The United States Supreme Court recently granted certiorari in a group of three cases challenging the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s (“Title VII”) prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex. This decision will resolve a conflict among federal circuits as to whether Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on…
Read More
A United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of California has reduced an $75 million punitive damages award against Monsanto Company to $20 million in the nation’s first federally-tried Roundup case. Hardeman v. Monsanto, 3:16-cv-00525 (N.D. Cal., July 15, 2019). In reducing the award, the Court stated Monsanto deserves to be punished, but…
Read More
FINRA commenced a retrospective review of its rules and administrative processes meant to help protect senior investors from financial exploitation and is now requesting comment on suggested changes to and creation of rules and administrative processes addressing the issue. FINRA is requesting feedback on proposed expansions to Rule 2165, which permits a member firm to…
Read More
Taylor Industrial Construction v. Westfield Insurance Company involved a general contractor, subcontractor, sub-subcontractors, and a surety disputed over payment after termination of the contract. 2019 WL 3068395 (M.D. Fla. 2019). In May 2016, general contractor Slone Associates, Inc. (“Slone”) was hired to provide construction-related services and materials for the ceiling area of a WalMart Distribution…
Read More
In Hayes v. Intermountain GeoEnvironmental Services, Inc., 2019 WL 2621931 (Utah Ct. App. June 27, 2019), the Utah Court of Appeals upheld the economic loss rule, finding a property owners’ tort claims against a geotechnical engineer were barred. In 2004, a developer hired Intermountain GeoEnvironmental Services, Inc. (“IGES”) to conduct a geotechnical investigation for a…
Read More
In 2016 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) adopted a controversial rule requiring employers with over 100 employees to report pay data and hours worked broken down by sex and race as part of annual EEO-1 reporting obligations. On July 2, 2019, the EEOC updated its website to provide additional information and about new pay…
Read More
In Construction Services Group, LLC v. MS Electric, LLC, 2019 WL 2710115 (Ala. Civ. App. 2019), the parties entered into an agreement with the Alabama Public School and College Authority. The agreement provided that Construction Services Group, LLC (“Construction Services”) would act as the general contractor on a construction project for additions and alterations to…
Read More
The D.C. Circuit has upheld an EPA rule that classifies as “recycled” certain hazardous material sent to a third-party reclamation facility and thus exempt from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations governing discarded waste. California Communities Against Toxics, et al., v. EPA, et al., No. 18-1163 (D.C. Cir., July 2, 2019). In this…
Read More
In LaLonde v. Gosnell, 2019 WL 2479172 (Tex. June 14, 2019), the Texas Supreme Court held an engineer’s engagement in the judicial process, through the completion of discovery and until one month before trial, waived the Certificate of Merit requirements. Paul and Kim Gosnell (the “Gosnells”) contracted with Thomas A. LaLonde d/b/a Lee Engineering Co….
Read More
FINRA recently issued Regulatory Notice 19-23 addressing “extraordinary cooperation” by broker dealers and broker dealer firms. The Notice highlights FINRA’s hopes to incentivize broker dealers and broker dealer firms to take “proactive and voluntary steps beyond those required under FINRA rules” by crediting such cooperation in FINRA’s regulatory enforcement decisions. The Notice also clarifies the…
Read More
Our locations in Birmingham and Pensacola are conveniently located for clients in the Southeast.
Get In Touch