News & Insights

U.S. District Judge Rejects Elk River Chemical Spill Settlement

A West Virginia federal judge rejected a proposed $151 million deal reached by American Water Works and Eastman Chemical that would have settled class claims arising from a 2014 coal-processing chemical spill, but indicated the agreement is salvageable.  Good et al. v. American Water Works Co. Inc. et al., Case No. 2:14-cv-01374, (S.D. W. Va., July…
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Department Of Labor Reconsidering Minimum Salary For White Collar Exemption

Since November 2016, a nationwide injunction has prevented the Obama Administration’s new overtime rule for white collar workers from going into effect.  The Obama-era rule, which increase the minimum annual salary required to support exempt status from $23,660.00 to $47,476.00, was poised to convert millions of employees from exempt to non-exempt from the FLSA’s overtime…
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Missouri Court Of Appeals Interprets Statute Regarding What Is Incidental To The Practice Of Architecture

In Curtis v. Miss. Board For Architects, Prof. Engineers, Prof. Land Surveyors, and Prof. Landscape Architects, No. WD 80174, 2017 WL 2241516 (Mo. Ct. App. May 23, 2017), the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Professional Landscape Architects’ (the “Board”) disciplinary order against an architect…
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General Liability Insurer Has Duty To Defend Odor Claim

A New York Appellate Court has ruled a hazardous materials exclusion did not relieve an insurer of its obligation to defend a recycling plant operator from claims the Plant is spreading a foul odor.  Hillcrest Coatings, Inc. v. Colony Ins. Co., 2017 NY App. Div. LEXIS 4519 (NY 4th Dept. June 9, 2017).  The five-judge…
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Arbitration Panel Grants Eligibility Motion To Dismiss And Expungement In Recent Case

Our firm recently obtained an award from a FINRA panel denying all of Claimant’s claims and finding for Respondents.  The panel also granted our Motion for Expungement.  The claim (Arbitration number 16-03568) was filed in December, 2016.  Claimant alleged claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, failure to supervise, violation of the Alabama…
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Ninth Circuit’s Outlook On Equal Pay Laws And Competitive Hiring

A recent decision issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer may defend a claim under the Equal Pay Act by proving that its pay structure was based on employees’ prior salaries, so long as this structure was reasonable and effectuated a business policy. This decision parts ways with other Circuits…
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