In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 31, 2016, that property owners could file suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the agency’s determination that their land contains “waters of the United States” covered by the Clean Water Act. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., 578 U.S. – (2016)….
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In Bd. of Managers of Film Exchange Lofts Condo. Ass’n v. Fitzgerald Associates Architects, P.C., 2016 WL 2841978 (Ill. App. May 11, 2016), the Appellate Court of Illinois consolidated three appeals and affirmed the lower courts’ decisions not to extend the implied warranty of habitability to architects. All three consolidated cases involved condominium boards bringing actions…
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In Ex parte Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, (Ala. Civ. App. May 6, 2016)[25 ALW 20], the employee Sarah Brown (“Brown”) filed a workers’ compensation action against her employer Lowe’s Home Centers, Inc. (“Lowe’s), seeking medical treatment for her claimed back injury and an award of disability benefits. After conducting a compensability hearing, the trial court found Brown’s…
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In Bronstein v. Omega Construction Group, Inc., 2016 WL 1577185 (N.Y. App. April 20, 2016), the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, affirmed a lower court’s denial of a Motion to Dismiss filed by Defendant Michael T. Cetera, an architect hired by Plaintiffs to provide architectural services. In 2006, Plaintiffs entered into an agreement with Mr….
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In Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board v. INET Airport Systems, Incorp., et al., 2016 WL 1445205 (5th Cir. April 12, 2016), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s $1.29 million judgment in favor of the contractor and against the owner. The Fifth Circuit determined genuine issues of fact remained regarding whether the owner first…
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In May 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Exxon’s petition for writ of certiorari seeking review of a $236 million trial judgment against it in a groundwater contamination case in New Hampshire. The Court’s refusal to review the issues raised by Exxon leaves in place a verdict Exxon claims violates its due process rights. …
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On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its final version of the overtime exemption rule applicable to white collar employees. The rule exempts from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirements employees earning above a set salary threshold per year. The new version promulgated by the Department of Labor significantly raises that…
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SEC APPROVES RULE REQUIRING FIRMS TO SEND AN EDUCATIONAL PAMPHLET TO THE FORMER CLIENTS OF THEIR NEWLY HIRED REPRESENTATIVES The SEC recently approved the adoption of FINRA Rule 2273 which creates an obligation to deliver educational communication in connection with firm recruitment practices and account transfers. The new rule affects financial firms that want to…
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John Webb recently prevailed in a workers’ compensation trial before Judge D. Alan Mann in Madison County, Alabama in Antonio Octaviano v. Coast Personnel Services, Inc. At the time of the accident, Plaintiff was employed with Benchmark Electronics through Defendant, Coast Personnel Services, Inc. Coast Personnel is a temporary staffing agency. The Plaintiff alleged he suffered a work…
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In, Ex parte Reed Contracting Servs., Inc., No. 2150230, 2016 WL 360725 (Ala. Civ. App. Jan. 29, 2016), the plaintiff, Henry Riley (“Riley”), injured both of his knees and wrists during the course of his employment with his employer, Reed Contracting Services (“Reed”) when he fell from a man lift in March 2012. Id. at *1. Riley…
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