News & Insights

Sec Adopts Rule Changes To Private Offering Exemptions

On November 2, 2020, the SEC adopted amendments to “simplify, harmonize, and improve certain aspects of the exempt offering framework” under the Securities Act of 1933. The amendments are intended to meet evolving market needs by providing, among other changes, all of the following: greater clarity around the SEC’s integration doctrine that can pose challenges…
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California Safety Agency Imposes Covid-19 Emergency Regulations

Throughout the past few months, COVID-19 cases have continued to rise causing several areas of concern for employers across the nation. On November 18, 2020, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal OSHA”) proposed emergency regulations containing new workplace protocols that provide employers with more comprehensive guidelines to adequately enforce or modify existing…
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Fraud Claims Asserted By Homeowner Against Engineer Dismissed For Lack Of Specificity

In Hinman v. ValleyCrest Landscape, Inc. and Aquatic Design & Engineering, Inc., No. 3:19-cv-551, 2020 WL 434161 (M.D. Tenn. Jan. 28, 2020), the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee granted Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the fraud claims alleged against the engineer for lack of specificity in the pleading.   Plaintiff, the…
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Finra Adopts Rule Regarding Registered Representatives Being Named A Customer’s Beneficiary Or Holding A Position Of Trust For A Customer

FINRA recently adopted Rule 3241, limiting registered representatives from being named a customer’s beneficiary or holding a position of trust for a customer. The rule limits a registered representative from being named a beneficiary, executor or trustee, or to have a power of attorney or similar position of trust for or on behalf of a…
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Tennessee Appellate Court Sets Low Threshold For Satisfying Notice And Opportunity To Cure Requirements For Alleged Construction Defects

In Liberty Constr. Co., LLC v. Curry, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Nashville Division, reversed a lower court’s holding that the owners of a commercial building failed to provide a construction company with notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure a defect it allegedly caused. 2020 WL 6158461, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 21,…
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New York Appellate Court Rules Owners Claim Against Architect Accrued Upon Completion Of The Project Rather Than When Damage Was Discovered

In Town of West Seneca v. Kideney Architects, P.C., 2020 WL 5867490 (N.Y. App. Oct 2, 2020), a New York appellate court held a project owner’s claim against the architect accrued, and the statute of limitations began, upon completion of the project, rather than discovery of the damage.  Town of West Seneca, the project owner,…
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Seventh Circuit Will Decide Supreme Court Impact On Groundwater Dispute

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will soon have the opportunity to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund ruling to a long-running dispute between an environmental group and the owner of a coal-fired power plant. 140 S.Ct. 1462 (2020).  The case is Prairie Rivers Network v. Dynegy…
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Osha Covid Investigations

Across the nation, COVID-19 cases continue to rise and so have COVID-related complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). OSHA has initiated over 1,000 investigations related to COVID, and as of October 22, 2020, OSHA had issued just under 150 COVID-related citations. OSHA has not developed standards specific to COVID-related concerns. Instead, it…
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Georgia Appellate Court Finds Question Of Material Fact Regarding Whether A Materialmen’s Lien Attaches Based Upon Entity Name In Subcontract

In Optum Construction Group, LLC et al. v. City Electric Supply Company, 2020 WL 5792581 (Ga. App. 2020), appellee City Electric Supply Company (“City Electric”) furnished materials to Palmetto Power Services, LLC (“Palmetto Services”), an entity that represented itself as a subcontractor for a hotel construction project on which appellant Optum Construction Group, LLC (“Optum”)…
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