Cases Out Of Boston

    Several tobacco companies asked a Massachusetts judge Thursday to send more than 30 pending liability cases to other venues in the state, arguing that the plaintiffs have no ties to Suffolk County and that the volume of cases is burdening judges in the Boston courthouse.

  • October 10, 2024

    SEC Urges 1st Circ. To Uphold $93M Win Over Financial Firm

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission urged the First Circuit on Thursday to affirm its $93 million win against Commonwealth Financial Network for allegedly failing to disclose that it profited from clients using higher-fee funds when similar, lower-cost versions were available.

  • October 10, 2024

    3M, Other Cos. Hit With PFAS Contamination Class Action

    Nantucket, Massachusetts, residents seek to hold the 3M Co., The Chemours Co. and other companies liable for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that allegedly contaminated their properties, their drinking water and the residents themselves.

  • October 10, 2024

    NJ Judge Deems Portions Of Hemp Law Unconstitutional

    A New Jersey federal judge found Thursday that portions of a soon-to-be-enacted Garden State law placing restrictions on hemp products violate the dormant commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution and are preempted by the 2018 Farm Bill.

  • October 10, 2024

    Teva To Pay $450M To Settle Kickback Cases

    Pharmaceutical giant Teva will pay $450 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by fixing the prices of several generic drugs and by raising the price of a multiple sclerosis treatment while covering Medicare recipients' copays, civil prosecutors said Thursday.

  • October 10, 2024

    Sen. Warren, Novo At Odds On Merits Of $16.5B Deal

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday raised the alarm on Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion purchase of Catalent, arguing the transaction could give Novo "unprecedented" control over the production of certain obesity drugs by Eli Lilly and other top competitors, but Novo insists the deal would give it no such edge.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • Cannabis Ruling Lights Path For Bankruptcy Protection

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    A recent Massachusetts bankruptcy appellate court ruling in Blumsack v. Harrington leaves the door open for those employed in the cannabis industry to seek bankruptcy relief where certain conditions are met, but rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III drug may complicate matters, say Jane Haviland and Kathryn Droumbakis at Mintz.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Blocked JetBlue-Spirit Deal Illustrates New Antitrust Approach

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent successful block of a merger between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines demonstrates antitrust enforcers’ updated and disparate approach to out-of-market benefits versus out-of-market harms, say Lisa Rumin and Anthony Ferrara at McDermott.

  • What Minority Biz Law Ruling Could Mean For Private DEI

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    A Texas federal court’s recent decision to strike down key provisions of the Minority Business Development Act illustrates the wide-reaching effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision across legal contexts, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • What Bankruptcy Deadline Appeal May Mean For Claimants

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    If the Third Circuit reverses a recent appeal made in In re: Promise Healthcare, litigation claimants within the circuit will not be able to rely on the proof of claim process to preserve the claim — but if the court affirms, the U.S. Supreme Court may need to step in to resolve the circuit split on this issue, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: Not All Airline Mergers Hurt The Public

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's actions to block recent attempted airline mergers have been touted as serving the interests of the consumers — but given the realities of the deregulated air travel market, a tie-up like the one proposed between JetBlue and Spirit might have been a win for the public, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

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