Superior Court Of Connecticut Grants Defendant Architect’s Motion To Decide Questions Of Law And To Dispense With Jury Trial Based On The Statute Of Repose

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Superior Court Of Connecticut Grants Defendant Architect’s Motion To Decide Questions Of Law And To Dispense With Jury Trial Based On The Statute Of Repose

 In Town of Windsor v. Loureiro Engineering Assoc., 2016 WL 4007747 (Conn. Super. Ct. June 20, 2016), the Superior Court of Connecticut (the “Superior Court”) granted a Motion to Decide Questions of Law and to Dispense with a Jury Trial filed by Defendants Loureiro Engineering, Inc., Newman Architects, LLC, Herbert S. Newman, and Michael Raso (collectively,…
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Texas Supreme Court Holds General Contractor Not Entitled To Indemnity From Manufacturer Of Defective Product

    In Centerpoint Builders GP, LLC v. Trussway, Ltd., 2016 WL 3413329 (Tex. 2016), the Texas Supreme Court held the general contractor, Centerpoint Builders, LLC (“Centerpoint”), was not a “seller” under the Texas Products Liability Act and could not obtain indemnity from the manufacturer of the defective product even though Centerpoint had not altered the product…
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District Court Finds No Duty To Defend Environmental Claims

 Between 1978 and 2002, PCS and its predecessor sent equipment to facilities in North Carolina for repairs.  During the repairs, PCBs were released.  In 2003, the EPA launched an investigation of the site.  The EPA settled with potentially responsible parties following its investigation.   In April, 2008, PCS put American Home on notice that it had…
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Federal Court Addresses Whether Sexual Orientation Is A Protected Class Under Title Vii

Last month, in Kimberly Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, South Bend, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dismissed Plaintiff Kimberly Hively’s (“Ms. Hively”) lawsuit against her employer for sexual orientation discrimination and harassment under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”).  Ms. Hively alleged she was denied full-time employment and promotions…
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Forum Selection Provisions In Customer Agreements

FINRA released Regulatory Notice 16-25 reminding broker dealers that claimants have a right to request arbitration through FINRA at any time and do not forfeit that right by signing any agreement with a forum selection provision specifying another dispute resolution process or an arbitration venue other than the FINRA arbitration forum.                FINRA Code…
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Eeoc Proposes Additional Changes To Eeo 1 Reporting

On July 13, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) proposed additional changes to EEO-1 data reporting requirements, modifying its original proposal from January 2016.  The original proposal, intended to enforce the prohibitions on pay discrimination in Title VII, the EPA and Executive Order 11246 regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, required employers to begin reporting pay…
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Plowing Deemed Polluting Under Clean Water Act

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California held the owner of a farm violated the Clean Water Act when he allowed wetlands on his property to be tilled.  Duarte Nursery, Inc. v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, No. 2:13-cv-02095-KJM-AC (June 10, 2016).  John Duarte, president of Duarte Nursery, purchased approximately 2,000…
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District Court Grants Engineer’s Motion For Judgment On The Pleadings Based On The Economic Loss Doctrine

In Venturedyne, Ltd. v. Carbonyx Inc., 2016 WL 3402807 (N.D. Ind. June 21, 2016), the Northern District of Indiana (the “District Court”) granted a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings filed by Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant Venturedyne, Ltd. d/b/a Scientific Dust Collectors (“SDC”), an engineer hired by Defendant/Crossclaimant Carbonyx, Inc. (“Carbonyx”), to design and manufacture dust collection systems. …
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Finra Issues Guidance On Use Of Stop Orders During Volatile Market Conditions

FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 16-19 in an effort to encourage firms to review their practices regarding stop orders.  Registered representatives often recommend stop orders as a tool for managing market risk.  Investors use stop sell orders to protect profit position in the event a stock’s price declines and stop buy orders if they have a…
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11th Circuit Says Slur Doesn’t Create A Hostile Work Environment

     This week the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals provided greater clarity as to what comments can establish a racially hostile work environment under Title VII.  In Mahone v. CSX Transportation, Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-00535-AKK (June 13, 2016), the Court affirmed the lower court’s grant of summary judgment for the employer finding that that a…
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