News & Insights

North Carolina Affirms Rule That In A Lawsuit With Multiple Contractors, The Statute Of Repose Runs When Each Contractor’s Work Is Completed, Not When The Entire Project Is Completed

In Gaston County Board of Education v. Shelco, LLC, 2022 WL 3363819 (N.C. App. Aug. 16, 2022), a North Carolina appellate court held that when a construction project involves multiple contractors, the statute of repose begins to run as to each contractor when its work is completed, rather than when the entire project is completed,…
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U.S. Department Of Labor Issues New Rule On Independent Contractor Status

On October, 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a proposed rule to update the test for determining whether a worker is an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) or an independent contractor. The new rule significantly broadens the classification of workers as employees under the FLSA.  In January 2021, the DOL previously…
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New York Registered Representative First To Be Disciplined For Violating Reg Bi

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has disciplined a formerly registered representative for violating Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”).  In a first-of-its-kind disciplinary action, Charles Malico of Huntington Station, New York, has been fined $5,000 and suspended for six months for “recommending a series of transactions in the account of one retail customer that was excessive…
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Eleventh Circuit Enforces Employee Arbitration Agreement, Holding That The Agreement Was Not Unconscionable

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a District Court’s decision that an employment arbitration agreement was “procedurally unconscionable”. See Lambert v. Signature Healthcare, LLC, No. 19-11900 (11th Cir. July 8, 2022). Lambert was unemployed for six months and accepted a position with Signature Healthcare.  As a condition to her employment, she was required…
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Florida District Court Of Appeals Reverses Grant Of Summary Judgment To Developer That Challenged Development Density Ordinance Under Statutory Inordinate Burden Standard

In a ruling on an interlocutory appeal, the Florida District Court of Appeal for the Fifth District recently reversed a summary judgment in favor of Waters Mark Development Enterprises, LC (“WMDE”) against Brevard County (“the County”) because  WMDE had not proven that the County’s residential development density standard constituted an inordinate burden on WMDE’s use…
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Federal District Court In Florida Holds Successor Architect Statute Does Not Release Original Architect From Liability

In Hotels of Deerfield, LLC v. Studio 78, LLC, the Court held the Florida Administrative Code Section which confers “all professional and legal responsibility” to successor architects who reuse already sealed contract documents does not also release original architects from liability. Hotels of Deerfield, LLC and MHG Hotels, LLC (“Plaintiffs”) retained Studio 78, LLC and…
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CDC Issues New Guidance On Covid-19 Focusing On Individual Decision Making

On August 11, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued updated guidance regarding COVID-19 that emphasizes individual responsibility, rather than regulation by the government. The CDC states that the new guidance’s purpose is to help the public better understand how to protect themselves and others if they test positive for COVID-19 and…
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Climate Act Imposes New Fees On Methane Emissions From Oil And Gas Wells

On August 12, 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion in spending on climate action. The Act introduces a “waste emissions charge,” which makes companies who produce, transport, or store oil and gas pay for methane that leaks from their facilities into the atmosphere. The charge will start at $900.00 per…
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Application Of North Carolina’s Economic Loss Doctrine Is Hotly Debated Subject

North Carolina’s version of the economic loss doctrine prohibits recovery for purely economic losses in tort, “for [a defendant’s] simple failure to perform his contract.”  In other words, where a party can sue for economic losses in a breach of contract claim, he is barred from also suing in tort for those same losses.  Nonetheless,…
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