United States Supreme Court Holds Both State And Private Property Can Be Condemned By A Certificate Holding Natural Gas Company

Practice Area: infomedia

United States Supreme Court Holds Both State And Private Property Can Be Condemned By A Certificate Holding Natural Gas Company

In PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC v. New Jersey, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) defended the federal government’s ability to delegate its eminent domain power to a natural gas company.  No. 19-1039, 2021 WL 2653262, (U.S. June 29, 2021).  The Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) was passed by Congress in 1938 to regulate the…
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When Is An Architect Required To Notify Its Insurer

In RLI Insurance Company v. Architrave, Inc., 2021 WL 1863259 (D.S.C. May 7, 2021), a federal court in South Carolina held that a factual issue remained as to when an architect was required to put its insurer on notice of a potential claim. Bobbitt Design Build (“Bobbitt”) was hired by Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church,…
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The Alabama Court Of Civil Appeals Disallows A Contractual Agreement Preventing Venue To Be Established In The State Of Alabama

In Sellers v. Venture Express, Inc. (not yet released for publication), the Plaintiff asserted a workers’ compensation action in the Circuit Court of Cullman County asserting an on-the-job injury in the course and scope of her employment with Defendant Venture Express.  The claimed  injury occurred in Alabama, but the Plaintiff and Defendant entered into an…
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Osha Issues Emergency Temporary Standard For Covid 19 For Healthcare Employees

On June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) limited to employers in the healthcare section for COVID-19.  OSHA has the authority to issue an ETS without utilizing the regular rulemaking process if it determines that (1) workers are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances…
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Finra Announces All Dispute Resolution Hearing Locations Will Be Open For In Person Proceedings On August 2, 2021

In March of 2020, FINRA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had administratively postponed all in-person arbitration and mediation proceedings.  Subsequent announcements extended those adjournments through July 3, 2021.  In mid-May, 2021, FINRA announced that 62 hearing locations would be open for in-person hearings starting July 5, 2021, and recently, FINRA stated that…
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Federal Court Remands Unfair Trade Practices Lawsuit Against Exxon

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut has granted the state’s remand motion in its case against Exxon Mobil for allegedly misleading the public about connections between its products and climate change, as well as alleged interference with the marketplace for renewable energy and “greenwashing.”  Connecticut v. Exxon Mobil Corp., No. 3:20-cv-1555…
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Tennessee Appellate Court Affirms Trial Court’s Holding That Owner Of Corporation Engaged As Contractor On Construction Project Could Not Be Held Personally Liable For Corporation’s Alleged Statutory Violations

In Clarksville Towers, LLC v. Straussberger, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee analyzed whether the trial court properly granted summary judgment for the owner of a corporation which was engaged as the contractor in a multi-million-dollar construction project. 2021 WL 1884636, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 11, 2021). The plaintiff, Clarksville Towers, LLC (“Clarksville Towers”), sought to hold…
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Engineer’s Contractual Indemnity Claim Against Contractor Dismissed, As Indemnification Agreement Excluded Claims For Damages To The Work Itself

In County of Saratoga v. Delaware Engineering, D.P.C., 189 A.D.3d 1926, 139 N.Y.S.3d 381 (3d Dept 2020), the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division held that an engineer’s contractual indemnity claim against the contractor was due to be dismissed, as the indemnity provision unambiguously and expressly excluded claims for damage to the “work itself.” In…
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