News & Insights

3m Will Discontinue Pfas Manufacturing

On December 20, 2022 3M, Inc. announced it would discontinue manufacturing of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) by the end of 2025. 3M is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of PFAS, accounting for $1.3 billion in annual sales revenue. 3M plans to scale down its PFAS manufacturing prior to the 2025 discontinuation date. PFAS…
Read More

Finra Suspends Two New York Registered Representatives For Violating Regulation Best Interest

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is ramping up enforcement against registered representatives who violate the Best Interest Obligation of the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”).  In February 2023, FINRA announced that it had disciplined two New York-based registered representatives for violating Reg BI.  Tony Cirella and Edward Scott Short, both of the Melville,…
Read More

Supreme Court Of Texas Applies Arbitration Clause In Purchase Agreement Against Non-Signatory Minor Children Under Direct Benefit Estoppel Theory

In Taylor Morrison of Texas, Inc. v. Skufca as Next Friend of KSX, the Supreme Court of Texas determined minor children who join their parents as plaintiffs in breach of contract claims based on construction defects in the home they resided in may be subject to arbitration clauses within the applicable purchase agreement based on…
Read More

Nevada, Federal District Court Upholds Economic Loss Doctrine For Design Professionals In Residential Construction Disputes

In Pulver v. Kane, 2022 WL 17327182 (D. Nev. Nov. 29, 2022), a Federal District Court in Nevada upheld the economic loss doctrine to preclude a contractor from asserting tort claims against design professionals in suits seeking to recover solely economic losses arising from residential construction. Pulver Construction Company (“Pulver”) contracted with the homeowners to…
Read More

United States Senate Reintroduces Bill To Ban Non-Compete Agreements

On February 1, 2023, a bipartisan group of United States Senators reintroduced a bill, entitled the “Workforce Mobility Act of 2023” (“the Act”). The Act proposes a nationwide ban on the majority of non-compete agreements and follows the recently proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). If passed, the Act would codify the use…
Read More

Federal Trade Commission Proposes Rule To Ban Noncompete Agreements

On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a rule to ban non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The proposed rule would prevent employers from requiring workers to agree to contract clauses that prevent the worker from seeking or accepting employment with another employer or operating a business after the conclusion of the…
Read More

Tennessee’s Statute Of Repose Applies To Claims For Contractual Indemnity

The statute of repose is a powerful defense for a design or construction professional, since most provide an absolute bar to claims filed outside the repose period.  Tennessee’s statute of repose was recently found to apply to contractual indemnity claims, when the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee granted summary judgment…
Read More

Supreme Court May Bring Clarity To Wetlands Protected Under Clean Water Act In Sackett V. Environmental Protection Agency

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency on October 3, 2022. Sackett involves property owners challenging an EPA compliance order determining that a property on which the Sacketts intended to build a home was a wetland as defined in the Clean Water Act (CWA). Sackett v. U.S. Env’t Prot. Agency,…
Read More

Finra’s Examination And Risk Monitoring Program

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has released its 2023 report regarding FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring Program (the “Report”). FINRA’s intent is that the Report be an up-to-date, evolving resource which member firms can use to strengthen their compliance programs. This year’s Report addresses a materially broader range of topics than in prior years….
Read More