News & Insights

Energy Company’s Coal Ash Ponds Not Subject To Clean Water Act

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled discharge of arsenic from a coal ash storage site through groundwater into surrounding waters does not violate the U.S. Clean Water Act and does not require a NPDES permit.  Sierra Club v. Virginia Electric & Power Co., No. 17-1895 (4th Cir., September 12, 2018).  A three-judge…
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The Sec Approves Finra Rules Amendments For Simplified Arbitrations

The SEC recently approved a rule amendment to create an intermediate form of adjudication for small claims.  The proposal amends Rules 12600 and 12800 of the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedure for Customer Disputes and Rules 13600 and 13800 of the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedure for Industry Disputes.  The amendments provide parties with claims…
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Sia K Newman Succeeds At Trial In Challenging Plaintiff’s Claim Of 100 Percent Permanent And Total Disability

Employee Joseph Fields, (“Fields”) filed a Complaint against his employer Sexton Lawn & Landscape, for workers’ compensation benefits relating to right leg and lower back injuries he allegedly received from a brown recluse spider bite on August 13, 2015, while in the course and scope of his employment with Sexton Lawn & Landscape.  Fields claimed…
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Jury Awards $289 Million In First Monsanto Round Up Case

A California State Superior Court jury has found Monsanto’s Roundup and Ranger Pro herbicides contributed to a school groundskeeper’s lymphoma and awarded the plaintiff a combined $289 million in compensatory and punitive damages in a landmark suit against the company, which has denied links between its herbicides and cancer for decades.  Johnson v. Monsanto, et…
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Court Of Appeals Of Tennessee Affirms Ruling Precluding Recovery By Developer Due To It Committing A Prior Material Breach Of The Same Contract

In The Manor Homes, LLC v. Ashby Communities, LLC, et al., No. M201701369COAR3CV, 2018 WL 3814981 (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 10, 2018), the Court of Appeals of Tennessee affirmed a ruling precluding recovery by the developer due to it committing a prior material breach of the contract. The case involved the construction of a house…
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Department Of Labor Issues New Guidance Regarding Nurses And Caregivers As Independent Contractors

Health care registry companies provide matchmaking and referral services for qualified, pre-screened and vetted home caregivers.  They often also provide administrative services.  As part of the “gig economy,” health care registries often tread a fine line between classifying caregivers as independent contractors or employers.  On July 13, 2018, the Wage and Hour Division of the…
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Finra Seeks Comment On Proposed Amendments To Firm And Associated Persons Document Production List

FINRA is requesting comment on proposed amendments to the Firm and Associated Persons Document Production List and Discovery Guide. The proposed amendments to the Discovery Guide require firms and associated persons, upon request, to produce documents concerning third-party insurance coverage in a customer arbitration proceeding. These proposed amendments would strictly limit the circumstances under which…
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